DOES NIGERIA NEED ETHICAL RENAISSANCE (REBIRTH)

                        DOES NIGERIA NEED ETHICAL RENAISSANCE 

                                                     (REBIRTH)                                 

Development is highly desirable in any society because it enhances people’s standard of living anywhere in the world. Across the length and breadth of our land, the ancient landmarks of morality, virtue, honesty which all rest on the cornerstone of integrity, have been discarded and it is now a common saying that “Nigeria has gone to the dogs”. The Charter for African Cultural Renaissance 2006 regard culture as the set of distinctive linguistic, spiritual, material, intellectual and encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, cultural beliefs, and traditions. In summary, culture is the way of life of the people  Nigeria as a nation with over 750 ethnic groups is a very cultural, religious and conservative country. However, for decades and since the grand embrace of civilization, there has been a sharp decline in our cultural values. That many Nigerians are concerned about our cultural heritage. The reasons for this are not far-fetched.

 

            The ethical rebirth can come about if there are improvement in the following.                                                                  

  Language Some Nigerians are ashamed to communicate in their local dialect while others cannot even speak at all! In fact, some parents order their children not to speak their mother tongue. Rather, they must speak English. Other words, they are admonishing their wards not to be proud of their heritage.                           Dress culture. Nigeria has no dress culture. We simply dress to please ourselves not minding whether it is decent or not. Dress the way you want to be addressed is a forgotten mantra. Thus, we need a renaissance. 

 present of history in Nigeria school curriculum. Many Nigerians don’t know the history of the country. If you are a science student in secondary, it is worse! This is why patriotism is in the dictionary of very few Nigerians. History should be restored in primary and secondary schools curriculum.

                     

                              Nigeria will become the following if there are ethical rebirth                                

well-functioning Government. Based on several factors, from how governments are elected and the political culture they engender, to the quality of the public services they deliver and their political stability. Strong relationships across a number of these indicators and sub-indicators demonstrate the interdependent nature of the various governance indicators. These measures are consistently linked to peace.                                                                                                             

Sound business environment. The strength of economic conditions as well as the formal institutions that support the operation of the private sector determine the soundness of the business environment. Business competitiveness and economic freedom are both associated with the most peaceful countries, as is the presence of regulatory systems that are conducive to business operation.                                                                                                                                

Equitable Distribution of resources. This refers to income distribution but more importantly to whether there is equity and access to resources such as education and health. The UN’s Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) correlates with the GPI and even more strongly with the GPI’s internal peace measure.                                                                                                                        

Acceptance of the rights of others. This category is designed to include both the formal laws that guarantee basic human rights and freedoms as well as the informal social and cultural norms that relate to behaviours of citizens. These factors can be seen as proxies for tolerance between different ethnic, linguistic, religious, and socio-economic groups within a country. A commitment to human rights and freedom are key characteristics of peaceful countries, a claim supported by very strong correlations with several indexes measuring human rights. Also important are societal attitudes towards fellow citizens, minorities, ethnic groups, genders and foreigners.                                                                                                 

Good relations with neighbours. This refers to the relations between individuals and communities as well as to cross- border relations. Countries with positive external relations are more peaceful and tend to be more politically stable, have better functioning governments, are regionally integrated and have low levels of organised internal conflict.                                                                                                

 

Free flow of information. This captures the extent to which citizens can gain access to information, whether the media is free and independent, as well as how well-informed citizens are and the extent of their engagement in the political process. Peaceful countries tend to have free and independent media which disseminates information in a way that leads to greater openness and helps individuals and civil society work together. This leads to better decision- making and rational responses in times of crisis.                                                                               

High levels of human capital. A broad human capital base increases the pool of human capital which in turn improves economic productivity, enables political participation,

and increases social capital. Education in many ways is a fundamental building block through which societies can build resilience and develop mechanisms to learn and adapt. Mean years of schooling is closely associated with the most peaceful countries, however tertiary levels of education and the percentage of government spending dedicated to education is not statistically as important.                                               

 Low levels of corruption. In societies with high corruption resources are inefficiently allocated, often leading to a lack of funding for essential services. The resulting inequality can lead to civil unrest and in extreme situations can be the catalyst for more violence. Low corruption, by contrast, can enhance confidence and trust in institutions, which in turn helps to create informal institutions that enhance peace.