Ethical living is the conscious pursuit of actions and behaviours that are aligned with moral principles and values. It is a philosophy that encompasses various aspects of life, aiming to promote a responsible way of living. It involves making conscious choices which consider the well-being of individuals and the society at large.Everyone has a role to play in the addition of new positive values or on the nurturing of the already existing ones.

In our Nigerian society today, values and moral principles are found lacking. Nigeria can be said to be a developing country and majority of her citizens lack the knowledge of “ethical living”.

Starting right at the top, is the political leaders. The political leadership system in Nigeria today is considered an eyesore by majority of the populace as most political leaders believe politics to be a do-or-die affair. They  go to extra mile just to get into political offices and when they finally do, they refuse to vacate the position on the grounds of “they have spent so much to get to where they are” , or “it is their right”. Such people are said to lack the fundamentals of ethical living and values as they would want to be in power for as long as possible. If given the opportunity, they would put a relative or someone close to them to take their place if they are eventually forced out of power.

Another visible issue in the Nigerian political system where ethical living and values are lacking is the lack of accountability and transparency on the path of politicians. During their campaigns, they approach the electorate to deceive them with sugar-coated  promises that will never be fulfilled. All these are many more are just a means to canvass for votes and when eventually voted into power, they forget about all about manifestos. 

The lack of transparency is also seen is the mismanagement of the national income.The  funds which are supposed to be used for economic growth and development is being diverted into various foreign accounts which they use for various absurd reasons while the country and its citizens are left in a state of penury.

Moving down the social ladder, the workers in the public sector lack ethical values and employ  a lackadaisical attitude towards their work. They believe that “whether or not I work, I will be paid” and this  should not be a notion to have in a society where  development is the watchword.

Finally,  the youths are considered to be the main characters of unethical living. Many Nigerian youths these days do not believe in the power of education anymore; all they want is how to make millions before the age of 18.

They do not believe in honest work anymore as they see different personalities of people on social media and believe whatever they say. An individual who has incorporated the cores of ethical living into his/her daily life would not be easily swayed by the words of the so-called “social media influencers”

In summary, an individual who has imbibed ethical living is not enough to make a change in the society, everyone is supposed to cultivate a healthy ethical living life in order for any society to progress.