By PJ Usanga
Nigeria risks sliding into deeper insecurity and social decay unless families, communities, and government urgently recommit to educating and morally forming children, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Bishop Anselm Umoren, warned.
Recently, at the 40th anniversary celebration of Hand Maid International School, Abuja’s first Catholic school, the 63-year-old Missionary Society of St. Paul (MSP) member said many of the country’s current crises stem from a long-term failure to treat education as a national priority.
“If we fail to take the education of our young ones seriously, we are simply preparing a dysfunctional future for our nation,” he said. Too many Nigerians, he added, have been misled by “the false impression” that education does not matter, a mindset he described as dangerously corrosive. “A society that treats learning and intellectual growth as optional is in trouble.”
Bishop Umoren linked worsening insecurity, including kidnapping, banditry, cybercrime, drug abuse, and widespread youth restiveness to inadequate moral and intellectual formation. These challenges, he said, are “symptoms of a deeper issue, a system that has failed to equip young people with values, skills, and a sense of responsibility.”
He stressed that genuine nation-building requires “forming the whole human person and giving every child the tools to build a meaningful future.”
Reaffirming the family’s role as the “basic unit of society” and the Domestic Church, the Bishop insisted that national stability depends on parents fulfilling their God-given responsibilities. When families fail in this duty, he warned, the consequences are profound and far-reaching.
“Prisons, rehabilitation centres, and the nation’s security woes are filled with examples of failed family upbringing,” he noted. “Schools cannot replace the family. Churches cannot replace the family. The government cannot replace the family. Each has a role, but the foundational work must begin at home.”
Bishop Umoren reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s global commitment to education, insisting that learning must be treated as a right accessible to every child. He called for strengthened collaboration among Church institutions, families, communities, and government to ensure quality education for all Nigerian children.
“When children are neglected, society pays the price. When they are educated, empowered, and morally formed, society benefits,” he said.
Urging intentional investment in young people, he added: “Let us build a generation whose hands will keep our society safe, productive, and prosperous. We must be intentional about this. It will not happen by accident.”
Addressing the escalating insecurity across the country, Bishop Umoren described the situation as not only political and social but also spiritual. He called for national repentance and divine intervention, urging citizens to pray for kidnapped victims, their families, national leaders, and security personnel.
“Pray that those who have been kidnapped will gain their freedom and be reunited with their loved ones,” he appealed. He further urged prayers for leaders to act with “wisdom, courage, and sincerity,” and for security agencies to operate with unity and discipline. “Their sacrifices must never be in vain,” he said.
Despite the grim realities, the Bishop offered a message of hope, expressing confidence that Nigeria can overcome its challenges. “With prayer, responsibility, and renewed dedication to children’s education, Nigeria will rise above its challenges, and our children will fulfil their destiny,” he said.
