PROVOST LATEST CONVOCATION SPEECH

ST AUGUSTINES COLLEGE OF EDUCATION is the first private College of Education in Nigeria; having been in existence since 1971, when it was establishes. Its take off point was the National Institute of Moral and Religious Education; which would socialize it's learners into moral uprightness and equip them with the tools to become the apostles and teachers of good moral behavior in our society.

While ST. Augustine's College of Education is working hard to socialize it's learners into moral uprightness, the Federal Government amended the schools' academic curriculum in the late 70's to de-emphasize moral training as it was viewed as religious indoctrination and this seems to have lead the collapse of national ethics. Unfortunately within three to four decades of these major decision, the perception and attitude to life of the average Nigerian materialism has become the rule rather than the exception. Thus all the apostles for moral uprightness became the haunted underdog. They became the ones viewed as "The enemies of progress" by those who wants to steal with pen, phone, guns and internet. They became the target of criminals who see them as "Obstacles on their way to success".

The question here is how easy has our rulers and the Nigerian society made the task of moral uprightness? What tools are there in our society for them to successfully and effectively perform their tasks? How many people have been frustrated or cajoled to leave the morally upright tack and adopt other survival techniques? What can we all do to re-direct the course of moral uprightness and eradicate corruption in our society? What really is the problem and what is the way out?