The Vice President said that the political, religious, and business elite, in particular, need to agree on minimum ethical standards for the whole country.
According to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, if the right values are instilled in children at a young age, such as perseverance, honesty, and integrity, Nigeria can develop people of the highest calibre to lead the most effective public and private institutions.
He made this statement on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, while delivering the Baptist Boys’ High School Centenary Lecture (BBHS).
In his speech on the theme of values, Osinbajo, the vice president, stressed the importance of an ethical revolution and how values can make the difference between success and failure.
The vice president claims that there needs to be national agreement on minimum ethical standards, particularly among the political, religious, and corporate elites, “where we develop a national work ethic of honesty, hard effort, thrift, and the deferral of gratification.”
“The character of people and nations is shaped by what is taught and learned.” The VP remarked, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Laolu Akande, “But it is not simply educating; governments must lead this ethical revolution by encouraging ethical behaviour and ensuring swift punishment for transgression.”
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The religious elite must demonstrate that riches, power, and diligence—rather than just miracles—are what create these things in order to support the ethical orientation that has been agreed upon.
The religious elite must likewise shun and isolate public officials and those whose riches cannot be explained or are obviously derived from dubious or questionable sources. Every contemporary civilization has had to deal with corruption; in order for us to prosper, we must enshrine the same baseline ethical norms.
The Vice President said that the same values of honesty, hard work, and reliability are what make people, institutions, and countries great. He was referring to the part of the ceremony where the Commemorative Centennial Obelisk with the names of the distinguished centennials was unveiled.
He stated, “Values distinguish men and women who achieve significance from those who do not.” As a result, it is also true that values distinguish successful societies or nations from unsuccessful or failing ones.
The Vice President stressed that “it is values that determine the success or failure of individuals or societies,” defining values as ethical principles by which people and communities live, work, and interact. These principles include honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, perseverance, hard work, diligence, discipline, respect, etc.
According to him, “all of the world’s great and prosperous economies share the same traits, emphasising hard work and integrity.”
