His Eminence Cardinal Francis Arinze has called on parents to ensure the proper upbringing of their children, adding that children are special gifts from God, hence the need for parents to give them adequate care and attention.
According to him, a lot of people hardly remember to thank God having answered their prayers and only remember him again when they are facing another challenge in life.
He said this on Sunday when he visited Anambra State for the child dedication of Dr. Nelson Obinna Omenugha, Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo on Youth Development.
Speaking further on national issues particularly on youth restiveness, Cardinal Arinze, admonished youths to be wary of engaging in any international journey without proper planning.
He noted that every country in the world has its peculiar challenge and that most times what people admire from afar is not as good in reality. According to the Cardinal, many Nigerians are today serving jail terms across Europe for one crime or another. “When I go for prison visitations, I see them. They greet me in a way that shows that they know me. They are in prison serving jail terms in Europe. That is not good,” his Eminence said.
This situation, he regretted, is a direct consequence of desperate journeys and unplanned international travel because some people just believe that once they enter Europe, they will pick money from the streets. To guard against this, Cardinal Arinze said young people must be told the truth.
“If you travel to Europe or America without a good skill or a good job, you are in trouble and that is why some of our people end up in jail because they go and get involved in one crime or another,” he said.
The Cardinal who lamented that Nigeria’s profile has suffered from the activities of people who engage in desperate journeys, thereby getting into all sorts and in consequence, damaging the country’s image, also said that Nigerians are equally doing well.
In several monasteries in Italy and other parts of Europe, only Nigerians presently occupy many of them, among other positive things that he outlined as being done by Nigerians in Europe.
