The Group Managing Director of First Holdings Company Plc, Mr. Wale Oyedeji, has warned that Nigeria’s economic and social woes will persist unless more leaders in business and public service adopt integrity as their guiding principle.
Speaking on Thursday, at the opening ceremony of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Western Nigeria Union Conference Adventist Men’s Organization (AMO) 2025 Convention, held at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Oyedeji challenged Nigerian men to become “modern-day Josephs” by upholding truth, humility, and accountability even under intense pressure.
Delivering a lecture titled “Integrity in Marketplaces: Be a Joseph,” the banking chief stressed that integrity was not just a moral ideal but a strategic advantage that earns trust, secures lasting success, builds legacy, and attracts divine favour.
“In the job you hold now, and in the one you may be promoted into, if you make God your priority, you will be able to live a life of integrity,” he told the gathering. “Integrity will cost you something, but it will never cost you everything.”
He identified the biggest threats to integrity in Nigeria as the pressure to meet unrealistic expectations, fear of missing out, and entrenched industry norms that encourage compromise.
However, he insisted these challenges were no different from the trials Joseph faced and overcame in ancient Egypt.
“The world is waiting for marketplace leaders who are trustworthy, principled, and God-fearing,” Oyedeji said. “If Nigerian men rise to that standard, they will not only transform their lives but also help build a stronger economy.”
In a related presentation, the Group Managing Director of Meristem Securities Limited, Mr. Sulaiman Adedokun—represented by Dr. Femi Oladele—urged participants to diversify their income streams and plan for financial independence in retirement to avoid becoming dependent on others.
Agribusiness also took centre stage at the event as the Chief Executive Officer of Mitelo Farms Limited, Dr. Adefunmilola Williams-Daudu, and the Managing Director of Agbeyewa Farms, Mr. Olaoluwaseyi Aiyeleso, encouraged men to invest in agriculture as a reliable route to wealth creation, job generation, and foreign exchange earnings.
They noted that with value addition and export opportunities, agriculture remains one of the few sectors with the capacity to sustain Nigeria’s long-term economic growth.
The AMO 2025 Convention continues with lectures, workshops, and networking sessions aimed at equipping men with the moral and economic tools to make lasting societal impact.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Director, Adventist Men’s Organization, Western Nigeria Union Conference, Elder Olusola Olayinka said the convention was aimed at empowering men of the church spiritually and economically to harness their God-given gifts and talents and use them to add value to their lives as well as impact the lives of others around them.
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