Former Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Cambodia, (Dr) Yemi Farounbi, has identified what he described as the collapse of morality in Nigeria as one of the major challenges undermining the country’s development.

Farounbi said the erosion of social values had created an environment in which wrongdoing could be celebrated rather than condemned.

According to him, Nigerian society previously isolated people known to be thieves or other social deviants, but the situation has changed, with people accused of wrongdoing sometimes being celebrated and honoured.

He said the pursuit of money, regardless of how it was acquired, had become a serious problem in Nigerian society.

Farounbi linked the moral crisis to corruption and the deterioration of public infrastructure, citing the example of contractors reducing the thickness of roads while still receiving payment.

He argued that such conduct was not merely an individual wrongdoing but an act that deprived society of its rights.

The former ambassador also linked economic hardship to insecurity, explaining that people without jobs, housing, food or the means to pay medical bills could become vulnerable to criminal recruitment.

He distinguished such economically motivated criminality from ideological terrorism, arguing that different forms of insecurity require different responses.

Farounbi said Nigeria must therefore address employment, housing, social welfare and other economic pressures while also rebuilding its moral system.

“If we want to grow our economy, we must change our moral system,” he said.