The pioneer Executive Director of #FixPolitics Africa, Anthony Ubani, has warned Nigerian leaders, parents and citizens against passing corruption, dishonesty and poor leadership values to future generations, saying tomorrow’s leaders are shaped by the examples set today.
In a treatise released in Abuja over the weekend, the leadership and governance expert said society cannot expect future generations to embrace integrity while the present generation normalises corruption and abuse of public trust.
Citing the biblical principle that “whatever a man sows, he reaps,” Ubani argued that the character of tomorrow’s leaders is largely determined by the conduct of today’s adults.
He drew inspiration from a lecture delivered by former Minister of Information, Frank Nweke II, at the maiden convocation of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), Kenya, held on July 3, 2026, in Nairobi. The lecture was titled The Future Has Ancestors.
According to Ubani, the phrase captures a profound truth that every adult, parent, teacher, leader and citizen bears responsibility for the future through the values they model today.
“The title is one of those rare phrases that appears simple at first but grows larger the longer one thinks about it. It is imaginative, philosophical and deeply true. It does not merely describe the relationship between the old and the young; it places a serious moral responsibility on every adult, parent, teacher, leader and citizen,” he said.
Ubani noted that the “ancestors” of the future are not only those remembered in history books but also those alive today whose decisions, values and conduct will shape generations yet unborn.
“In that sense, we are all ancestors in the making,” he said.
He stressed that Nigeria’s future presidents, governors, judges, police officers and business leaders are currently children, students, employees and young professionals learning from the actions of today’s adults.
“They listen to what adults say, but they learn more from what adults do. This is where Nigeria faces a serious crisis. We complain constantly about the character of young people while refusing to examine the examples we have given them.
“We say the young are dishonest, impatient, materialistic, entitled and desperate for sudden wealth. But who built the society from which they learnt these habits? Children do not come into the world knowing how to bribe a police officer, buy examination results, manipulate an election, inflate a contract or use public office for private enrichment; they learn these things by observing the adults around them,” he said.
Ubani lamented that many leaders behave as though they would never be judged by history, accusing them of weakening institutions instead of strengthening them.
“Unfortunately, too many Nigerian leaders behave as though the future will never question them. They build no durable institutions, strengthen no public systems and leave behind no example worthy of imitation. They take everything from the country and return almost nothing to it. They forget that they, too, will become ancestors,” he stated.
He urged public office holders to reflect on the legacy they would leave behind after power and privilege had passed, noting that future generations would inherit not only infrastructure and institutions but also the moral standards established by today’s leaders.
“The future will not only inherit our buildings, roads, debts and institutions; it will also inherit our standards,” he said.
Describing The Future Has Ancestors as both a warning and a call to duty, Ubani urged Nigerians to consider the values they are transmitting through their everyday actions.
“It asks every parent, leader and citizen to consider what values are being passed on through their conduct. It reminds us that the next generation cannot become better than the examples consistently placed before it.
“Most importantly, it leaves us with a question that should trouble every thoughtful person: when the future looks back at us, what will it say it inherited? The future has ancestors. We are those ancestors, and tomorrow is already watching us.”
