A cleric, Rev. Fr. Stephen Onyeka on Sunday, blamed parents who labour and acquire wealth for their children for contributing to the high rate of irresponsibility and lack of skillfulness among youths in the country.
Onyeka also the Director, St. Louis Guanella Centre, Ibadan, said this during his sermon at Saints Timothy and Titus Catholic Church, Isheri-Osun, Lagos.
He said that many parents work so hard and suffered to keep wealth for their children instead of teaching their children how to work for their own wealth and be self-reliant.
According to him, such parents are promoting laziness and lackadaisical attitude towards self development among their children.
”Most parents today spend their lifetime accumulating wealth for their children even for the unborn ones.
”Because they have gotten everything for these children, they will not allow them learn how to be independent.
”Most of these children will grow up refusing to be responsible, skillful, self-reliant and productive, all because they are relying on inheritance either in form of cash or assets.
”We need to know this fact, you cannot value what you did not work for. Most of these children squander or mismanage these wealth.
”Go to our courts today, you will see siblings fighting and killing one another over inheritance.
”This is a major problem in our country today and our parents need to be careful with how they bring up their children,” he said.
Onyeka urged parents to teach their children that hard work was the only key to earning a living, becoming responsible and independent as well as achieving success in life.
”Parents need to make children understand that life is not a bed of roses, it requires hard work to succeed.
”Hard work teaches us discipline, dedication and determination. It also helps us to become wealth creators, employers of labour and productive members of the society.
”This way our economy will grow, unemployment will reduce and our country will be better for it,” Onyeka said