The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary explains integrity as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that one believe and stands and for which he refuses to compromise. A man with integrity goes with self discipline. He protects what he believes and stand for.He has a name to protect. He, like Joseph who escaped from Portipher's wife, escapes from evil not to stain his name. He or She is law abidding. His actions and inactions are controlled by the rules of the game. He is honest crime free and less self willed.
On a wider note, a leader with integrity is one who eshew evil and always protects the honest and moral principles he stands for. He executes the law and therefore he is not the law breaker.
Furthermore, sworn to an oath, as it were, to protect the constitution and the sovereignty of the country, he believe and stand by constitutionalism and the rule of law in a democratic society.
ln Nigeria, leaders range from chairmen and cansellors of local government areas, to Governors, Deputy Governors, members of Houses of Assemblies, Commissioners, and Permanent Secretaries at the states level, the President, Vice President, Ministers, Senator President, Speakers, Senators and House of Represenrative members just to mention a few. lt is expected that leaders exhibites or display integrity at various areas and positions of authority. Those who claim fighting corruption should be corruption free, not biase and sectional. They should have a name they are out to protect for posterity. Not only that, their personal interests not to outgrow the inerest of the country. ln the same vein, those who speak against bad government must ensure that they do not only speak out of hypocricy but are examplary with integrity. A man cannot call a thief a theif if he is also a theif.
There is no doubt that the bane of nigeria's socio-economic underdevelopment is corruption and lack of integrity in the leaders and majority of nigerians. Permit me to say here that where we are today is that a lot of our past leaders ruled without integrity and at the same time most nigerians accepts unholy political appointments. lt is on record, the late legal luminary Chief Gani Faemi and the late famous human rights activist Ken Saro Wiwa all of blessed memory severaly refused appointments from the then illegitimate administrations for what they stood for.
Today, the APC and President Buhari's administration is no other change system but another hypocritical government with leaders without integrity. A critical look at some of the appointments and those accepting some of the appointments, those singing praises and as well as religious leaders associating themselves with the system need socio-medical solution to lack of integrity. Events unfolding in recent times has shown that there has been constitutional breaches, and codes of moral conductes serialy violated in the system. Corruption which the government claim to be fighting is openly ecouraged because the process is one directional. Religious biggotary, electoral frauds, faleshood, drug trafficking, child stealings,examination malpractices, cultism in schools, oil bunkering, fales declaration of assets and above all accepting unholy political appointments are on the rise as a results of lack of integrity among nigerians and the leaders.
Consequently, as the usual saying goes, if anyman sets his heart on becoming a leader, he must be above reproach, temperate, self controlled, respectable, hospitable, not given to drunkeness, not violent but gentle and not a lover of money.
He must be able to manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with the proper respect. He must not be a novist or he may become conceited and fall into the same trial. Finally, remember, a corrupt man cannot fight corruption and as well a man who do evade tax or do not in anyway contribute to the growth of the economy have no moral right to abuse a leaders. A lot of nigerians and their leaders are tax evader, abusers of themselves by way of being indiscipline at public places etc.
Who is fooling who APC ?