By Chuka Nnabuife | ANCISRO
RECENT events have once again affirmed the wisdom in the oft-repeated counsel of the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, that our society cannot truly advance without a rebirth of values.
In his words: “A society without sound ethical values is one without a soul; when we act with integrity, hard work and a sense of duty, we shape a future worth living for all.” He went further to establish that as a major plank for his mission to transform Anambra into "a livable" homeland, “ a modern, prosperous and progressive state ... (with) a supportive citizenry each making distinctive contributions.”
Developments across the country during and after the last Christmas and New Year season have lent powerful credence to this assertion.
The 2025 Yuletide was, by every measure, a spectacle. Nigeria dazzled. It was arguably one of the most attractive periods in recent times to visit the country. States competed healthily for attention, rolling out colour, culture and entertainment.
Anambra’s Onwa Dezemba offered rich cultural displays with such highpoints as Flavour’s star-studded 'Homecoming' concert, vibrant masquerade performances and community carnivals. Lagos lived up to its billing with Detty December, dominated by concerts and nightlife.
Cross River’s Calabar Carnival lit up the streets with parades and pageantry, while Akwa Ibom’s Christmas Unplugged fused cuisine, arts and daily performances. In Edo, the culturally dense Igue Festival centred on royal rites and thanksgiving before the Oba of Benin.
Returnees and tourists revelled in the vibrant atmosphere the country provided. Yet, almost as swiftly as the music faded, the nation was confronted with grim and embarrassing reports that travelled around the world like harmattan wildfire. Beneath the glitter lay a disturbing deficit: civic responsibility. The civic responsibility we ignore turned out to spoil the whole party and the world now laugh at us.
United Kingdom's Second World War era, Prime Minister, Winston Churchill once observed that “the price of greatness is responsibility”. Nations rise or fall, not merely on resources or festivities, but on the character and sense of duty of their people and institutions. Nigeria offered the world a rich Yuletide experience, but stained it with tragic outcomes rooted in negligence and institutional failure.
On December 29, 2025, the Nigeria-born British heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, was involved in a fatal road accident on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, near Sagamu in Ogun State. Though he survived with injuries, two members of his team — Latif “Latz” Ayodele and Sina Ghami — lost their lives after their vehicle collided with a stationary truck.
The haunting questions remain: why was a heavy truck abandoned on a major expressway, and where were the agencies charged with road safety and emergency response?
Barely days later, the nation was shaken by the death of the 21-month-old son of acclaimed novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in one of Lagos' elite hospitals, Euracare.
Allegations of medical negligence, now under official investigation, have once more thrown the spotlight on corporate responsibility and professional ethics in critical sectors. The award winning author and her family have mulled, legal action.
The new year, scarcely a fortnight old, has also recorded deadly attacks on security operatives in the North, with soldiers killed in Borno and Benue States. Yet, in a troubling twist, Katsina State announced amnesty for 70 suspected bandits as part of a peace initiative, raising uneasy questions about the nation’s sense of purpose in confronting insecurity and honouring the sacrifices of its armed forces.
Ironically, these developments coincide with preparations for Armed Forces and Remembrance Day on January 15 — a period meant to honour fallen heroes and reaffirm national gratitude to soldiers fallen in battles.
In Anambra, Governor Soludo’s donation of operational vehicles and equipment to security agencies underscores what committed leadership can do to give the land hope. But beyond Prof. Soludo's commitment to the mission against insecurity, the state of the nation now requires all over the land stakeholders at the top and under must match their acts with active show of responsibility at every level.
Even in states making genuine efforts, society cannot outsource its conscience entirely to government. Traditional rulers, for example, and community leaders, such as presidents-generals and ordinary citizens all have roles to play.
If all of them, quietly volunteer information of suspected characters in their communities, the dark spots and jungles would be rid of the rampaging criminals. Intelligence sharing, vigilance and moral courage are as vital as patrol vehicles and weapons.
Negligence of duty weakens institutions, erodes public trust and permits corruption and inefficiency to flourish. When responsibility is treated lightly, laws lose authority, lives become expendable and national dignity is diminished. Socrates warned that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” A society like current Nigeria, that refuses to examine its values courts decay.
For too long, warnings about ethical decline have gone unheeded. This season, the consequences have been laid bare before a global audience. The message is stark: no amount of carnival can compensate for a collapse of conscience.
Civic responsibility builds the future; civic negligence buries it.
• Nnabuife, Managing Director of Anambra State Civic and Social Reformation Office, ANCISRO, writes from Awka
