LAGOS – The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, the Most Rev. Adewale Martins, has advised the President-elect, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to give priority to religious and moral development of the Nigerian child.
Martins, whose advice is contained in a goodwill message to commemorate the Children’s Day, said such an approach would help raise honest and God-fearing future leaders.
He congratulated Nigerian children on the celebration of Children’s Day and urged them to always emulate the virtues of “our Lord and Saviour, Jesus’’.
“As a child, Jesus was very submissive to the authorities of his parents by being obedient to them at all times.
“I wish to congratulate the Nigerian Child on this auspicious occasion of World Children’s Day.
“ A day set aside to celebrate our children, who are the future of our country and the world as a whole,’’ he said.
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According to him, it also affords all Nigerians opportunity to reflect on the present well-being of the Nigerian child and how well he has fared over the years.
He said that from all indications, it was obvious that much still needed to be done in order to safeguard the future of the Nigerian child.
The archbishop listed juvenile delinquency, poverty, social inequality, failed educational system, family problems and peer pressure as some of the challenges facing the Nigerian child.
He urged the in-coming administration to urgently re-introduce moral and religious instructions in the school curriculum to help curb the alarming rate of moral decay in the society.
Speaking on the high rate of abandoned children and orphans on the streets, the archbishop called on government to take over the welfare of such children and ensures they received proper care. (NAN)
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