Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has urged parents, teachers, and clerics to reintroduce basic moral values in the home in order to curb the rise of vices in society.
Emmanuel gave the advice on Saturday at the funeral ceremony for Elder Okon Umoren in Akwa Ibom’s Onna Local Government Area.
“Having children is a good thing, but this should also be a lesson to anyone who has children that they should raise them well because you never know how your last days will be.”
“The government’s current problem stems from the failure of the church, teachers, and parents.”
“These are the three pillars that were used to shape the children before sending them out into the larger society, but charity, in general, begins at home.”
“If parents are diligent in raising their children, the vices that exist in today’s society will be greatly reduced,” he said.
Emmanuel stated that it is the responsibility of the church, teachers, and parents to shape children into valuable citizens.
He attributed the deceased’s glorious exit and honor to his meticulous investments in his children.
The governor acknowledged that death was an unavoidable end for all men and charged parents with investing wisely in their children in order for them to have honor in their later years.
He emphasized that the latter had the most fundamental responsibility because the family was still a child’s first place of learning.
The governor, who was the deceased’s in-law, thanked everyone who helped the family bid farewell to the late Elder Umoren.
Earlier, in his homily from Psalm 90:12, Bishop Uduakobong Akpan of the Methodist Church of Nigeria said it was foolish for any man to live without considering what his life at the time meant to other men and to God.
He admonished Christians to use wisdom in all they do and to live their lives with the awareness that they will have to account to God for their stewardship at an unknown time.