By Ikechukwu Odu

Enugu – The 58th Inaugural Lecturer of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Professor Chukwudi Amunnadi, has called for the deliberate integration of human values, moral formation and theological education into Nigeria’s higher education system as a strategic solution to the nation’s developmental challenges.

Delivering the University’s 58th Inaugural Lecture titled, “Human Values and Moral Formation: A Transformational Panacea for Nation Building,” on Thursday, in Enugu, Professor Amunnadi argued that Nigeria’s most pressing crisis is fundamentally moral rather than political or economic, stressing that sustainable national development can only be achieved through ethical reorientation and character formation.

He noted that while Nigerian universities have traditionally served as centres of knowledge and professional training, they must now intensify efforts toward producing graduates who are morally grounded, ethically responsible and committed to public service.

According to him, the persistence of corruption, insecurity, leadership failure, declining civic responsibility, social injustice and institutional fragility underscores the urgent need for universities to re assess their developmental responsibilities beyond academic excellence.

Professor Amunnadi maintained that the transformation of Nigerian universities should not be limited to improved funding, infrastructure and policy reforms, but should also address the ethical and behavioural challenges including examination malpractice, cultism, corruption, intolerance and declining respect for institutional authority.

He advocated the strategic repositioning of the General Studies (GS) programme as a platform for ethical reorientation, civic responsibility, leadership development and national integration, insisting that it should no longer be regarded as merely a supplementary academic requirement.

The Professor proposed an Ethical–Theological General Studies Transformation Model (ETGSTM), which integrates theological literacy, ethical reflection, civic education, leadership development, gender inclusion and community engagement to restore universities as centres of character formation and public accountability.

Amunnadi further stressed that moral transformation cannot be achieved through curriculum reforms alone but requires lecturers committed to mentorship, administrators who uphold institutional integrity, students prepared for responsible citizenship and universities willing to defend the ethical foundations of society.

He emphasized that scholarship must serve society and challenged higher education institutions to intentionally cultivate graduates who combine intellectual excellence with integrity, discipline and a strong commitment to nation building.

Concluding the lecture, the Professor reiterated that Nigeria’s future depended largely on rebuilding values such as integrity, justice, accountability, responsibility and discipline, noting that ethical consciousness remained indispensable for sustainable national development.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, described inaugural lecture as one of the University’s highest academic traditions, providing distinguished professors the opportunity to present the outcome of years of research, teaching and scholarship to the academic community.

Represented by the Dean of Postgraduate School, Prof. Charles Chime, the Vice Chancellor commended Professor Amunnadi for choosing a topic that addresses one of Nigeria’s most urgent challenges, noting that the country had continued to battle corruption, insecurity, erosion of trust, social fragmentation and declining integrity despite advances in science, technology and infrastructure.

According to the Vice Chancellor, no nation can rise above the moral standard of her citizens, stressing that character, honesty, discipline and commitment to the common good remained indispensable to sustainable development.

Professor Okolie also stated that universities have a responsibility not only to produce engineers, doctors, scientists and administrators but also graduates who are compassionate, ethical, innovative and committed to service, adding that schools, families, religious institutions and universities must collectively become centres for moral and character formation.