When the ungodly becomes highly celebrated in the land, evil takes free toll in acceptance with its attendant effects on moral decline and gradual move into extinction.
Muraino and Ugwumba (2014) asserted that moral decadence is the process of behaving in a way that shows low moral standards. It means gross reduction in the moral values in a particular society. It is a deterioration or a collapse in upholding our societal values, beliefs, norms and ethical standards.
Moral decay has flown to a phase where it is required of the various organizations to rise and fight for the sustenance of the values of our African heritage and tradition in Nigeria.
Religious, political, socio-cultural organizations, families and institutions should rise and stand for societal accepted upright behaviours.
Having traveled to a suburb town in Enugu State few weeks back, on arrival, I was so pressed that I needed to ease my self and went around searching for a refuge corner where I can discharge the fully loaded bladder in peace, and as God will have it, I sighted one. While doing my thing, a lady walked close and whispered, hello sir, finish and come.
Within twinkles, my blood pressure had an increase because a lot of questions ran through my mind. Is this a military zone, have I intruded someone’s privacy, should I have pleaded with the owners of the corner where I stood?
These questions obviously had no answers, I zipped up and walked close to my caller and she asked, where are you going to, I answered and she said “You no go fuck before you proceed”?
That was the most disgusting statement I’ve ever heard since growing up to adulthood from the opposite sex. I saw her emptiness, I saw her irresponsiveness to life, I smiled and subtly answered, no ma, I don’t do that.
While walking away, I had thoughts of how a beautifully looking lady will want to market her own body for money, continued the trip till I landed. That was a tip of iceberg of massive acts of indiscipline going on in the land which has given us negative name as a nation.
Is it that the lady in question was not home trained well, did she chose that path to thread on, was she influenced by her circle of friends or is her religion not teaching proper ethical standards for living? She must have chosen to roll in that way.
How do we get off the mess?
Parental control and guidance should be intact in all homes, no stone should be left unturned in making sure that right behaviour with no question be inculcated into them and as they grow. Their choices in friends making, kinds of play and places they go to should be monitored because it is the foundation of their entire lives.
Like proverbs 22 :6 “ Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it”.
In appearance, youths should be taught the right path to positive living. The boys who wear torn trousers and fry their hair and wear an ear – ring in one ear does not make them either good musicians, international footballers, or even star actors. These looks and attachments make them look irresponsible and outlaws.
Women and girls who wear mini – skirts and dresses to seduce and lure men into their traps should be given open punishment to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to take the same line of living.
The society should put aright this trend, because if it is left uncared for, then the next word to be coined after society is “Darkness”.
Also, churches and mosques should teach their adherents the accepted norms and behaviours as required for a peaceful coexistence in the society.
Moral standards should be extensively taught without reserves and results should be seen the lives of their followers. The positive gains of exercising proper moral behaviors should be exposed so as to pave way for them to desire to live rightly and also raise others in the same line of proper living.
– Chigboja Gideon writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
