Former President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the growing normalization of insecurity, bloodshed, and violence across Nigeria, warning that the country is steadily losing its core moral values and sense of common humanity.

Speaking on Saturday at the Anglican Diocese of Abuja’s first session of the 13th Synod in Abuja, the former president delivered a goodwill message centered on the need for nationwide reflection, spiritual renewal, and responsible leadership to counter the country’s worsening social and security challenges.

Reflecting on the shifting societal response to tragedy, Jonathan observed that many Nigerians have unfortunately become desensitized to reports of destruction. He noted that in the past, tragic incidents provoked widespread collective grief and national outrage, a stark contrast to the modern landscape where major crises are often met with public indifference.

“When we look around today, particularly at the challenges confronting our country, it is easy to become discouraged. Violence, insecurity, moral decline, and the loss of human values have become deeply troubling realities,” Jonathan stated. “What is even more painful is how society sometimes appears to normalise these tragedies as though they are ordinary occurrences. In times past, such incidents would shake the conscience of the nation. Today, people are killed, communities are destroyed, and life seems to continue as though nothing has happened. This ought not to be so.”

Jonathan emphasized that the church and other religious institutions remain absolutely indispensable in shaping the ethical foundation of the state. He urged religious leaders to remain steadfast in speaking truth to power and defending righteousness.

Additionally, the former president raised alarms over the evolving influence of modern digital information systems, warning that technology is increasingly being used to glorify negative values and harmful behaviors among the youth. He concluded by calling on leaders and citizens alike to actively pursue a restoration of societal values and moral direction to steer the country away from a culture of indifference.