Values mean different things to different people. To some people, values mean the actual worth or importance attached to something. The value of a society is her set of beliefs in what is good or bad and they help to control behaviours, decisions, likes and dislikes of the citizens of that particular society. There are positive values of our society like honesty and transparency, obedience and good moral life.
Positive values also include respect for parents, elders, constituted authorities, being law-abiding, punctuality, hardwork etc. Our society frowns against fighting, cultism, indecent dressing, telling lies, gossiping, lateness, keeping bad company, sexual immorality, money-politics, election rigging, examination malpractices, stealing, kidnapping, money-ritual, etc. When there are no values: People will do what they like to do and not what is right to do.
The values of an Igbo man form the characters or personality trait that are found amongst them. The present Government in Anambra State has promised to promote and preserve core Igbo values. The Government is unrelenting in her programmes of empowerment and promotion of employment opportunities for youths. Having eliminated ‘touting’, a programme named One Youth, Two Skills has taken over the 21 local governments in the state. “Onye aghana nwanne ya” is an Igbo value. “Aku ezu mkpa” is an Igbo value as well. When an Igbo man celebrates ‘New Yam Festival’, he celebrates harvest, hard work, and patience. Values bring unity, promote peace and progress in Igbo communities. Governor C.C Soludo “has come for a total turnaround maintenance of the Anambra State economy and promotion of core Igbo values – we must give him our maximum support” is mission built on collective value system
It is just few weeks for Nigerians to go to the polls and elect new set of leaders. At this point in the political history of Nigeria, it is pertinent to elect individuals and not parties with credible and cherished values. The value system of Nigeria is
collapsed. Continuous ASUU strike, examination malpractices, embezzlement of public funds, queuing up to buy fuel, queuing up to get new naira notes are what Nigerians experience day in day out. We have completely missed the mark of our individualism and communalism. Opposites may attract, but that’s not a good rule when it comes to values. Do we share the same values? What kind of standards do they have about things like money, morals and education? We cannot leave out value in comparing growth. Human values affect the different aspects of society in different ways. Whether it is politics, economy, business, education, humanity, technology and ethics. Values help shape a society by suggesting what is good and bad, beautiful and ugly, to be sought or avoided.
Value system is a hierarchy of values that all moral beings have. We remain valueless as long as we despise values. We can become a principled Nation if we become a principled people. Therefore, it is time to vote values, vote principles, vote character, vote capacity, vote competence, vote proven track records not just party, tribe, religion etc.. The only reason things have value is because of men who value them. Real wealth is men not things.
Values will enable individuals to build up enough information, attitude and basic skills that will help them become responsible, responsive, good and disciplined members of a school, community and society at large. In life, there appears to be many valuable things without which life becomes meaningless and valueless. We attach values to things because they serve useful purposes. Our parents, elders, relatives, teachers, friends, classmates, priests, Imams are some of the people we attach value to, and most importantly, God is valuable to us.
Finally, when everything around you is uncertain, the key to stability is to focus on unchangeable truth. You need to focus on what never changes. God’s word and God’s character. To replace your panic with prayer, your worry with worship, and your anxiety with adoration, focus less on what social media and the news and other people are saying and more on God’s unchanging truth.
Written by WILFRED OBIOTIKA
Comments are closed for this post.