The Leftover Natives

The erosion of values in Nigeria is a widely observed and discussed phenomenon, yet its root causes are often oversimplified. Basic courtesies, communal belonging, and a shared social contract appear to be dissolving, replaced by a cutthroat ethos. This systemic decay is not merely an external force but a self-perpetuating cycle deeply tied to the choices of the nation’s elite and peculiar form of disengagement. In my humble opinion, I postulate that the deterioration of Nigerian values is driven by a paradox: the privileged’s escape creates a vacuum that is then filled by a new, unprincipled class, further accelerating the societal decline and prompting more departure.

The initial stage of this cycle is the privileged class's retreat from the very society they inhabit. Overwhelmed by the country's failings, this group, comprised of the elite and top-tier middle class, begins to actively curate a Euro-Americancentric existence for their children. Through carefully selected schools, media consumption, and language, these parents intentionally shield their offspring from "Nigerian-ness." This upbringing, focused on preparing a child to either straddle cultures with a clear Euro-American leaning or to fully integrate abroad, functions as a form of preemptive escape. It is a conscious, athough often subconscious, decision to invest a child's future in a foreign land rather than a failing homeland. This deliberate disconnect, while born from a desire for a better life for their children, becomes the first crack in the social contract.

The most damaging consequence of this disengagement is the vacuum it creates. As the privileged turn inward and plan their exits, the spaces they once occupied (both social and political) do not remain empty. They are filled by a new, upwardly mobile class emerging from the abyss of poverty. These individuals, shaped by a scarcity mentality and a "do or die" struggle for survival, often climb the social ladder through poor principles rather than positive values. It is here that the critical distinction between values (fundamental beliefs and principles) and etiquette (social conventions) becomes very important. While a poor person may possess strong personal values but lack elite etiquette, the new class ascending to prominence often lacks both. Their wealth, accumulated through questionable means, is not accompanied by a cultivated culture of civility. The spaces once occupied by a disillusioned but principled elite and middle-class citizens are now saturated with what I refer to as an “armoury of touts and bands of money-miss-road” whose crass attitudes and poor principles become the new standard.

This societal shift culminates in a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle. The rise of this new, unprincipled class creates an environment so overwhelming and worsened by poor governance, corruption, and the increasing politicization of this lack of values, that it becomes "choking" for any remaining citizen who still adheres to a basic social contract. The response, once again, is flight. The few citizens with positive values, regardless of their class, find themselves gasping for air and, in turn, buy their own tickets abroad (if they can afford to) or continue to raise their children for a foreign future. This act of escape, though understandable on an individual level, is tragically ironic. However, it ensures that as one principled person leaves, another unprincipled one rises to take their place, further entrenching the very problems the escapee was trying to flee. The nation becomes a land of "leftover natives," where those with the power to demand change continue to leave, inadvertently leaving the country to those who will only perpetuate its decline.

In conclusion, the decline of Nigerian civic values is not merely a symptom of poor governance but a self-inflicted wound. The privileged's choice to retreat and raise their children for a future abroad, instead of confronting the issues at home, creates a vacuum that allows a new class, with a new and lower set of standards, to rise. This, in turn, makes the environment even more unpalatable, leading to more exits and sealing the country's fate in a cycle of decay. Breaking this cycle requires a fundamental shift: a collective decision by all classes to re-engage with the social contract and rebuild Nigeria's values from within, rather than continually looking for the next escape route. Because, soon, there will be no one left to rebuild, only those scrambling to inherit the ruins.