By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
Prominent Nigerians, academics and civil society leaders have expressed concern over declining standards of governance, accountability and integrity in the country at the 21st Professor Bassey Andah Memorial Lecture held in Calabar.
The event was organised by the Bassey Andah Institute for African and Asian Studies in collaboration with the Professor Bassey Andah Memorial Foundation.
The lecture, themed “Service with Integrity,” took place at the Senate Chamber of the University of Calabar and attracted academics, students, civil society groups and political stakeholders.
Former Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, Nkoyo Toyo, spoke extensively on political integrity and urged citizens to speak out against bad governance.
Toyo lamented what she described as the erosion of transparency, accountability and ethical conduct in Nigeria, warning that the trend poses serious threats to national development and responsible leadership.
According to her, many young Nigerians are growing up without appreciating the true value of integrity because corruption and impunity have become increasingly normalised.
“Without integrity, a country cannot grow because you cannot have standards, accountability or transparency. People begin to do things anyhow because society accepts anything,” she said.
The former envoy also criticised the current administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress, alleging failure in providing responsible leadership for Nigerians.
She urged citizens to support leaders with competence, capacity and character, insisting that such values were critical for good governance.
“There is no other way. If people do not have competence, capacity and character, they should not lead you,” Toyo added.
Chairman of the occasion, Ekanem Ikpi Braide, described integrity as a vital requirement for sustainable leadership and national growth.
Braide said universities and other institutions must go beyond academic excellence to emphasise character formation and moral values among young people.
“Character comes first before learning. We may be doing well academically, but we must ask ourselves whether we are building character strongly enough,” she said.
She also commended the family of late Professor Bassey Andah and the University of Calabar for sustaining the memorial lecture series for more than two decades.
Director-General of the institute, Offiong Ani Offiong, stressed the need for ethical leadership and value-based service in national development.
The event featured discussions on integrity, accountability, leadership and the role of institutions in promoting ethical values in society.
