Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has lamented over the growing scarcity of people with integrity in today’s world.
Osinbajo, also emphasized on the future of open universities as a solution to Africa’s education challenges.
The former VP made this remark during the 2024 Matriculation Ceremony of Miva Open University in Abuja on Saturday.
According to him, their is a need for alternative education methods, adding that physical universities alone cannot cater to the increasing number of students seeking higher education.
He noted, “Every year, more than 1.7 million applicants write the UTME exams conducted by JAMB, and an average of about 400,000 gain admission to the universities. This leaves 1.3 million young people without the opportunity for university education.”
He stressed that as Nigeria’s population grows by about 6 million people each year, a traditional “brick-and-mortar” approach to building universities would not suffice to meet the demands. “Education as we knew it is gone forever,” he said, urging education policymakers, teachers, and employers to adapt to the new reality.
Addressing the students, Osinbajo advised them to strive for lasting success, not just fleeting fame or achievements.
“Real success is leaving a lasting impact through your work, your contributions to society, or the values you impact to others,” he stated.
He underlined the importance of integrity in achieving real success, stating, “Integrity is absolutely the cornerstone of real success. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Integrity is getting scarce, and it’s getting more difficult to find people of integrity. But because it is in demand, people of integrity are much sought after by everyone—even thieves look for men and women of integrity to keep their stolen money with.”
Osinbajo emphasized that trust is the foundation of both business and personal relationships, adding, “Life is a marathon, not a hundred-metre dash. The person who lasts is the one who is trustworthy because trust is the currency of relationships.”
In his own address, the Vice Chancellor of Miva Open University, Prof. Tayo Arulogun, announced that over 3,000 students were matriculating into 14 undergraduate programs across four schools: Computing Science, Allied Health Sciences, Communication & Media Studies, and Management & Social Sciences. He noted, “This is a clear indication that the university has become a destination of choice for many young people eager for higher education.”
Prof. Arulogun added that the massive increase in enrolment across the degree programs reflected the university’s progress within just one year of its establishment.
