Attitudinal Rebirth for Patriotic Citizenry in Nigeria

This paper expresses the need for attitudinal rebirth to repositioning the attitude of the Nigerian citizenry towards patriotic culture needed for democratic behavior. The virtue of patriotism towards national interest and values is almost at its zero point, particularly among the younger generation. There is a significant synergy between patriotism and attitude. Patriotism can shape and influence a citizen’s attitude towards nation’s values and conversely, attitude can impact citizen’s patriotic feelings and behaviors. It is not an overstatement that the present state of the nation battles with many challenges because of citizenry’s unpatriotic behavior intertwined with negative attitude towards national values and integrity. A new path forward is attitudinal rebirth. It is a transformative process that changes individuals’ thoughts, feelings and behavior, leading to a renewed and improved outlook in life. Attitudinal rebirth is a vital weapon that is relevant in addressing the present societal vices and challenges of corruption, internet fraud, bad governance, examination malpractice, electoral malpractices, social injustice, etc. The first step in the rebirth process is awareness; recognizing the need for change. Re-orientation/sensitization of all citizenry, institutional reforms, overhauling of the kind of education given to younger generation, are some recommendations buttressed in this paper.