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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A presidential aspirant of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Yakubu Kingsley, has urged governments at all levels to restore integrity and accountability in governance as a precondition for rebuilding patriotism among Nigerians.
Kingsley, who is awaiting the Federal High Court’s November 2 judgment in his suit challenging the declaration of Donald Duke as winner of the May 25 PRP presidential primary, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, entitled “Rebuilding Patriotism by Restoring Faith in the Nigerian System.”
He argued that public institutions have failed to reward hard work, guarantee fairness, or provide equal opportunities for citizens, warning that appeals to patriotism ring hollow without a corresponding commitment from those in government.
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“The foundation of national trust must start at the top,” he said, insisting that laws must apply to all Nigerians regardless of status, wealth, ethnicity, religion or political connection, and that corruption must attract real consequences.
Kingsley pushed back against the notion that Nigerians are inherently unpatriotic, describing that narrative as incomplete. He pointed to the global success of Nigerians in Afrobeats, Nollywood, sport, literature, fashion, science and business as evidence of enduring national pride, alongside grassroots efforts by communities to organise security and fill gaps left by absent government services. What has eroded, he said, is not love of country but confidence in the institutions meant to govern it. He linked this erosion to corruption, insecurity, poor public services, unemployment, broken infrastructure and the entrenchment of favouritism and “who you know” culture, which he said breeds cynicism about the rule of law. The PRP aspirant also tied the crisis of civic commitment to economic hardship, noting that citizens struggling to feed their families cannot be expected to embrace national sacrifice while leaders are not seen to bear the same burdens.
He called on government to deliver basic services reliable electricity, quality education, accessible healthcare, security, clean water and improved infrastructure, describing these as central to restoring the social contract between the state and its citizens, not mere development targets.
