Work Ethics & Vision 2020

WORK ETHICS AND THE ACTUALIZATION OF VISION 2020 Achieving a peaceful co-existence within the human world is premised on adherence to certain rules otherwise called ‘ethics’. When everyone respects and upholds the ideals of such rules (written or unwritten) that regulate their actions and interactions, they experience a symbiotic balance where no one thrives at the expense of the other. Mostly, such rules vary with culture and environment but the underlying objectives of moral wholesomeness and optimum resourcefulness remain platform independent. Notable platforms in this regard include religious affiliations, social class, cultural group, professional discipline and not in the least, work force. While each of them exists in different forms and nomenclatures, they collectively aggregate to etch a unique identification for a Nation. On the other hand, ‘Vision’ though means ‘sight’ but connotes ‘foresight’. It is imperative to assign a physical dimension and magnitude to an abstractly existing vision before any attempt at evaluating either the intrinsic or extrinsic worth of such an idea is made. To further eliminate ambiguity as it relates to the topic in question, the word ‘vision’ means: ‘An imaginary insight into the future’. Against this background therefore, the subject matter can be stated thus ‘Appraising Work Ethics In Meeting The Challenges Of Becoming One Of The Top Twenty Industrialized Nations In The World By The Year 2020. In the words of George Santayana, “Those who fail to learn from their past run a risk of repeating their mistakes”. This idea proved to be a precursor to the lager than life problem of poverty that has plagued Nigeria since time immemorial. It is undoubtedly a recurring decimal in the tales of retrogression of the Country and the Continent by extension, hence, the use of the adjective ‘dynastic’ by the World Bank in describing our

variant of poverty in Africa. Much as it is logically expedient to diagnose previous efforts aimed at attaining a superlative level of industrialization, spatial constraints will not permit an exhaustive analysis. However, a brief review of some causative factors will be made. To start with, various unfriendly economic factors such as super high cost of production occasioned by a hydra-headed inflation rate and an alarming foreign exchange rate coupled with fiscal recklessness of some Custodians of public fund. In the same vein, certain technical errors contributed their bit to the process of incapacitating the lofty objective of industrialisation. Capacity underutilization of existing systems, resulting from requisite technical manpower deficiency as well as lopsided and premature introduction and implementation of indigenisation decree without prior appraisal of local potentialities with a view to establishing a reconciling medium of transition between the status quo ante bellum and the desired expectation. Also, the near total collapse of the power sector did no small amount of damage to the drive towards industrialization. Another culprit is found in our political antecedent. For a significant period of our existence as a Nation, the political climate of Nigeria was extremely far from being congenial for industrial growth. From the shenanigans and surreptitious manipulations of the self seeking Civilians allegedly voted into power to the draconian oppression of the maximum military Dictators, the last vestiges of hope of industrialization is still buried deep in the ruins of the misrule of the past. It will be unequivocally admitted that the myriad of problems that summed up to plunge the Country into an industrial graveyard stemmed from a common base – the human factor. If the lack lusters past described above form an antithesis on one hand and the grand vision 2020 form the thesis on the other, then there must be a resultant synthesis which will reconcile the two. The resultant

synthesis is the human factor.

Since human factor precipitated other factors earlier

mentioned and the actualization of vision 2020 requires human agency, then a paradigm shift through human capital development and value re-orientation is necessary for the reconciling resultant synthesis so that mistakes of the past are not repeated when drawing the road map towards 2020. The policies and implication of same which will determine the fruition of vision 2020 must emanate from the clear heads of morally sound, result oriented, objectivedriven, empathic and selfless leaders who formulate impeccable policies with human face and stipulate the guiding principle (ethics) for the diligent, industrious, resourceful and sensible Work Force to implement with all sense of belonging. For instance, the political class (always the minority) who formulates or adapts foreign policies depend on the Civil/Public Servants (who are always in the majority) to implement such. The psyche of the Workers who will give physical dimensions and magnitude to the vision of the policy makers must be free of corrupting influences. The Workers should be able to translate the prognosis conceptualized by the political class into life changing deliverables. The guiding rules (ethics) should reflect a shifting in paradigm of morality through structured training which would combine resourcefulness with conscientiousness as objectives so that the heart can move in tandem with the mind. While federal character factor sometimes downplays professional necessity by sacrificing excellence on the altar of sentimental and of course hypocritical ethnic equality, the code of conduct on the other hand should place premium on instilling virtues which in effect will result in maximization of potentials. To this end, a cautious but conscious pattern of evaluation

should be established to progressively monitor the efficacy of ethics so that rules which have no relevance with modern realities can be identified and jettisoned. Conducive work environment and favourable condition of service will certainly go a long way in dampening appetite for corrupt practices. A poorly remunerated worker is predisposed to perpetrating corruption. As earlier hinted, there is a striking correlation between corruption and poverty. The poor ranking of the Country on the list of most corrupt Nations vis-à-vis the report that an average Nigerian lives on below two dollars daily lends weight to this belief. It is therefore reasonable to adequately remunerate Workers. Having said that, the possibility of having a handful of compulsive defaulters can never be foreclosed. When the corrupt ones are in the minority, it will be difficult for corruption to thrive without anyone challenging and conversely, when the majority are corrupt, corruption may thrive with relative ease. In the light of the foregoing, it is therefore recommended that credit be given to merit by way of awards and special recognition to deserving Workers who distinguish themselves in such areas as accountability, fiscal discipline, moral uprightness and professional excellence. This will go a long way in auto-driving the ideals of the ethics that the Code of Conduct Bureau sets to transmit. On the other hand, existing rules governing conditions of service such as Public Service Rules should have more legal bite. Administrators of such rules should be more willing to enforce them so that the spread of unethical practices is timely forestalled.

AKINLEYE OLUWATOSIN AKINTUNDE BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION, OKE-MOSAN, ABEOKUTA.