From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Bishop Timothy Yahaya of Diocese of the Kaduna Anglican Communion, yesterday, lamented that Nigeria’s leadership lacks role-model-fathers who the people can look up to for a decent and crisis free society.
Answering questions from journalists on this year’s Father’s Day celebration at the premises of Christ Anglican Church, Kaduna, Yahaya bemoaned that some of the nation’s leaders who are supposed to be mentors to the younger generation, were into drugs and theft of public funds entrusted in their care.
Yahaya said the greatest question to ask on this year’s father day is “where are the fathers of Nigeria as a nation; where are the fathers of this generation.”
The cleric recalled that in the entire African continent, it is former South Africa President and freedom fighter, late Nelson Mandela, that was an epitome of a role model and father figure for this generation and the next.
“Where are the Nelson Mandelas of this world? Where are those sacrificial fathers who are ready to sacrifice everything for their countries and families? Our nation is a family, where are the fathers that gave legitimacy to the nation. Fathers are responsible people, today if you look at what is happening in our country, you begin to ask, where are the responsible fathers? There should be fathers for the nation.
“The leadership of our country, whether at federal, state or local government level, are supposed to be fathers. What are the examples they are setting for the children. You even find out that some of our leaders today are into drugs; when leaders are into drugs what do you expect children to do. Today if you look around, our youths are into drugs abuse.
Where did they learn to take these drugs? I call on the Federal Government to equip the NDLEA so that drug addiction will be reduced to the barest minimum in our society. When the people who are supposed to be patrimony are stealing naira in millions and billions, the next thing they need to do is to steal in zillions, because we have not heard them stealing in zillions. Will actually call them fathers? Today fathers are absent because they are busy chasing mundane things.
“The issue of drugs abuse in our society today is the failure of fathers to teach their children the danger of drugs abuse. If fathers play their roles, live up to their responsibilities, I can assure you that our homes will not produce children that are drugs addicts. It will be less than one per cent, even if they are deviant.”