High Moral Values and Corruption.

It is not rare to see multitudes of people actively rushing out to their places of worship on Fridays, Sundays and even on various weekdays. In fact, most of our conversations are not complete without one reference or the other to a higher power or a passage from one of the holy books. Given this, shouldn’t we wonder why our nation is one of the most highly notorious for corruption in the world? Precisely, the148th least corrupt out of 180 (According to Transparency International).

The Reality of Everyday

If we take an intrinsic look into our everyday living, some behaviours of the average Nigerian beckon scepticism around the sanctity and purity of the influence of our religious practices and culture in the way we actually live everyday. Is the perception of high moral standards just a hugely socially acceptable fad? Are we conscious enough of the intentions behind our actions such that we do not compromise simple and decent acts of humanity?

We are often quick to blame politicians, the wealthy and others in power for the demise of our nation. But one question I always ask myself is, “If you put the average man on the street in the same position as these so called corrupt leaders, would he do the nation any better? Or would he lead it into complete annihilation?”

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Drive for Positive Change.

While I cannot dispute that there are many groups of the Nigerian youth in the current generation who are driving various initiatives for the positive change that they to desire, we must remember that these groups of enlightened people only make up a small fraction of the general population which consists of those who are inevitably not as enlightened as a result of their environments and experiences.

The Character of our Nation.

It is not rare to find the average person carrying out acts such as disobeying traffic rules, driving in the wrong direction of a one-way street, bribing authority, swindling tenants for rent and then evicting them for no legitimate reason etc. While these acts may take place on what some may view as a microscopic scale, they are actually very much indicative of the general character of our nation as a whole.

However sometimes, when you take a look at the situation in the country, it is easy to understand the point of view and frustrations of this average man. As a result of the grave corruption at the highest levels and the disservice in the areas of public and social services such as healthcare, education and security it becomes easy for him to make the assumption that all who have attained wealth and power have done so via means that are not straightforward.

Hence, his excuse for performing his own acts with the frame of mind of “Well, those in power are getting away with it, how much of a difference is my little action of indecency going to make?”

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The Struggle for Long-Term Focus.

I understand that times are hard and people are in very difficult situations, but this shouldn’t make for an excuse to become unruly beyond reason. The intentions behind our actions are just as important than the actions themselves. We should have a more visionary approach in the way that we do things: A more holistic and longer-term frame of mind could actually change the way that we approach many things, from our careers and social activities to our relationships, marriages and families.

If we stopped thinking about the quick fixes and short-term gains, maybe we would make different decisions that could impact our future positively. This is easier said than done because in reality, we do struggle to find a real sense of a strong genuine community thinking or long-term approaches to our actions and our environment makes it difficult to do things without the mindset of “What is in it for me?” be it financial gain, political gain, business connections, popularity, being affiliated with certain people or essentially just surviving life.

There are numerous examples of situations where we should question our mindsets and the true intentions behind some of our actions. Maybe if we directed out thoughts this way, we wouldn’t worry so much about finding ourselves in situations where our trust and actions are compromised. Maybe Nigeria would not have such a strong reputation for corruption.

There is reason and some hope behind the practice of religion and perception of high moral values. It gives some indication that we know what is right and what is wrong.  If we ponder a little on this and reflect on the words of John F Kennedy during his inaugural address in 1961, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”, we may be able to get out of the mindset of selfish actions for short term gain and focus on more selfless intentions and actions for long term prosperity.

Written by Oyin Egbeyemi