Moral decadence is the display of behaviour that shows a decline in the moral and ethical values of the society. Every society has a set of written and spoken rules and regulations meant to guide the lifestyles of its residents and Nigeria is not exempted. Recently, there's been a blatant disregard for values upheld by society and this is rampant among the youths. All sense of shame is lost and people go lengths in the guise of self expression claiming that societal values were limiting them. Some common expressions of moral decadence are discussed below.

The most rampant is indecent dressing. Now, this is not limited to the female gender but they're the major defaulters. It is now commonplace to see a lady on the streets dressed half naked with no sense of shame or otherwise. Infact, society applauds such acts of indecency. These dress styles are promoted by the movie industry and celebrities as the norm which makes the youths mimick them. A person doesn't necessarily have to wear long flowing robes to be decent but rather dress with self respect. For the guys, a trend common with them is sagging of trousers and showing off bad looking boxers in a bid to look big. They are also known to sport such crazy hair styles which at times, makes you question their sanity. This needs to be curbed. It is popularly said that a person is addressed based on his dress sense, which doesn't seem to bode well for the guilty.

Bribery and corruption is another expression of moral decadence in the society today. Rules are given to a society alongside the consequences of fouling them which helps put people in check. Until recently, this held true but not anymore. Crimes are perpetrated at will by people with the belief that if they ever got caught they could always buy their way out. For instance, several politicians in Nigeria have faced charges of embezzlement of public funds and after a while, things die down and the case is closed. They have the power and are able to move things in their favour. Now, if a peasant is caught or accused of stealing a meagre amount of money, he is severely tried and punished if caught by law enforcement. But, if caught by a mob, he runs the risk of instant death by lynching or other means. Cases abound where an individual highly qualified for a job is denied employment because he didn't dance to his employer's tune. Still, people have been heard to lose out on a job opportunity because the other person knew the right people even though he might be under qualified. These and many more are expressions of this decadence.

Furthermore, there is an increase in the rate of drug abuse and related crimes. Youths have taken to the use of drugs like cocaine, tramadol, codeine and the like for reasons best known to them. Some use it as a means of escape from the harsh reality of their lives while others seek it to boost their self confidence while some are into it for the fun. No matter the reason an individual goes into drug use, there are side effects to it which includes lethargy, depression, increased aggression and irritability and involvement in criminal activities.

In addition, prostitution is a social menace which is on the increase. Unemployment and the attendant poverty is one of the major causes of this. People with no job and the need to get by go into this trade in order to survive. This makes them vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases and attempts on their lives. A way to curb this is job creation or organisation of vocational training.

Every society is viewed with respect to the prevalent challenges there and can be termed weak as a result. There is a need for these issues to be addressed. Rehabilitation programs can be set up for drug addicts to help reconcile them with society. Job opportunities or skills acquisition programs should be set up as well so that no one is idle. Laws can be set up to regulate the dressing of citizens and adhered to strictly. These will go a long way in reshaping society and improving the nation's image.