By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos.
Mothers and government at all levels have a critical role to play if youths must be responsible and useful to themselves and the society at large.
These, were the position of the Parish Priest of St. Hilary Catholic Church, Amaukwu-Orodo, Mbaitoli, Owerri, Imo state, Rev. Fr. Peter Chinedu Otunoye and Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Okoro, a Catholic missioner.
The duo, who spoke at the 80th Birthday ceremony of Mrs. Uloakonwa Margaret Iwuoso, mother of the State Marine Officer, Lagos Police Command, SP. Chinedu Iwuoso, lamented the vice among the youths, while attributing it to negligence by parents and government.
They contented that mothers, as society builders and government as provider of an enabling environment, have failed in their duties to live up to expectation.
The clerics therefore implored both government and parents to rise up and do the needful by providing the enabling environment through which the youths can operate and become useful to themselves and the society at large.
Rev. Fr. Okoro in his submission postulated that mothers are society builders and are expected to teach their children in the way of the Lord for them to be useful and responsible.
He noted however that most mothers have abdicated this role in pursuit of material wealth, resulting in their children growing in the knowledge of satan.
“Role of the mothers in the society is very germane, they are society builder and for the youths to be useful and responsible, it is in the hands of the mothers because they are closer to the children. They are the ones to mould the youths in the way of the Lord, but unfortunately a good number of them have failed in this regard.
“Terrorism and militancy pervade our lands because most of these youths involved in them lack good upbringing, mothers should voice out and nurture their children in the way of God, they should not neglect their duties to the children in pursuit of material wealth”, the Catholic missioner counseled.
In his own contribution, Otuonye chided the government for what he described as its failure to give hope to the society as a result of its inability to provide employment for the teeming youths.
Sadly, he said the same youths are the one saddled with the task of taking care of their pensioner parents, which government have failed to pay their entitlements after retirement.
Rev Fr. Otunoye strongly implored government at all levels to invest on youths development through the provision of adequate job opportunities, stressing that when empowered through employment, they(The youths) would be able to cater for their parents at old age.
“It is regrettable that government is not paying the pensioners after serving their father land for 35 years, it is the family that is bearing the brunt. Government should help the parents by building more industries so that the youths can be gainfully employed. By this, they would be enhanced and able to help their parents at old age”, the clergy stressed.
Speaking at the occasion, SP. Chinedu Iwuoso urged widows not to despair but be hopeful in the Lord.
Iwuoso, who disclosed that his father died in 1979 when he was 14 years old, used her mother as a case study, saying she was able to train her children and also lived long based on her trust and hope on God.
