Governments at all levels and parents have the duty to ensure all round development of children in society, Leonard Umunna, a cleric and chairman, Bishop Leonard Umunna Foundation, has said.
Umunna, who made the observation during the 2nd edition of annual sports/cultural competition organised by the Foundation at Olodi-Apapa area of Lagos State, said if those in leadership position and parents could show good example, the lives of the young ones would be positively influenced.
“The level of decadence in society, beginning from the home, is really setting dangerous standard for the young ones. When they see all these evil everywhere, their tender hearts are prone to follow such pernicious ways. For this reason, there’s an urgent need to halt the drift into a morass situation,” he said.
Umunna also expressed sadness over the alleged inability of government to implement good policies that could address the problems in the education sector or other aspects of the nation’s life.
“Government has consistently failed to implement some of the good programmes and policies on education and in other sectors that could have taken the country to the greater heights. They have good ideas but the implementation has been the problem. Nigerian leaders are good at formulating policies but very poor on implementation. The private schools that have come to the rescue, if not for determination and doggedness, some of us would have closed shop long ago,” he said.
On the essence of the sports meet his foundation organises, the cleric, who also is overseer of Bible Life Church, said: “The focus has always been to bring out the best talents from our children and develop them for the overall good of the country. Learning goes beyond the four walls of the classroom.
My target is to see them develop team spirit. I told the officials that emphasis must not be on winning but on participation. I also emphasised to them that the completion must be transparent and that nobody or school must be assisted to win at the expense of others. Every competitor must be given equal opportunities to win. Where else can they go and learn due process and clear conscience than at the events organized by mission schools?
Announcing that over 10 schools participated in the competition, the administrator said: “It is important that we drive it into the sub-consciousness of the young ones that seeking fraudulent route to success is both defeatist as well as morally wrong. Hard work remains the best avenue to a lasting success.
People tend to believe that the end justifies the means, but it is wrong. We must begin to change that faulty belief.
“Government must take a decisive step to improve the education standard in the country by implementing good policies. Unless this is done, we shall continue to reap the fruit of our faulty actions and inactions.”
