I am your friend, Dr. Charles Apoki. I am deeply troubled by the level of decadence in our society. The erosion of values in Nigeria is alarming, and this is a major reason why we find ourselves in our current predicament.
When I was growing up in the early 1960s, certain behaviours were simply unacceptable. If you stole another person’s crops, you would be paraded in public, and your name would be used in songs during festivals as a lesson to others. Your disgrace would be known for generations. Even in 1986, I witnessed an incident in Akwa where a woman caught stealing was publicly humiliated. Such acts, though seemingly harsh by modern standards, maintained societal discipline and order.
In those days, if you committed certain taboos—such as incest—you could be banished from the community. In some cultures, you would be socially ostracized; no one would greet you, buy from you, or sell to you. Basic things like borrowing fire from another person’s kitchen would be denied.
Even among the Urhobo people, a person who misbehaved in a foreign land would be cut off by their own people until they repented. This level of social accountability helped instill discipline and integrity.
Values in Education and Society
In secondary schools, discipline was paramount. At Government College, for instance, rules were strictly adhered to. If it was siesta time, you dared not make noise. Meal distribution was fair, and any attempt to cheat the system—such as taking a disproportionately large portion—was frowned upon. Integrity was inculcated at every level. Students were even discouraged from rote memorization to prevent copying answers word-for-word in exams.
These values shaped individuals into responsible members of society. I grew up knowing that you should never bring home anything that was not yours, and that if you borrowed money, you must repay it. Reputation and integrity were more valuable than material wealth.
However, since the civil war, military interventions, and political corruption, our value system has crumbled. Now, corruption is deeply entrenched from the highest offices to local communities. Even the judiciary, once revered, has fallen into the abyss of bribery and injustice.
The Need for Cultural Reorientation
A nation cannot develop without a strong value system. Values begin from the family, spread to communities, and then to the entire country. Unfortunately, in today’s Nigeria, anything goes. There was a time when dressing indecently in Aba’s market would bring immediate consequences, but today, all forms of moral boundaries have been erased.
We must return to the foundational values that once held our society together. It is not too late for Nigeria, but the challenge lies in the quality of our leadership and institutions. Can this country be redeemed with the current political class, judiciary, police, and even the military? It is difficult, but we must keep speaking out because we care about the future of our children and grandchildren.
The Nigeria we are creating today is one that our future generations may struggle to recognize. When my grandchildren from abroad visit and see the filth, disorder, and refugee-like conditions in our cities, how will I explain this to them? Will they take us seriously? These are the pressing questions that haunt me.
We must call ourselves to order. If we continue ignoring the signs, we will crash like a vehicle with a failing clutch, thinking we can still accelerate. The time to act is now.
I remain Dr. Charles Apoki.
We have properties for sale.
God bless you.
