Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has described corruption in Nigeria as “democratised,” likening it to a cancer eating into institutions.
Ezekwesili, a former World Bank vice president, made the remarks on Saturday during the opening of the Citadel School of Government and the onboarding of its pioneer diploma class, held in partnership with the University of Lagos Business School.
She urged emerging leaders to resist corruption, stressing that it grows when left unchecked.
“Corruption starts gently, and when you don’t tackle it, it becomes a monster. It has now become systemic and democratised,” she said.
“When I see people who are comfortable with the failures of our country, I know there is no meeting point between those people and I. It doesn’t come from arrogance; it comes from knowing how not to waste my heart,” she said.
READ ALSO: “Idea That Politics is Pathway to Wealth is an Anomaly” — Oby Ezekwesili
“Corruption corrodes. It starts gently, and if you don’t confront it, it becomes a monster. Before we knew it, it became systemic, and then it was democratised.
“Now everybody says, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them.’ Join who? That is how generations are derailed for a mess of pottage.”
She urged the inductees not to wear their diplomas as mere badges of status but as a call to lead with integrity.
“No matter how competent you are, if you lack character, you will go nowhere. I cannot imagine you going through this programme only to become what you have despised,” she cautioned.
Founder of the CSG, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said the initiative was conceived to bridge Nigeria’s leadership gap and raise a new generation of leaders who will reject corruption.
“Our mission is to raise nation builders like you—leaders grounded in values and equipped with the competencies to champion a new philosophy of governance,” he said.
Seventy pioneer students were admitted into the programme, joining over 700 trained in similar initiatives in the past five years.
Follow Parallel Facts on WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
