Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that ethical and morally upright society were essential for attracting investors and promotion of economic development.
Shettima, who was represented by Bashir Maidugu, Senior Special Assistance to the President on Legal and Compliance Matters, Office of the Vice President, said this at a Webinar tagged: “Let’s Talk Ethics’’ on Tuesday in Abuja.
The theme of the Webinar is: “Community Engagement for Ethical Transformation, Leadership and Integrity.”
It was convened by Civil Society for Ethics and Values Development Initiative (CSEVDI) to mark the Independence Day anniversary.
According to Shettima, the call was imperative because a nation’s morals are like the teeth, the more decayed they are, the more it hurts to touch them.
He said that President Bola Tinubu had a lot of agenda for the growth of the nation.
He said that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current government could not be an effective transformative policy without a sincere ethical transformation, authentic leadership and uncompromising integrity at all levels.
He added that Nigeria was in dire need of a reorientation, a repositioning of Nigeria and Nigerians with respect to the values they should hold dear in order for the nation to be where it ought to be.
“I am impressed with the organisers of this webinar because this is a responsibility of all Nigerians, as mothers, as parents, as teachers, to ensure that ethics, morals, are imbibed in ourselves, in our youth, so that we have a better society.
“This is because without a morally upright society; without an ethically upright society, there won’t be a positive economic growth.
“ Investors will be very unwilling to invest in such a society.
“So, it is our collective responsibility, not only for government, and the private sector, but the responsibility of every Nigerian, to ensure that we do things according to how they should be done.
“Not because people are looking at us; not because we want people to notice it, but because these are the right things to do. Do the right thing at all times, and then we will have a better society.’’
He reiterated that Nigeria’s seven national ethics as prescribed by the 1999 Constitution were discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self-reliance and patriotism.
“The teeth that are our morals are hurting because this code of national ethics have been observed more in the breach than in true and good faith.
“We have sunk into an ethical wilderness of despairingly unimaginable proportions.
“The totally negative value system that has resulted from abandoning the noble path of ethical conduct has had serious consequences for our individual corporate image and reputations both home and abroad,” he said.
Shettima said the first step towards the overhauling of the national ethics would be a revolutionary re-orientation of the value system of the society.
He said there was need to embark on an authentic search for that genuine national culture that would reshape Nigeria’s core value system, national character and national image.
He urged Nigerians to be very patient with the government because it had positive programmes for the country but it required sacrifice.
Mr Tajudeen Toyin-Oke, the Secretary-General of Civil Society of the Initiative, said the organisation had been working to make Nigeria an ethical compliant society to restore the country to its lost glory.
Toyin-Oke said that Nigeria used to be a well-respected nation in the past and till date Nigerians were always top everywhere in the world.
“You go to the university, Nigerians are always top. So we felt we should do something as a civil society to augment the government’s effort.
“We decided to use the Nigerian Independence Day as a forum to be able to reach out to Nigerians by way of webinar so that we can reach out to more people.
“I have written a book on:“The Ethical Dilemma, Shattering a Board, a New Path for Ethics and Value in Nigeria” to drive home the message.
“We have approached the National Assembly to see if there is any way we can bring in a law that will encourage people to imbibe ethics and morals,” he said.
Toyin-Oke called on Nigerians to use the occasion of the indolence to make the nation an ethical compliant society.
“That is my duty, that is your duty, that is our duty. If we keep this at the back of our mind, and when we talk about ethics it is between doing right and good, and we all know when it is right.
“So let this be our yardstick as we turn a year older today as a country,” he said .(NAN)
