Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says trust is a very crucial factor in the web of human activities.
Osinbajo expressed this view on Monday in a keynote address at the 2018 Nation Building Workshop, organised by the Apostles in the Market Place in Abuja.
The theme of the workshop is “What can we do to rebuild our nation?”
“The currency of the world is trust, and that is the currency that people operate on anywhere in the world.
“If you can’t be trusted, then you find it difficult to do business or sustain any kind of relationship even in business.
“The currency of business, the currency of relationship that will thrive is one of trust and as much as possible we should teach trust.”
Osinbajo called on church leaders to teach and help young people understand that integrity pays.
According to him, teaching about integrity and honesty is not just about morals but because they are values thatcan sustain businesses.
He said that the task of rebuilding the nation was enormous because societal values, principles and moral ethos had been destroyed.
“The reality is that as the years have gone by, we have not paid as much attention, especially to questions of value.
“So, today people are not certain anymore as to what those values should be. There is a fair amount of confusion and you see it displayed out there.
“One of the things I discovered is the fact that very many young people do not understand anymore what the real issues are, what the moral questions are.
“It is not just the matter of values being lost, many young people do not understand those wrongs anymore more.”
The vice president said the first thing to recognise in efforts to rebuild the nation was to recognise that the righteous have a role to play.
Osinbajo said that the scripture pointed out that the righteous were the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
“Everything that is wrong is waiting for the rebuilding of the sons of God; it is awaiting the righteous to do something.
“Being righteous is not about certain moral standards; it is about being saved by the grace of God. And because we are saved by the grace of God, God has given us certain responsibility.”
Osinbajo also urged the righteous in society to model their lives in such a way as to set examples.
He said it involved so much personal sacrifice because one would be held to account the moment one presented oneself as the light.
According to him, the challenge is that even in being one who is setting example one must recognise that one is not infallible.
“You must recognise that you are not incapable of failing or falling and the important thing is to recognize that if you make a mistake you have a duty to get up and continue.
“You keep working at it because at the end of the day the One who gave us the assignment really does not expect us to be perfect. He doesn’t expect us to be able to do everything perfectly.”
He also called on leaders to teach righteousness in the churches and make people realise that success in life does not come suddenly and miraculously.
“Sometimes you find that what is being preached in the churches doesn’t necessarily support the basic values you want to teach.
“Sometimes people give the impression that you are only doing well as a Christian when you have all manners of miraculous ways of getting wealthy or making a success of yourself miraculously.
“The truth of the matter is that in most cases, it is block by block, line by line. It is not overnight. It’s not by some sudden flight or miracle,” he said.
Earlier, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, said the gathering was to challenge individuals to come together and chart a new course.
(NAN)
