Nigeria Needs Leaders With Character, Not Just Competence – Ex-Diplomat

A former diplomat and activist, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, has warned that integrity in Nigeria is “on the retreat,” arguing that the country is producing a generation that no longer understands its value.

Speaking at the Professor Bassey Andah Memorial Lecture yesterday at the University of Calabar Senate Chambers, Calabar, Toyo said the society has been “totally taken over by tendencies that are directly opposite to integrity,” and that the result is a collapse of standards, accountability, and transparency.

Otoyo, an ex-Nigeria Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, said, “Without integrity, a country cannot grow because you cannot have standards, accountability and transparency.

Toyo placed part of the blame on universities, saying the learning environment should build both academic knowledge and character. “When I say I am a product of a university, you are not a product of the learning. You are a product of the encompassing nature of that university,” she said.

Speaking on the theme, Service With Integrity, the former member representing Odukpani/Calabar Municipality federal constituency urged that curriculum reform must prioritise character formation alongside academics.

Turning to the political situation, Toyo said Nigeria was suffering because “the society does not challenge these types of issues.”

She criticised leaders with questionable records, saying, “Impunity has taken over the country,” and added that the more such tendencies are accommodated, the more they become normal.

“As a member of the opposition, I am here to tell you that the APC has to go for their failure to lead well,” she declared, adding that the party had “brought the integrity and reputation of the country into question.”

She called on citizens to act this election year, saying, “It is a year that we must, as a country, speak up about what is good and what is wrong,” Toyo said.

“If integrity does not fight back, it becomes a no-issue.” She urged voters to back candidates with “competence, capacity and character,” stressing, “If people don’t have it, they shouldn’t lead you.”

Chairing the event, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cross River (UNICROSS), Prof. Ikpi Braide, commended the Basssy Andah family and the University of Calabar for sustaining the lecture series for 21 years. “Usually, when people pass on, the family puts up a foundation and does one or two years of lectures and then… it dies down.

“But this family has kept it going for 21 years now,” describing  Prof Bassey Andah, as a scholar and church elder whose life reflected the values of service.

Braide defined integrity as “delivering honest, transparent, and ethical service that builds trust and fosters long-term vision and does not focus on transactions.”

He listed trust, ethical conduct, accountability, consistency, compassion, and humility as its core components, saying “integrity is a character… not a skill.”

He questioned whether religious institutions, schools, communities, and families were effectively instilling those values in young people.

Citing John Maxwell, Braide stated that “power is a test of power,” explaining that “in the hands of a person of integrity, it is of tremendous benefit.

In the hands of a tyrant, it causes terrible destruction.” He also quoted Billy Graham: “When wealth is gone, nothing is gone. When health is gone, something is gone. When character is lost, all is gone.

Accord Condemns Killing Of LG Woman Leader’s Son BY PAUL UWADIMA, Abuja  The national leadership of Accord has condemned the killing of Kolade Eluyera, son of the party’s Woman Leader in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, alleging that political thugs associated with the All Progressives Congress were behind the attack.

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbuden, Accord described the killing as “outrageous and barbaric.”

According to the statement, Kolade Eluyera was murdered on Friday, 8 May, near Onireke Mosque in Ikire. The party alleged that the attack was aimed at silencing his mother, whom it described as a popular Accord woman leader in Irewole Local Government.

“The party is devastated over the cruel murder of a promising young man whose only offence was being a member of Accord, his constitutional right of freedom of association,” the statement read.

The party extended condolences to the family of the deceased, stating that his death would not be in vain and describing him as someone who paid the “supreme price” in the struggle for a better Osun State.

The Accord called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the killing and their alleged sponsors, insisting that justice must be served.

The party also accused APC-linked thugs of harassing its members and destroying public property, including campaign materials and billboards belonging to Accord and the Imole campaign across the state.

It expressed disappointment over what it described as the failure of security agencies to prevent the violence and destruction, urging them to be proactive in safeguarding lives and property during the election season.

Accord maintained that it rejects violence and “politics of bitterness,” warning against attempts to destabilise the state through intimidation and attacks on opposition members.

The party further defended the administration of Ademola Adeleke, praising the governor’s leadership style and performance in office. It claimed that residents of Osun State continue to support Adeleke because of what it described as his delivery of democratic dividends and people-oriented governance.

Accord declared its support for Adeleke’s re-election bid ahead of the 15 August 2026 governorship election, insisting that the governor deserves a second term.

The party also alleged plots to rig the forthcoming election but expressed confidence that the people of Osun State would resist any attempt to undermine the electoral process.

Calling for peaceful and issue-based politics, Accord urged residents to reject vote-buying and protect their votes during the governorship election.

“Election is the beauty of democracy. Let us deepen representative governance by making the upcoming governorship poll credible and transparent,” the statement added.