The Bane of Our Generation: Religion? Family? Politics? What exactly is Nigeria’s problem with degenerating morally? A young man reflects on the possible factors.

By Chif Umejei

I have never been a fan of organized religion, but I must say that proponents of this have argued that above all us, it instills discipline and order. This order and discipline is attributed to the fear of a higher being. Nigeria according to a BBC survey back in 2003 was seen as the most religious nation in the world. Allegedly regardless of religion, denomination, and overall belief system, Nigerians are fanatical when it comes to religion.

Given the above statements, I ask the following, why is it that we are one of the most morally bankrupt societies in the world? Why are we ranked in the top 3 most corrupt nations, while being ranked number one in the religion department? Why does it appear that there is no respite to this decadence?

I will make no pretensions about having the answer to this but will attempt to understand this imbroglio that we have found ourselves in. First off, we are society of hypocrites. We preach religion; every street corner in Lagos is home to a religious establishment of sorts, yet crime is rampant in these areas. However lets take a road trip down history and attempt to see the root of all these.

Our parents are quick to point out, in their time men lived with honor, and hard work and diligence were rewarded. Nigeria was a better country then etc. However, I do beg to differ, because they look at their past with naïve nostalgia, ad forget that the 60s, and 50s were some of the most corrupt times in Nigeria. In that era, we had rampant corruption once we gained independence; this was the major reason for the failed 1964 elections, and the subsequent 5 major coup.

The 70s appeared to have seen an attempt at enforcing discipline that had arisen from the chaos of the Biafran war. The military infringed constantly of individual rights, and created a society that resembled order. With the ouster of the Murtala regime, and the eventual hand over to the civilians, Nigerians were again set for a load of rampant corruption. Bribes and failed contracts became the order of the day.

The military came back in the mid 80s via, Buhari and Idiagbon, and came up with fresh initiatives to stamp out corruption and indiscipline, but the palace coup of 86 destroyed that, and ushered in unheralded corruption. Many have argued that the Babangida regime came to make life easier than the harsh totalitarian stance of Buhari. They curbed most of the programs that were effective discipline like the WAI. And they themselves were more open about their corruption.

Now I believe I shall step away from government involvement in policing discipline, and attack the basic unit of order, the family. While many of us youth remember the lashings our parents gave when we were out of line, many have come to see our very own role models cave in to injustice and fraud. Nigerian families love to compare and compete especially on material things.

Email Chif at chif123@hotmail.com