Ambode Urges Youths Not to Give up on Nigeria

 

Solomon Elusoji

The First Lady of Lagos state, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, thursday, appealed to Nigerian youths not to despair about “the destiny of our great country”, despite the corruption and inefficiencies that continue to eat away at the nation.

She made this remark at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, during the public presentation of the volume eight of Hallmarks of Labour, a series of books written by Patricia Otuedon-Arawore to immortalise eminent Nigerians who have built successful careers based on integrity, honesty and hard-work.

Many Nigerian youths “have given up on the virtues of honest, hard-work and integrity, as the most honourable vehicles to wealth and success,” Ambode said. “Some even sleep and wake up daily in the firm belief that it is not possible to achieve success in Nigeria through honest means except  through crooked and fraudulent channels. But when we remember the evergreen phrases, ‘there is dignity in labour’, ‘honesty pays’, and ‘integrity cannot be valued in monetary terms’, then we know how wrong they are to hold that notion.”

Ambode advised the youths to draw inspiration from the characters profiled in the book being presented (Hallmarks of Labour 8) – Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, Ambassador Olu Adeniji and Professor Itsejuwa Sagay – noting that “If this highly revered patrons can rely solely on honest hard work to attain coveted status in society, then who says integrity does not pay.”