Nigeria’s real war is against moral decay — Olu of Warri

The Olu of Warri Kingdom, Ogiame Atuwatse III, has warned that Nigeria’s gravest battle is against moral decay and not a battle to be fought with bullets and bombs.

He noted that the military cannot win lasting peace without the help of families and traditional institutions.

The monarch spoke at the ongoing final training exercise, Haske Biyu 2025, for senior military officers at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, near Kaduna, on Wednesday, where he delivered a lecture titled: ‘Strengthening Family Values as a Force for National Security: The Role of Traditional Institutions.’

According to him, the foundations of discipline, order, and moral clarity, once rooted in strong families and traditional institutions, have collapsed, leaving a vacuum that insecurity exploits.
“I stand here not as an expert but as a family man and custodian of a traditional institution. Victory comes from God, but the courage to fight for a legacy must come from us. What we seek—strong family values and moral clarity—will not come without resistance,” he said.

The Olu argued that insecurity cannot be defeated with weapons alone, noting that even the bravest soldiers come from homes that either teach discipline or neglect it.

He recalled how two of his uncles, the late Squadron Leader Adebayo Shaw of the Nigerian Air Force and Colonel Kolawole Shaw of the Nigerian Army, shaped his childhood with their “discipline, punctuality, honesty, and courage in adversity.”
Their example, he said, taught him that “the military’s greatest gift to society is not firepower, but the values it represents.”

Although he once dreamt of joining the Navy, citing his Itsekiri royal heritage as a maritime people, his late father, Ogiame Atuwatse II, refused his request, quoting the Bible verse: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

“I did not wear the uniform, but I have remained convinced of the transformative effect of discipline, order, and justice, which the armed forces embody and which our society desperately needs,” the monarch said.

Ogiame Atuwatse III lamented that traditional rulers, despite being “custodians of values and arbiters of moral authority,”  are often sidelined by the state even as the government expects them to gather intelligence, mediate conflicts, and preserve peace.

“In a nation where people still identify first with their roots, rulers set the tone. When we embody integrity and discipline, our people follow. That is why traditional institutions remain relevant to national security,” he said.

He warned that insecurity thrives where “family discipline collapses and community cohesion fades,”  noting that storytelling, proverbs, and communal living once served as moral guardrails.
“Our traditional institutions were the original storytellers, shaping codes of conduct. Even in this digital age, with proper support, we can still influence narratives and norms in society,” he declared
The Olu described Nigeria’s moral crisis as a “war” that must be fought not on frontlines but in homes, schools, and communities.

“Before punishment came prevention,” he said, recalling how families once passed down values through tales and shared traditions.

He argued that terrorism, banditry, and organised crime feed off the “weakening of family upbringing and traditional authority,”  stressing that peace will remain elusive unless the government gives monarchs constitutional recognition and resources.

“Trust must remain central. Traditional rulers should be seen as unbiased custodians of justice, not mere tools of the state. When communities trust us, intelligence flows, and peace is easier to build,” he added.

The Olu urged officers to view “discipline and compassion as two sides of the same coin,” noting that sustainable change requires both firmness and empathy.

“Not just the rod but also the rice—plain, jollof, fried or even Chinese. A balance of correction and care makes change sustainable,” he said.

He stressed that while weapons may silence enemies, only values can rebuild nations.
“The strength to fight comes from God, but the fight itself must be waged in how we raise our children, in how we lead, and in how we live,” he said.

The Olu of Warri challenged both military leaders and traditional rulers to “prepare the future rather than cling to the past.”

“The values we uphold today will determine the strength of our nation tomorrow. Traditional institutions will endure—not by resisting change, but by preparing the future,”

He called for a partnership where “the soldier’s discipline meets the ruler’s moral compass,”  saying only then can Nigeria win both the war against insecurity and the battle for its soul.

Source: Punch