By Moses Okorie
The Catholic Bishop of Lafia Diocese in Nasarawa State, Rt. Rev. David Ajang, has blamed the insecurity challenges bedeviling Nigeria on inability of parents to give their children good education, saying the high rate of out-of-school children is a recipe for violence in the hands of mischief makers.
The clergy made this assertion while speaking to newsmen on Sunday, May 29, 2022, during his first bishopric visit to St. Matthew Parish, Kuchikau, Karu Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, “I always believe that the key to solving the problem we have today lies in education. Proper education; I mean proper education. There are different kinds of education; there is indoctrination, which unfortunately is a kind of education that is practice by some sector, and where indoctrination takes place, it doesn’t give room for accommodating other views.
“But when you talk about genuine education, it is such that gives you the exposure that you desire, the exposure you need and it also accepts the fact that there are some differences. I think that is the greatest challenge we have. If you look at who is responsible, all of us are; the family is, because we have people who are not prepared who are married,”
Bishop Ajang encouraged parents to educate their children before sending them to school, because if they don’t lay the best foundation, all that the teachers would do later would amount to nothing.
Speaking on the efforts put in by the church at Kuchikau, he said, “I feel quite excited being here today; as matter of fact, before yesterday, my knowledge of Kuchikau was restricted to the main road. I am quite impressed about all the developments, and all these took place in less than three years.
“It shows that this is a community of people who really love God. My prayer is that the love which they have demonstrated, which I have seen for myself will remain with them always”.
Commenting on national issues, he encouraged Nigerians to do the needful as the 2023 general elections are around the corner in order to find relief from the present economic challenges.
Also speaking, Mr. Kelvin Ugwu, who built and donated a chapel to the church, which was commissioned by the Bishop, said his kind gesture was in appreciation to God who blessed him from being a wheel-barrow pusher to a spear parts dealer.