What Happened to Integrity?
“A, no! uttered from the deepest convictions is better than a, yes! uttered merely to please or worse to avoid trouble.” – Gandhi said. The question is, how many of us are willing to do what it takes to stand up for the truth? How many of us are willing to lose contracts or jobs when our integrity is at stake? Sadly, we have watched our values go down the drain in seeking our comfort. In a country like Nigeria, where we constantly face situations that compromise our integrity, it has almost become a norm to do the wrong thing just to have our way. Sometimes we give the excuse that doing the right thing will not take us as far and will only waste our time and resources, so we opt for the easy way; bribe your way through (even when you know you are wrong), reduce the quality of products with the mindset that no one will know etc. What then happens to our integrity? How then do we progress as a country if this is the prevailing mindset?
Integrity is not a word we often hear these days. Many times, we talk about integrity without understanding its true meaning. C.S Lewis defined integrity as doing the right thing even when no one else is watching. Note that it is not just about doing the right thing, which sometimes we are forced to do in complying with laws, but doing the right thing even when no one is watching, even when there are no authorities to sanction you. This is what integrity is all about. It is not enough to know the right thing to do. You need to act based on that knowledge and do the right thing even when others decide to do the opposite.
In an industry as crucial as the construction sector, the possession of integrity cannot be overemphasized. When you are called upon to construct a home, an office etc., people entrust their lives in your hands, hoping that what you build for them will be conducive and habitable. It is only just that you meet up to these expectations. But when you decide to bridge this trust of clients by cutting corners to save more money, then there is a lack of integrity. There are different levels in which a lack of integrity can occur in a construction project. There can be a lack of integrity on the part of the owner, who despite getting approval for a certain number of storeys, decides to build more; on the part of the contractor and engineers who do not take time to study the feasibility of a structure; on the part of the manufacturing company who produce substandard materials used for the construction project; on the part of the labourers who neglect the little details in carrying out their tasks, and so on. The price of this lack of integrity has sometimes resulted in many buildings collapsing and the loss of lives. Definitely, the stakeholders involved may never imagine that cutting corners would lead to a disaster.
A lack of integrity has a tremendous effect in the long run. Integrity is possible and it begins with ourselves. Imagine a Nigeria where:
we have people of integrity;
where people do the right thing without being forced;
where people carry out their work well;
where the quality of product or service is prioritized.
We seek a better Nigeria and it is in our hands to make that future a reality.