From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
A Kaduna-based Civil Society Activist, Yusuf Ishyaku Goje, has urged Nigerians to confront what he describes as the root cause of the country’s ongoing governance problems, asserting that the nation’s “decaying values” are to blame for the repeated failures of both civilian and military administrations since independence.
In a statement made available to the media, Goje said that anyone who has studied the history of Nigeria since independence will see that the same core issues have persisted across every government.
“For those that have read the history of post-independent Nigeria, the same underlying ailments have been prominent throughout the tenures and regimes of both civilian and military-led administrations,” he said.
He identified the issues as nepotism, prebendalism, corruption, and abuse of power, noting that successive leaders have acknowledged these problems but have not taken effective action to resolve them.
“The inaugural speeches of successive administrations have consistently mentioned these ailments and promised to cure them. Rather, they end up making it worse,” Goje stated.
According to him, the reason reforms continue to fail is that the country is addressing only the symptoms, not the root cause.
“This means there is a fundamental problem that our diagnosis must identify to prescribe the correct treatment or surgery. It’s not far-fetched; the malignant disease is our decaying values,” he said.
Goje argued that Nigeria often opts for short-term fixes that offer no lasting solutions rather than undertaking the difficult but essential process of value reorientation.
“We have gotten it wrong because we settle for quick-win painkillers that give temporary relief. Instead of performing surgery that involves transplanting our decaying values, which would be reflected in our institutions and decision-making processes,” he said.
He called on Nigerians to move beyond rhetoric by demanding accountability and deeper engagement from the government at all levels.
“Let’s engage, ask the right questions, and hold the government accountable,” Goje concluded.
