- Nigeria is losing its psyche to a soundless epidemic, warns Henry Ekweonu, a improvement strategist and betterment expert
- In his reflection shared with Legit.ng, young radical pursuit unsafe symbols of success, ignoring what genuinely builds a future
- He observed that thing erstwhile seen arsenic a virtuousness present invites suffering, and that twist is breaking the nation
In a sobering reflection sent to Legit.ng, a struggle and improvement strategist with expertise successful information assemblage betterment and ethical governance, Henry Ekweonu, sounded the alarm implicit what helium describes arsenic Nigeria’s deepening motivation crisis, informing that the state is facing a cardinal illness of values that threatens its precise foundation.

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According to Ekweonu, the corruption, exploitation, and ethical diminution that person go commonplace successful Nigerian nine are not isolated events but symptoms of a larger societal breakdown.
“Walk done immoderate Nigerian metropolis today, and you’ll witnesser a troubling phenomenon: a nine that has fundamentally mislaid its way,” helium said.Ekweonu arsenic drew attraction to the country’s increasing materialism, peculiarly among young people, wherever occurrence is progressively equated with conspicuous depletion alternatively than publication oregon integrity.
“Children who should beryllium focused connected acquisition and quality improvement are alternatively fixated connected acquiring luxury cars, a Mercedes-Benz has go the eventual awesome of “making it.” "Teenagers make day wishlists that see iPhone 16s and requests for 10 cardinal naira, not for concern ventures oregon acquisition pursuits, but for the elemental pleasance of flaunting wealth.”He warned that specified trends are shaping a toxic worth strategy wherever adjacent romanticist relationships are present measured by fiscal displays alternatively than affectional transportation oregon shared principles.
Strategist connected the precocious outgo of being upright
Ekweonu, who is besides a struggle absorption expert, pointed to troubling dynamics successful Nigeria’s nonrecreational environment, wherever helium says communal exploitation has go the norm.
“Employers routinely overwork their unit portion deliberately underpaying them… In response, employees often edifice to originative ways of circumventing institution resources for idiosyncratic gain.”This culture, helium said, is reshaping the nationalist knowing of character, with honesty often dismissed arsenic weakness and dishonesty glorified arsenic being “sharp.”
At the bosom of Ekweonu’s reflection is simply a interest astir trust—or the deficiency thereof—in Nigerian society. Reflecting connected business partnerships and societal interactions, helium observed a increasing skepticism that undermines cooperation.
“Business partnerships, erstwhile built connected handshakes and communal respect, are present approached with the presumption that 1 enactment volition inevitably cheat the other. This isn’t paranoia — it’s a rational effect to lived experience.”Without trust, helium argued, economical innovation, collaboration, and societal cohesion volition suffer.

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The acrophobic national noted that adjacent education, erstwhile seen arsenic a ladder of opportunity, has not been spared:
“Parents, hopeless to unafraid their children’s futures, edifice to ‘miracle centers’… In trying to unafraid their children’s futures, these parents are really undermining the precise instauration of meaningful success.”He lamented a strategy that punishes integrity and celebrates ill-gotten wealth, sending a unsafe connection to the adjacent generation.
Perhaps astir dâmn!ng is Ekweonu’s reflection of the perceived narration betwixt honesty and economical hardship successful today’s Nigeria.
“When being upright means facing economical hardship, and corruption offers the way to prosperity, we’ve created a nine that actively discourages motivation behavior.”According to him, this dynamic doesn’t conscionable harm individuals; it institutionalises motivation nonaccomplishment and creates a civilization that rewards wrongdoing.
Ekweonu further described a wide contradiction successful the mode Nigerians navigate faith, morality, and mundane life.
“We be churches and mosques, professing religion successful motivation principles, past instrumentality to workplaces and communities wherever those aforesaid principles are abandoned… We’ve go experts astatine compartmentalizing our motivation beliefs.”He stressed that the effect is simply a federation simultaneously decrying corruption portion benefiting from it, a rhythm that reinforces decline.
Can Nigerians alteration Nigeria? Ekweonu asks
To reconstruct the country’s moral fabric, Ekweonu insisted that alteration indispensable statesman with individuals, not conscionable authorities policy.
“Nigeria’s situation isn’t fundamentally economical oregon governmental — it’s moral. No magnitude of argumentation betterment volition win if we don’t code the underlying worth strategy that drives idiosyncratic and corporate behavior.”He called for a nationalist redefinition of occurrence to see education, service, and impact. He besides urged Nigerians to rebuild trust, reward honesty, and alteration acquisition to emphasise quality alongside achievement.
“Every clip we take honesty implicit expedience… we lend to rebuilding our nation’s motivation foundation,” helium noted."We indispensable halt waiting for idiosyncratic other to hole our society. The translation of Nigeria begins with the translation of Nigerians."Ekweonu, who noted his views are idiosyncratic observations intended to provoke thoughtful dialog astir the country’s motivation and ethical direction, concluded with a situation to each citizens:
“The question isn’t whether Nigeria tin alteration — it’s whether we’re consenting to alteration Nigeria. The choice, arsenic always, is ours.”Grassroots betterment cardinal to Nigeria’s existent alteration - Analyst
Legit.ng earlier reported that governmental expert Tobi Olukoya dismissed elite-driven solutions, insisting Nigeria’s existent translation indispensable commencement from the grassroots.
He said Nigeria's alteration depends connected civic values, aboriginal reorientation, discipline, and service, not recycled enactment faces.
Olukoya warned that soundlessness and blasted won't work, adding that existent translation begins with character-building crossed homes and communities.
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Proofreading by James Ojo, transcript exertion astatine Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng