“Let It Not Be Another Wasted One,” Fr. Idoko Appeals to Nigerian Youths on New Year Day
The National Youth Animator of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Rev. Fr. Boniface Idoko, has issued a New Year appeal to young Nigerians, urging them to reject moral complacency, civic irresponsibility and corruption, and to make 2026 a year of personal and national renewal.
In a New Year message released on 1 January, Fr. Idoko warned against what he described as the familiar tendency to welcome a new year with empty promises and unchanged attitudes, stressing that Nigeria could ill afford “another wasted opportunity”.
The Youth Animator challenged young people to engage in honest self-examination, lamenting what he called the normalisation of dishonest and exploitative behaviour in society. According to him, practices such as lying, cheating and exploiting others had become commonplace, often excused on the grounds that “everyone does it”.
“When wrongdoing becomes normal, society begins to rot from within,” he said, adding that the new year demands moral courage — “the courage to call sin by its name and to choose what is right, even when it costs us”.
Fr. Idoko also criticized widespread civic apathy, noting that while many young Nigerians complain about poor leadership, they often fail to obey just laws, protect public property or participate responsibly in civic life. He emphasised that national infrastructure and public resources should not be regarded as distant government assets but as a shared inheritance.
“Neglecting them is neglecting ourselves,” he stated.
Addressing issues of work ethic, the Catholic youth leader decried what he described as a culture of laziness, negligence and excuses. He said mediocrity, lateness and incompetence were too easily justified, even as people demanded excellence from others.
“This new year must mark the end of excuse-making,” he declared, arguing that genuine progress — whether personal or national — can only occur when discipline replaces comfort and responsibility, replaces blame.
On the broader national stage, Fr. Idoko described corruption and abuse of power as deeply entrenched problems, warning that public office was too often treated as personal entitlement rather than a sacred trust.
The Clergyman noted that resources meant for the common good were routinely mismanaged or stolen, leaving millions in hardship. He cautioned against viewing the crisis solely as a leadership failure, describing it instead as a collective moral problem sustained by silence, complicity and selective outrage.
In a series of emphatic refrains, the Youth Animator rejected what he called society’s dangerous compromises: silence in the face of injustice, celebration of stolen wealth, abuse of power masked as cleverness, and prayers for change unaccompanied by upright living.
Fr. Idoko stressed that the new year itself holds no automatic power to transform lives or the nation. Rather, he said, renewal begins with conscious personal choices — honesty over fraud, service over selfishness, hard work over shortcuts, and courage over convenience.
“Nations change when consciences awaken,” he noted.
The Reverend Gentleman urged Nigerian youths to reclaim integrity in their private lives and accountability in public spaces, calling on leaders to govern with a sense of divine responsibility and respect for the people. He also challenged citizens to see themselves as owners of the nation, not “careless tenants”.
“A new year is a gift — but a gift can be squandered,” he warned, calling on young Nigerians to break destructive habits, reject corruption and take responsibility for the future they continue to demand.
