The chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has said that the erosion of good and proper conduct and character in Nigeria is at the centre of the rise in corruption in the country.
Okonkwo made the observation in Enugu in an address at the maiden lecture and awards series of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) chapel, southeast zone held under the theme ‘Reawakening the age-long norms and values of our people’.
He said academic feats can give one the best jobs but character determines how long one keeps the job.
He decried the dearth of morals in public conduct describing it as “worrisome”.
Consequently, Okonkwo advocated for the upgrade of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the expansion of its mandate expanded to include ethical and attitudinal reorientation.
“Your academic attainments can get you the best job, but the only thing that will keep you at the job and determine how long you stay up there is your character’, adding that “to reawaken the age-long norms and values of our people, I, therefore, recommend that we must return to basics; that we must begin to rejig our institutional structures that play huge roles in character formation and ethical reorientation”.
“I am happy that already we have a governmental tool to help us drive this need for ethical and attitudinal reorientation countrywide. I am talking of the National Orientation Agency (NOA). What we have in our hands is not a problem exclusive to a particular geopolitical zone. It is a national problem. Therefore, I recommend, and strongly too, that we must push for the expansion of the mandate of NOA to include ethical and attitudinal reorientation of Nigerians.
“If need be, let there be a name change for NOA, and perhaps an upgrade into a commission, to reflect this new mandate. Let us call it National Ethical and Attitudinal Reorientation Commission with expanded mandate to become a very effective and functional tool towards achieving values reorientation across the country.
“Expanding its mandate to include ethical and attitudinal reorientation will empower NOA to be more active in the push against such negative public national habits as official corruption,” he said.
He stressed that for Nigeria to overcome most of its challenges especially those that border on corruption, he said there the need for a complete ethical and attitudinal reorientation of the people.
The airline chief also called on the next administration to find a way to institutionalise ethical and attitudinal reorientation into its programmes so as to make it an effective tool in curbing identified social ills and restore moral values of the Nigerian.
“I am mindful of the fact that government, including previous ones, had made attempts to refocus ethical and public morality issues through such rebranding instruments like ‘Not in Our Character’ of the Walter Ofonagoro era, ‘Heart of Africa’ of the Frank Nweke era, ‘Good People, Great Nation’ of the Dora Akunyili era, and recently ‘Change begins With Me’. These have been laudable attempts that failed because they were not institutionalized. Like those before it, ‘Change Begins with Me’ of Alhaji Lai Mohammed will end with his time as minister of information… This is the reason I further recommend that the next government from 2023 finds a way to institutionalise ethical and attitudinal reorientation into its programme of action for the country,” he added.
He further stated that the task of restoring moral values to the society must not be left to government alone as religious and institutions of learning have huge roles to play.
“The church and the school system have huge roles to play. My belief is that we can change our society if we capture the minds of our children at their earliest formation years and direct them properly.”
He further said another major reason for institutionalising ethical and attitudinal reorientation is because Nigeria’s governmental system shows itself as bereft of character both in the leadership selection process and leadership in itself.
“Often, we have been told that the problem of Nigeria is not the absence of human capital but the dearth of leadership. However, I think that the major problem with leadership in our clime is the absence of persons whose content of character are inspiring enough to drive the country and its people towards positive action that would berth the sort of change and growth that we all envisage,” he stressed.
