A speech delivered by Oladimeji Opeyemi on the WhatsApp class organized by student advocate for peace.

A speech delivered by Oladimeji Opeyemi on the WhatsApp class organized by student advocate for peace.

Topic:- Immorality among youth in the community.

Let's start by understanding some basics terms in the topic

Morality according to Wikipedia, emanates from the Latin word “moralitas” meaning "manner, character, or proper behavior". Moreover, this differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are "good" or "right" from those that are "bad" or "wrong".

 Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct in a particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc., or it can derive from a standard that a person believes should be universal.

Moral and values education are relevant aspects of the educational system of any country that humanizes its citizens.
A society, in which young people were not taught to consider the needs and rights of others, will be a society with little social cohesiveness and serious conflict. This is because; people with a solid internal sense of right and wrong are less easily coerced by others.

While Moral decadence or immorality is a decline, decay and profligate in the moral values of individuals and society at large. It is the decay in the ethical values and norms that govern an individual and the society at large. A society where there is decline in moral values, what is wrong becomes right, what society should abhor becomes what they uphold.
Moral decadence has no doubt entirely replaced the core moral values in present times. This ravaging phenomenon is the main cause of some of the major problems Nigeria is facing as a nation today. A society where the youths do not think of how the future would be better than today, or how to invent new things to automate processes involved in our daily activities, but rather focusing on how to enrich themselves by any means, to control enormous wealth at tender age.

Many youths of today are engulfed in numerous means of gathering wealth and enjoying the good things of life tagging it "hustling". When you ask an average Nigerian youth what he does, he replies _*"I just dey hustle",*_ you begin to wonder what kind of job could it be that doesn’t have a name. It is widespread and prevalent, and as a result it has reduced the present youths to mediocrity.

You will agree with me that today, shame and shamelessness are rewarded with encomiums, applause and emphatic recognition. Near-nakedness is now directly proportional to fame and acceptance, skimpy dresses are now tickets to classy events, songs that have sexual talks in them sell faster than the meaningful ones, when your trousers is around your waist then you are seen as being old-fashioned, and big girls are now identified by level of exposure of their private parts. Moral Decadence has completely engulfed the entire system with series of social vices being invented by youths as days go by, thereby causing serious menace to nation's development.

There is only reason most African countries still bears the name *"developing countries",* is because they have not been able to maximize the potentials of their youths. These developing countries have not been able to create a reason for the youths to shun moral decadence which eventually leads to economic, political and social menace that affect the proper existence of such nation, and move to concentrate on how to bring about meaningful changes which are set to transform such nation’s wellbeing in all ramifications.

Even the world religions and the various institutions are failing in the eradication of this dangerous way of life.
So what is the hope? Would the society continue to condone this act? Where will this lead us to? Was this how the great men of this world lived their youthful lives? How are we going to make Nigeria a better place with this lack of focus, dishonesty, immorality, corruption and unscrupulousness?
However, a few Nigerians are trying to be useful to the society, act rightly and trying to provide a better way to unseat this menace in our society. But sincerely a few is not enough, we need a larger percentage of individuals to join the crusade and collectively move the nation forward by being creative, responsible, reliable, useful, patriotic and speak in one voice to eradicate this problem facing our great nation. This can only be possible when every individual sees this task as a collective responsibility, recognize the problem itself, and put forward solution that will eradicate the problem and the influence of immorality which is the source of all other problems engulfing the soul of our youths.

Positive or right values such as honesty, truthfulness, hard work, integrity, love for one another, respect for laws and order, obedience, trustworthiness and faithfulness are fast becoming difficult to find, archaic and unpopular.
We are now living in the world where morality and moral values are known only by name. Evidences abound that our age is that of moral decadence and dearth of human values that have become palpable and obvious. In fact, in Nigeria, no one needs to look far and wide to discover the high rate of moral decadence and the arrant display of wrong or negative values. The leaders and the led, the elders and the youths, men and women, employed and unemployed, educated and the uneducated as well as Christians and the Moslems all seem to have gone haywire, live and display illegalities unquestionably.

No doubt, the youths remain one of the greatest assets that any nation can possess. They are behind most community projects or ventures; these make them useful and most times indispensable. In fact, any culture or community, whether macro or micro that allows a good percentage of her youths to be misdirected, risks her future viability and survival. The youths are the future hope and glory of any nation, the future leaders of our great country.
It is high time we avoid chasing shadows instead of the substance, as it is crystal clear that any educated person, without proper moral or sense of morality is at best, _"an intelligent devil"_. Take morality out of any human being, what you will have left is a self-seeking, ego-dominated, insatiable and shamelessly violent, crude and raw being, as he bothers not even when he knows he is stepping on toes of others.

To curtail this, it is most urgent that we seek for leaders that will fast track our nation's development, with the vision to inculcate moral and ethical values to our society, and who will lay the foundations for an enlightened culture that celebrates human compassion and decency worthy of residing in this beautiful planet.
There is a popular saying that, "if you don’t get lost, you will never find the way". We are already lost, and then let’s find the way! Let's make provision for how the future will be greater than today. Let’s see all reasons to help our nation, but if we see no reason to help Nigeria, then there should be a reason to be useful to our various states. If we still see no reason, then our local government, our precious families, our humble selves, and if none of this motivates seems to be useful, then let’s think about our unborn generations. The provisions of today would be used by the people of tomorrow. As a matter of fact, it is what the generation of our great founding fathers of Nigeria like, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Sir. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and the likes, have done that we are enjoying or suffering for today. The good will be enjoyed and celebrated, while the bad would be suffered for and condemned.
Our time shall be past, but the history of our time will never be past. Let’s be part of the history of the struggle for a better Nigeria. Let's do everything in our capacity to make our immediate society proud of us and appreciate us.

*I thank you so much for listening/reading.*

I am Opeyemi Oladimeji Esq., a writer, an advocate for Societal Reformation, and moral rejuvenation.