“The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.
There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is
nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything
else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to
rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the
hallmarks of true leadership.”
The above quote is a text from “The Trouble with Nigeria,” attributed to one of the world best writers of Literature-in-English, Chinua Achebe, an icon in Nigeria literary society. The above description of the problem with Nigeria goes beyond Achebe’s exposition in my view. It is difficult today to trust anyone in Nigeria. Why do people distrust themselves so much? When issues of morals are discussed publicly, accusing fingers are pointed at certain people, but Nigeria consists of all those, whom by nature, have their biological origin tied to the nation. So, in my opinion, we are all that is wrong with Nigeria. How?
The answer lies where Nigeria currently finds herself – at a time that moral values are rapidly declining, ushering into the nation’s landscape a generation of notoriously corrupt leaders, terrorism on the rise, youth addictive behaviours, religious deceit and fanaticism, criminality, and so on. On the global scale, especially in Europe and America, being a Nigerian puts you on the “watchlist.”
Nevertheless, once in our history, Nigeria was characterised by a robust set of communal ethics or moral values that promoted reverence for elders, the dignity of labour, collective responsibility, and a profound apprehension of wrongdoing. Today, our nation now experiences a rapid decline in moral values that permeates every level of society. From the village square to the highest echelons of power, instances of moral degradation are prevalent, influencing our national identity and jeopardising the future we aspire to create.
This predicament did not arise suddenly. It has insidiously infiltrated the very foundation of the Nigerian lifestyle and impacting how we lead, learn, work, trade, worship, and even dream. It is this disconcerting reality that motivated my literary works, “No Reason to Commit,” “The Rescue,” and “More Than Justice.” These narratives are not born solely for entertainment purposes but to address the uncomfortable truths of our society and ignite a national dialogue regarding integrity and conscience as well as challenge Nigerians to rediscovering the moral values that once shaped our identity.
It would be fictitious to state of any part of our society that is not already contaminated or compromised by the decline in morality. Is it the everyday Nigerian? We find ourselves at the motor parks, markets, communities, churches/mosques, schools, hospitals, banks, private/public offices, and so on, where simple ethical lapses which were once condemned are now seen as normal.
These simple ethical lapses now seen as normal, results to a corrupt society. A perfect example is portrayed by the Nigeria socio-political landscape, which often mirrors the weaknesses of the society it governs. Some people may wonder why I chose to write crime fiction novels at a time like this. The reason is because, fiction is like a mirror. It reflects our weaknesses without pointing accusing fingers at anybody in particular.
Through my fiction works, we, as people of Nigeria, have the opportunity of retrospection on our national moral values. As we read these books individually, we come across the characters, conflict, and consequences. After perusing these books to uncover the stories in them, I urge you to ask yourself, “What kind of person am I becoming?” “What moral values do I uphold or ignore?” and “How do my actions affect the society?”
These works will reveal the roots of crime, impact of corruption on society, the dangers of normalising wrongdoing, how leadership compromises affect society, and the cost of moral compromise to both individual and society. Similarly, the books explore the timeless value of truth, courage, collaboration and accountability as important values that lead to making nations great. Yes, Nigeria can become a great nation again and it is through collaboration that this dream will become possible.
God bless Cross River State, God bless Nigeria.