LAGOS, Nigeria — Valentine Ozigbo, a respected business leader and national political figure who is the immediate past President and Group CEO of Transcorp Plc, has called for a national shift toward moral and spiritual renewal, arguing that the country’s next phase of progress must go beyond economics and politics to address the nation’s “faulty foundation.”
In a New Year message titled, A New Year, A Deeper Beginning, released on Thursday, January 1, 2026, Ozigbo said Nigeria faces not a shortage of ideas or effort, but a deeper crisis of values and shared moral purpose.
He urged leaders and citizens to pursue a “second founding” anchored on an agreed ethical framework that protects human dignity, limits the abuse of power, and places justice above sectional interests.
Call for reforms anchored on values
Ozigbo said that while leadership and policy reform are important, they are insufficient without a moral centre binding Nigerians together.
He argued that progress without ethical grounding is fragile and easily reversed from one administration to the next.
He proposed what he called a “shared moral canopy” that affirms the sanctity of life, recognises limits on power, and rejects discrimination based on tribe, faith, or region.
Without such agreement, he warned, the country risks “elections without justice, reforms without continuity, and development without dignity.”
Structure and “soul” of the union
Ozigbo wrote that Nigeria must confront two intertwined questions — the structure of the federation and the “soul” of the nation — recommending both stronger shared national values and greater autonomy for constituent communities within a more mature federal system.
He referenced existing reform efforts, including the 2014 National Conference report and long-standing calls for devolution of power, as contributions toward that goal.
He described the next five years leading up to 2030 as decisive and urged that they be devoted to grounding the country in a renewed moral consensus.
Appeal to the presidency and citizens
Ozigbo said he intends to urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to adopt this “deeper national project” as part of his legacy, tying structural changes such as local government autonomy and discussions on state policing to a broader moral settlement.
He also appealed directly to citizens, business leaders, religious figures, and public servants to contribute to what he called “moral and spiritual rebuilding,” saying the nation must “secure its moral land” before other gains can last.
Who is Valentine Ozigbo?
Ozigbo is widely known in Nigeria as a former top corporate executive and philanthropist who later entered national politics.
He is the founder of eponymous named Valentine Chineto Ozigbo (VCO) Foundation and the Valiant Movement, a transformational youth driven political initiative for the rescue of Nigeria.
He has held top leadership positions in Corporate Nigeria and has been active in public life as a reform advocate, running for elective office and engaging in civic debates about governance, federalism, and national development.
In recent years, he has positioned himself as a voice for ethical leadership, youth engagement, and broad-based national renewal.
In closing his message, Ozigbo said the moment called for maturity rather than anger and urged Nigerians to view the New Year as an opportunity to “fix the ground beneath our feet,” expressing hope that the period would mark the beginning of a renewed national journey.
