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From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Former ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, Nkoyo Toyo, has said Nigeria’s governance crisis is rooted in an integrity deficit at the highest level of government.
Speaking during the 21st Prof. Bassey Andah Memorial Lecture at the University of Calabar, she warned that the country risks stagnation unless the deficit is addressed.
She said weak institutional autonomy, democratic erosion and the collapse of ethical governance have allowed corruption to become systemic.
“It’s no surprise that Nigeria’s integrity has fallen so badly, because we have an integrity deficit at the highest level,” Toyo said, while presenting a lecture titled, ‘Service with integrity.’
“Many of us want integrity, but integrity has been overwhelmed by a systemic and structural problem called corruption. Corruption is not simply an administrative issue. It is embedded in our politics and institutions.”
Toyo argued that the state was undermining integrity by normalizing choices that erode it. She said the stagnation of the country is directly tied to the decline in integrity and to how public affairs are managed.
“Without reforms, Nigeria risks remaining trapped. Integrity is tied to the rule of law, accountability and transparency,” she said.
To reverse the trend, she called for bureaucratic autonomy, stronger state capacity, disciplined political leadership and a coordinated national development agenda. She also faulted the university curriculum and learning environment, saying universities must be transformed to produce leaders with integrity.
Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Ekanem Braide, said the topic reflected the life of Prof. Bassey Andah, who exhibited service with integrity in all the roles he played, irrespective of the circumstances.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Offiong Efanga, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Linkages and Collaborations, Prof. Anthony Eneji, described Andah as an intellectual of the highest order.
Director of the Prof. Bassey Andah Institute for Asian and African Studies, Prof. Offiong Ani, said the lecture series was meant to celebrate Andah’s legacy of uncommon integrity, not just to serve as an academic ritual.
