It pleased His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III to receive the honour of being awarded by the Reputation Poll International @reputation_poll as one of 100 Most Reputable Africans. The Award was presented to His Majesty by Her Excellency Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg and former Deputy President of South Africa.
Below is a full transcript of the keynote speech delivered by His Majesty at the awards ceremony.
“Honoring Excellence, Integrity & Influence”
What we honor and celebrate informs and shapes what we aspire to be, as individuals and as a collective.
And as we keep on repeatedly reinforcing and honoring these values and traits, it becomes our “culture”. In Africa, typically, the custodians of culture are our monarchs, our kings, our “chiefs”.
Thus, as royalty, we have the great honor and humbling privilege of shaping not just the values, but also the trajectory of our people.
The life path God has graciously granted to us is to be a walking billboard of awesome, glorious, godly influence. It’s not about perfection; it’s about submission — submission and alignment to His will and purpose. With this divine compliance, the potential for excellence and influence all over the world will be limitless.
Society the world over has bestowed influence on certain positions and personalities. The influence is such that people observe their way and manner — how they dress, how they address, how they carry themselves.
Thus, in these honored positions, what we celebrate, what we applaud, what we encourage — what we influence — is very important.
As we are elevated to roles of influence, we must take it with all seriousness, because positive role modeling is contagious. With this divine compliance, we are sure to be part of the positive force contributing towards a great sustainable culture and future.
Achieving outward success is good. However, we must amplify and celebrate the important role integrity plays in achieving and attaining that outward success. And because outward success is desired by the average individual, we must celebrate integrity, so those coming behind can build on a solid and sustainable foundation.
This is most important to us as Africans, because we shall be tested. Whatever is coming out of Africa will initially be met with a series of tests and resistance.
‘Can anything good come out of there?’ ‘Can anything trustworthy come out of there?’ ‘Can anything sustainable come out of there?’
The answer to all these questions is a resounding ‘YES!’
When our African culture is built on integrity and powered by excellence, influence becomes inevitable. Whether it wants to admit it or not, the world is looking to Africa for so much.
We must be ready with our certain identity — so that when the world comes, they cannot simply infiltrate and exploit, but rather be inspired and influenced. Influenced by our identity, our integrity, our excellence, and our culture.
I thank you all for listening. God bless and keep you all.
#oluofwarri