Making caricature of our societal values

By Paul Arhewe

It is only in a fool paradise that the grandiose display of parody and the daylight slaughtering of societal values are wholesomely applauded. When criminals and ex-convicts are publicly celebrated and pencilled down for future highest political positions then it explicitly shows how putrid societal values has been debased.
The red-carpet reception organised by friends and toadies to celebrate the return of the ex-convict cum PDP big whip is not only a slight on our societal values but really degrading especially as the country is trying to stamp out the smear Nigerians are stereotyped with as one of the world’s most corrupt people. How would observers from other sane societies take us serious in our claims and pseudo-determination to adopt the Dora Akunyili’s approach of rebranding Nigeria?
Many like me were really taken aback and mourn the sordid state this country plunging to, seeing posters with bold portrait of Bode George adorning and defacing many beautiful walls around Tafawa Belawa Square during last week campaign flag off for President Goodluck Jonathan in Lagos. Trying to outshine the really focus of the campaign, those posters have inscription ‘Bode George, The Joseph of our time’. He is likened to Joseph in the Bible who left the Egyptian prison to become the country’s prime minister next to Pharaoh. I see no resemblance between these two characters. While Joseph was incarcerated based on falsehood for act he did not commit, George in our case here was found culpable by a competent court for fraud during his leadership of Nigerian Port Authority. The heroic and grandiose celebration of his release no doubt is a bad precedence, especially as the country engages in a war against corruption. How would the young general eschew criminal tendencies when societal elderly are publicly celebrating criminality? These days you see our youths finding pleasure in flaunting dignity when they engage in crimes like internet scamming; ‘yahoo-yahoo’ as it is popularly called in our society. This group of cancerous youths are bold to show off amid this repugnant vice, because there is a lacuna in societal values that should make them hide their faces in shame. Some of our supposedly elders, that should be custodians of our societal values are not really helping matters here. Chieftaincy titles are recklessly awarded to looters of our national treasury, armed robbers and drug barons are openly lauded and their prominence is readily showcased in every public functions, so far they are willing to dole out parts of their dirty bounties. It is disheartening that this menace is slowly creeping into our religious houses.
It is a wise thing that former president Olusegun Obasanjo publicly condemned the celebration of criminality of the ex-con and quickly disassociated himself from it. This is how statesmen and elderly should distance themselves from those anti-societal activities that are tearing down good values in our society. Being the chairman of board of trustees of his party, he is right when he said he is the conscience of his party. Seeing his party members celebrating criminality and not publicly condemning this act would not only portray the party as a cohort of gangsters but one that has lost all traces of values and virtues. For one, George was not convicted and incarcerated as a political prisoner and the basis of his confinement was not as a freedom fighter. Then for no reason should he be celebrated, rather be made a societal nonentity as a lesson to others.
There is a need we take to the path of strengthening and upholding the right societal values so that Nigeria could move up in the integrity indexes which it has share the bottom position for a long time now. Transparency International last year ranked Nigeria as 134 out of 178 countries assessed. Ghana our neighbouring country is ranked 62. There is no way we should expect to climb to a respectful position in this integrity index when we continue to celebrate criminality in Nigeria.