Former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), and a professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, have urged leaders in the country to avoid what they called corrupt bureaucracy and be upright by entrenching integrity in all areas of national life.

The duo spoke yesterday, at the public unveiling of a book titled: “Integrity in Governance, The Nigerian Experience,” authored by Barrister Arinze Echeta, held in Lagos.

Gowon emphasised that there was urgent need in the new rapprochement for collaboration and participation by citizens in the all-important cause to entrench integrity in all areas of life.

“My acceptance of the invitation to be here is based on my conviction that every effort should be made to ensure that Nigeria and Nigerians imbibe the culture of doing things right, for the right reasons and at the right time.

“For a very long time, practically everything Nigerian including the people, young and old, male and female has been an object of suspicion both at home and abroad.

“We must not forget that a corrupt bureaucracy can and indeed will ruin the integrity of a nation, retard national development, and impede service delivery to the generality of the people.

“I am sure we have seen the consequences of integrity and even infrastructural deficiency at every level of government as well as in the private sector.

“Things got so bad that our value was virtually worth far less than a sheet of paper on which our names were written and our passport was derided worldwide, unlike what it was soon after the civil war and many years after,” he said.

Gowon noted that Nigerians needed to go back to the drawing board by inculcating the right values and morals in children, urging parents to always caution their children against wrongdoing.

“Integrity and moral values begin to collapse when parents see nothing wrong in their wards bringing in materials that they did not provide for.

“Such children grow up to remorselessly appropriate the common wealth and spread poverty and want in the land. But integrity deficiency is not about financial losses alone; it is also about issues as intellectual property and identity theft which have left many creative talents bankrupt and which had led to the odious practice of obtaining under false pretenses or 419.”

Gowon expressed optimism that the nation can win the war by achieving re-orientation of values, readdressing citizens’ relationship with God and upholding strong family values as well as embracing the concept of hard work.

He stressed that leaders must lead and followers must respect and hold leaders accountable as both are complementary.

“Government too must demonstrate the political will to decisively deal with infractions. It is in this regard that action and the body language must be in alignment.”

Corroborating, Professor Pat Utomi said if the country must get it right, this is the right time of change to show leadership by example, stressing that integrity is paramount in governance.