Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State at the weekend expressed serious concern about the danger the scourge of corruption has posed to the corporate existenc, socio-economic and political lives of Nigerians.
Delivering a speech during the seventh convocation lecture and 10th anniversary of Fountain University, Osogbo, Aregbesola revealed that many Nigerians live on unearned income.
Aregbesola identified lack of productivity, creativity, innovation and critical thinking as bane of national growth and development.
The governor noted that the country remains poor because society has lost the fundamental basis of existence of hard work and productivity.
He attributed the endemic corruption in the country to poor orientation among Nigerians and the negative notion that a better life could be lived without work, thus exposing the country to social vices.
According to Aregbesola, it is unfortunate that the virtues of hard work, productivity, innovation and creativity are lacking in our national daily lives as a people and as a nation.
“I wonder if it is because of level of corruption that we are largely unproductive because if not, the pace of corruption in the country wouldn’t have reared its ugly head as we are currently experiencing.
ALSO SEE: Buhari to meet with stakeholders over herdsmen/farmers clash
“We all forget the fundamentals that emphasised productivity as the basis of existence in the civilised society.
“A country that is based on unearned income can never fight corruption just as lack of productivity and absence of innovation brings about socioeconomic backwardness”, Aregbesola added.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Fountain University, Prof. Abdullateef Usman, said the university has been growing from strength to strength as it has made giant strides in academic activities.
Usman charged the graduating students to remain resolute and take the bull by the horn and grab any opportunity that comes their way with caution.
In their separate remarks, the Chancellor, Fountain University, Sheik Ahmed Lemu, and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council, Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, charged the graduating students to be worthy ambassadors of the university and Nigeria at large.