Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, expressed concern over the scarcity of integrity in society during a keynote address at the matriculation ceremony of MIVA Open University in Abuja. He lamented that only a few individuals still possess this essential virtue, which, according to him, is increasingly rare in today’s world.
Osinbajo emphasized that integrity is not only vital for personal character but also serves as a currency in business and interpersonal relationships. He encouraged the new students to cultivate integrity, hard work, and collaboration, which he described as essential ingredients for living a purposeful and successful life, especially as they embark on their academic journeys.
He reminded the students that what truly matters in life are the values and principles that endure beyond one’s lifetime. Osinbajo urged them to be firm in their decisions, noting that integrity would guide them through challenges and enable them to achieve lasting success.
In his speech, he pointed out that integrity may seem like a cliché in modern times, but it remains the foundation for true success. Without it, he argued, achievements and relationships may lack depth and sustainability.
Osinbajo’s address was a call to action for the students to hold fast to their values and make integrity a central part of their lives as they pursue their educational and professional goals.
He said: “What, then, are some of the critical must-haves or must-do’s for real success? What are these critical things? The first is integrity. Integrity might sound like cliché today, but it is the cornerstone of real success.
“Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Be known for your consistency in applying high moral values or principles. If you borrow money, you pay. Don’t make promises you can’t fulfil. Integrity pays. It is getting scarcer. It’s getting more difficult to find people of integrity. So, it is in demand. And I can say that because people of integrity are in demand, they are much sought after by everyone.”
“Even thieves are looking for men and women of integrity to keep their stolen money with. Life is a marathon. It’s not a hundred-metre dash. The person who will last that marathon is trustworthy because trust is the currency of business and interpersonal relationships. If you are known to have no integrity, everyone will soon know it. And because many of the best opportunities you will get will be based on recommendations, it is easy to become unmarketable.”
He said given the contemporary education methods across the world, modular education has the capacity to compete favourably with university degrees.
Modular education includes micro-credentials and digital badges which are short training targeted at providing students with particular skills or knowledge usually specifically required in a particular industry or profession
According to him, this is a result of high preferences in the area of employability which is centred on innovation, efficiency, tech-savvy, problem-solving techniques and skilled collaboration with employers
In employment criteria, according to him, emphasis is no longer on how much information one has, but on how it can be used to solve real-life problems which are multifaceted and not tied to the curricula in many of the old and existing disciplines.
Prof. Osinbajo said teaching methods and resources are changing and must continue to evolve thereby increasingly personalized forms of education to encourage studying at one’s own pace.
Hear him: “So micro-education could potentially rival university degrees in the future, especially as the world of work and learning continues to evolve.”
“Adaptive learning platforms can now, as you know, use artificial intelligence to design even coursework to meet the specific needs of every individual student and the best pace at which to teach each student.”
