Corruption starts from the youthful “Greed is good” desire for prosperity and the desperate need for an inordinate wealth. Lewis and Gilman (2005) argue that World War II was a watershed; after the war, moral decay set in. Others single out the political activists and hippies of the 1960s-beaded and bearded youth who pointed disrespectfully at their parents and political leaders and today symbolize intergenerational conflict, lack self discipline, and community standard. The culmination of all these antecedents brought us to the national symbols of greed and corruption.

Youth, according to Wikipedia, are those young people between childhood and adulthood (maturity). The specific age range that constitutes youth according to the United Nations Assembly is those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. A youth is that with a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the life of ease (Kennedy, 2010). Corruption gives birth to an era of economic and social decay, criminality and widespread poverty and hopelessness in our nation. The system renders the over    62,800,000 Nigerian youth at risk of being useless or severely proneto the following ways:

•    Politicians use the youth as political thugs or political vanguards.

•    Drug- barons make the youth drug traffickers and addicts.

•    The youth suffers the torment of sexual harassment when seeking for jobs, bank deposit targets, admission and to pass examination.

•    The youth constitute the highest HIV / Aids victims and with little or no care and support from government.

•     The youth especially in some parts of Nigeria are totally denied of western education and consequently become beggars roaming the streets.

•     The youth are denied of working in their country due massive brain-drain.

•    The youth become illegal aliens in foreign countries insearch of livelihood.

•    The youth are becoming restive, militants, terrorists, armed robbers, due to unemployment and hopelessness.

•    The youth scavenge to survive, meaning they search through the refuse or waste for things that they can use, sell or eat.

•    The youth are denied qualitative education due to decay in the system.

•    The two million youth are most victims of fistula; a disease that damages young female’s urinary due to unrelieved obstructed labor, subjecting her to life of shame and despair.

•    The youth are the most victims of divorce, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

As I say all these, my heart bleeds.

As we live today, we experience positive and negative changes on our daily activities.  In whatever way these changes come to us, there is need to utilize them for the progress of the entire mankind and our Country. Indeed, there is nothing permanent except “Change’ and Changing the youth from corruption vices to the virtues of integrity is the most important change that holds promise for a brighter future of our great country – Nigeria. Thus, in changing from Corruption related vices to virtues of integrity reject the following:

•    Exemplary leadership and good governance.

•    Sincere Anti-corruption Crusade.

•    Individual Transformation.

In order to achieve changing the youth from corruption related vices to the virtues of integrity, the government must demonstrate exemplary leadership through good governance. The country in which the youth are living must be provided with very strong government institutions, infrastructures such as stable power, the rule of law and its strict enforcement. There should be a competence driven employment and equal opportunity for all.  Security of lives and properties of citizenry must be guaranteed.

In order to make anti-corruption crusade more effective, one of the most celebrated anti-corruption crusader in Singapore, Mr. Cher Chua, formerly Director General of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) of Singapore stresses that it is only effective enforcement agency, effective act (or Laws),  effective adjudication and effective administration could make us achieve significant success in the fight against corruption. The government should also increase its funding and support for the anti-corruption crusade with very honest and strong political will. The insincerity of our leaders, which is always characterized by their double standard, dishonesty and their shameless deceptions, must change.

•    The youth should first and foremost engage in self cleansing by purging themselves of prejudices and dishonesty. Assess the extent of the risk which corruption poses to the youth and society at large. This assessment would then make us hate corruption and imbibe virtues of integrity.

•    Make a mental sketch of your vision which should be passionately driven by an optimal spirit of patriotism. You should strive to achieve a ‘Corruption free Nigeria where Accountability, Integrity, Transparency and Equity should prevail’.

Folu Olamiti, the spokesman of the ICPC and National Coordinator, National Anti-Corruption Volunteer Corps, delivered this paper at the United Nations International Youth Day, held on August 12, 2011 in Lagos.