Nigerian Vice President Mr. Kashim Shetima emphasised the need for preventive measures and policies to educate government officials and the public, create an ethical environment, and reduce conflicts of interest in the government system
Vice President Kashim Shetima made the call during the Webinar Seminar on Ethics and Values Organised by the Civil Society for Ethics and Values Development Initiative to mark the Nigerian Independence Anniversary, held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Mr. Shetima explains that the use of effective ethics and values will transform Nigerian society, address corruption, and ensure a better living condition for Nigerians.
‘’A national culture will positively influence all sectors. The unbridled lust to earn more and more, while Putting in less and less effort, can be exchanged for a value-based life through the inculcation of an attitude that declares that money is for living a moderate, dignified and respectable life, and for helping those who are disadvantaged’’.
“We do not need to seek new ways of behaviour for Nigerians. What we need is a general reorientation for the positive values that had previously sustained the Nigerian public and private sectors. Most certainly, if institutions and individuals collaborate effectively in the reorientation for positive values, the image and character of our national life will be enhanced’’, Vice President Kashim Shetima explained
Mr. Shetima, who was represented by his Senior Assistant on legal Research and Compliance Matters, Mr. Bashir Madugu, stresses that the value system and ethical orientation of citizenry have significant contributions to the economic, political and social development of Nigeria.
“When all is said and done, the time has come for competence to be elevated over other sentiments. Our story should no longer be about north or south, or Christian or Muslim. Everyone is a Nigerian and nothing else.
“The conflict between residency and ‘indigene’ should be eliminated, we should start embracing collective rights as opposed to individual rights, for the simple and logical reason that if collective rights are satisfied, then individual rights will thrive and prevail’’.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a transformative policy thrust aimed at repositioning Nigeria as a prime global investment destination. It is important to mention that the value system, ethical orientation and behavioural pattern of the citizenry have a profound impact on the economic, political and social development of a nation. An ideal nation aims at growth; socially, politically, economically, and in no exception morally’’. Vice President added
Similarly, Nigerian Minister of Youths Development, Dr. Jamila Ibrahim, represented by her Special Assistant, Mr. Despan Kwardem, emphasises the important role played by parents, community and religious institutions in ensuring moral values in the society are sustained
‘’The Churches, the Mosques, the Cultural traditional institutions, all these groups have rules and ethics that guide the conduct of people who belong to these groups, but when we designed that this man has red car his own rules are different, his own ethics are different, we apply it when it has to be him, we lower the standard when it concerns those people it will take us nowhere’’
Mr. Kwardem highlights some initiatives introduced by the Nigerian government in reshaping the youths on Ethics and moral values.
‘’We are giving the National new policy now and so we set to ourselves, those things we are trying to push when we were younger and could not push, because we were not in a position of interest, let’s try it now, and the Minister came and complained that there was no structure mentorship programme in Nigeria that young people can identify, be mentors and emulate them, so now we are reviewing the national youths policy we need to think ahead to complete it’’
The Secretary General Civil Society for Ethics and Value, Mr. Tajudeen Oke explains some of the objectives of the conference intend to achieve.
‘’We are doing it as part of our contribution to Nigerian Sixty Four Independent Anniversary, we called it ‘’Let us talk ethics on Independent Day’’ because we realised that Nigeria is in an ethical dilemma and things are no going the way they are supposed to be going in terms of doing right things at the right time, so we think this is an opportunity to sensitise the Nigerian community of the importance of ethics as relate to nation building, no nation will build or develop well without having a clear value’’, Secretary General stated.
The Webinar Conference was organised for the first time and participants from all over the world on how to ensure Ethics and Values in Nigeria.
Dominica Nwabufo
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