Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has accused some educated Nigerians of fuelling corruption and governance failures, warning that intellectual ability without integrity has become a major threat to national development.

Mutfwang said some of Nigeria’s most damaging governance challenges, including grand corruption, manipulation of public institutions and abuse of public office, were perpetrated by individuals whose education and professional expertise should ordinarily make them agents of national progress.

The governor stated this on Friday while delivering the convocation lecture at the 15th Convocation Ceremony of Veritas University, Abuja, titled, “Building the Nigeria We Want: The Role of the Educated Mind.”

He argued that Nigeria’s development challenges were not necessarily caused by a shortage of qualified people, but by the failure of educated citizens to deploy their knowledge in the interest of the common good.

“Indeed, I make an uncomfortable observation: the afflictions I diagnosed earlier, prebendalism, the privatisation of public office, grand corruption, the capture of institutions, are almost never the work of illiterate minds. They are overwhelmingly executed by educated minds,” he said.

Citing financial fraud, manipulation of public contracts, doctored accounts and money laundering, Mutfwang said professional expertise was increasingly being deployed for destructive purposes.

He also described internet fraudsters as examples of intelligence wrongly applied. “The Yahoo boy is certainly not a derelict. He is a work of intelligence, but intelligence wrongly applied,” he said.

The governor urged the graduating students to recognise that university education carried obligations beyond personal advancement, stressing that qualifications must be guided by conscience, integrity and responsibility.

“Knowledge tells you what you can do, but conscience tells you what you should do. An educated mind without a formed conscience is not an asset to any nation. It is a very efficient danger,” he said.

He identified integrity, responsibility and competence as essential qualities graduates must demonstrate, adding that Nigeria needed people capable of translating good intentions into measurable achievements. “Our nation is not short of people who mean well. It is short of people who can do well, who marry the will to the skill,” he said.

Mutfwang called for accountable leadership, functional institutions, respect for the rule of law and protection of citizens’ rights.

He also warned that the withdrawal of competent and principled citizens from public affairs could further weaken the country’s institutions.

“Government and public service are not dirty words. They are the arenas in which the future of a nation is decided. If the best remain outside, the worst will not,” he said.

On youth migration, the governor acknowledged the challenges driving young Nigerians abroad but urged those leaving to remain connected to the country through investment, knowledge transfer and mentorship.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Ichoku, urged government to create an enabling environment that would encourage young Nigerians to remain in the country.

Ichoku identified insecurity, poverty, poor roads, inadequate infrastructure and unreliable electricity as major factors discouraging young people from pursuing their ambitions in Nigeria.

“If the environment is hostile like we have it currently in many places, nobody would like to stay. The dream you have to achieve will not be realised in a hostile environment,” he said.

He described young Nigerians as the country’s greatest development resource, warning that their potential would remain untapped without adequate opportunities and infrastructure.

The vice-chancellor also admitted that the older generation had not done enough to create the conditions necessary for young Nigerians to thrive. (The Sun)