By OBIOTIKA WILFRED TOOCHUKWU

From the earliest chapters of human civilization, history has remained a troubling record of man’s inhumanity to man. It is a story of conquest, oppression, exploitation, religious persecution, slavery, war, greed and the endless struggle for power. Despite remarkable progress in science, technology, education and medicine, humanity continues to struggle with the elementary responsibilities of kindness, fairness, honesty and compassion. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of civilization is not man’s inability to make life comfortable, but his repeated failure to make life meaningful for others. Throughout history, the appetite for domination has assumed different identities. Sometimes it wears the uniform of a soldier, sometimes the robe of a religious authority, sometimes the expensive clothing of a wealthy businessman and sometimes the respectable appearance of a public servant. Its language changes, but its ambition remains familiar: the desire to be celebrated, obeyed, feared and worshipped.

Contemporary Nigeria has developed its own versions of hero worship. Wealthy politicians are celebrated as saviors, religious personalities are sometimes treated as unquestionable authorities, and influential businessmen are admired regardless of the origins of their fortunes. We celebrate individuals because of what they possess rather than what they contribute. Yet the human heart yearns for love, acceptance, purpose, security, dignity and belonging. Unfortunately, modern society increasingly persuades people that these needs can be satisfied through expensive possessions, social recognition and financial superiority.

Consider the young Nigerian who becomes involved in kidnapping, ritual killings, internet fraud or armed robbery because he believes legitimate employment cannot provide the lifestyle he desires. Constant exposure to expensive cars, mansions and fashionable clothing on social media fuels impatience with education, apprenticeship and honest employment. The question is no longer how to become useful to society, but how to become wealthy at all costs. Some young people are prepared to destroy human lives in pursuit of money that cannot restore the lives they have destroyed.

A similar moral confusion exists in certain relationships. A young woman may deceive, manipulate or exploit a man to acquire an expensive smartphone, designer clothing or other luxury possessions. A young man may equally exploit a woman’s emotions and financial vulnerability for sexual gratification or material advantage. The problem is not the desire to own an iPhone 17 or enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. It begins when possessions become more important than personal integrity, mutual respect and human dignity. However, young people cannot bear the entire responsibility for this moral crisis. They learn from adults, institutions, political leaders, religious authorities and community elders. A child who watches adults falsify documents, manipulate public institutions and celebrate dishonesty may eventually conclude that integrity is an unnecessary inconvenience. A student who discovers that examination malpractice is tolerated and academic qualifications can be purchased may lose confidence in the purpose of education. When public officials accumulate unexplained wealth while hospitals deteriorate, schools lack basic facilities and workers struggle to receive their salaries, younger generations understandably question the relationship between public office and public service.

The home, school, church, mosque, university, workplace and traditional community must therefore recover their responsibilities as centres of character formation. We cannot demand discipline from children while celebrating indiscipline among adults. We cannot teach honesty in classrooms and reward corruption outside them.

Across Nigerian universities, secondary schools, markets and workplaces, millions of citizens are pursuing something earnestly out of life, yet many struggle to identify what will genuinely satisfy their deeper human needs. Students seek qualifications and employment; traders seek capital and financial security; graduates seek opportunities; families seek affordable food, healthcare and peaceful homes. These aspirations are legitimate. Yet people sometimes acquire qualifications without purpose, money without fulfilment and influence without responsibility. They enter relationships without understanding companionship and attend religious gatherings without demonstrating corresponding improvements in their treatment of others.

This contradiction contributes to the restlessness of modern existence. Entertainment is everywhere, yet boredom persists. Communication has become easier, yet genuine human connection is increasingly difficult. Nevertheless, boredom and psychological distress should not automatically be interpreted as moral failures. Unemployment, economic hardship, bereavement, illness and mental health difficulties require compassion, professional assistance and appropriate social support. What society must confront is the culture of indifference that makes human suffering easier to ignore.

There is a particular emptiness in becoming accustomed to receiving without giving, demanding without contributing and expecting compassion without demonstrating it. An employer who exploits workers may accumulate wealth while destroying the trust necessary for a healthy organisation. A public official who diverts public resources may enjoy temporary luxury while contributing to the deterioration of the community that sustains his position. The world does not become better merely because people acquire more money; it becomes better when they use their abilities, resources and positions to improve the lives of others.

In Nigeria, poverty is not an abstract economic statistic. It is the elderly woman unable to afford medication, the unemployed graduate who has exhausted family support, the child attending school without adequate learning materials and the patient who cannot pay hospital bills. It is the worker whose monthly earnings disappear before the next salary arrives and families struggling to obtain clean water, electricity, adequate housing and affordable food. These citizens do not need humiliation or empty political promises. They need dignity, fairness and genuine opportunities to participate in society.

Service must therefore become a central measure of human greatness. A teacher who prepares adequately and supports disadvantaged learners, a nurse who treats patients with compassion, a trader who refuses to exploit customers and a civil servant who rejects unofficial payments are all contributing to national development. Public office is a responsibility, not personal property. Religious leadership is a vocation, not a licence to manipulate vulnerable people. Wealth is an economic resource, not a certificate of moral superiority.

Nigeria must move beyond the worship of wealth, political personalities, religious influence and material possessions. Our universities must produce responsible citizens, our schools must cultivate character, our religious institutions must demonstrate accountability, and our public institutions must reward competence and integrity. Government must also confront the economic conditions that perpetuate unemployment, inequality and insecurity. Ultimately, the greatest challenge confronting modern man is not simply the absence of opportunities to become wealthy, educated or influential, but the failure to understand what these achievements should accomplish. A society in which everybody wants to be served but nobody wants to serve will eventually become dysfunctional. One in which people demand justice for themselves but refuse to defend the rights of others will remain unjust.

The restlessness of modern man should compel us to reconsider our priorities. Human greatness is not measured exclusively by the wealth accumulated, the personalities celebrated or the luxuries displayed. It is also measured by the suffering relieved, the responsibilities fulfilled, the opportunities created and the lives improved through our presence. A society that refuses to embrace justice, practise compassion and listen to the cries of its vulnerable members cannot permanently escape the consequences of its moral indifference.

•Obiotika Wilfred Toochukwu writes from Awka, Anambra State.