President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said nothing is working normally in the country because of the total breakdown of our core values over the years.
He said old habits of partisanship, pettiness and immaturity must give way to new order characterized by a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, patriotism and sacrifice.
He said Nigerians need attitudinal change and a change of mindset in private and public life.
The President said those asking for the change must first ask themselves, how far they have also changed their ways.
Buhari made the submissions at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, at the launch of national re-orientation campaign, titled “Change Begins With Me.”
He said the nation must be ready to put an end to the tyranny of rent seekers and vested interests, while the majority suffers.
He, however, said Nigerians should not be under any illusion that the changes will happen overnight.
But he expressed confidence that the campaign will help restore our value system and rekindle our nationalistic fervor.
Buhari said:” I am therefore appealing to all Nigerians to be part of this campaign. Our citizens must realize that the change they want to see begins with them, and that personal and social reforms are not theoretic exercise.
“If you have not seen the change in you, you cannot see it in others or even the larger society. In other words, before you ask ‘where is the change they promised us, you must first ask how far have I changed my ways and what have I done to be part of the change for the greater good of society.
“Nigeria today is passing through a challenging moment where hardly anything works in a normal manner. Many have attributed this phenomenon to the total breakdown of our core values over the years.
“It is safe to say today that honesty, hard work, Godliness have given way to all kinds of manifestations of lawlessness and degeneration in our national life. This is why we have among our cardinal objectives ‘change’, which implies the need for a change of attitude and mindset in our everyday life.”