Sekinah Lawal/
Parents and caregivers have been charged to inculcate positive values in children and youths alike for a better Nigeria.
The call was made by wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, and the President of Coscharis Group, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, at the launch of Positive Values Initiative in Lagos, a national value and ethic movement promoted by educationist and etiquette specialist, Mrs. Franca Orakwue.
They also enjoined children and youths to pursue integrity and hard work which they said were keys to success.
Maduka said that children should learn to discipline themselves, show respect and inculcate positive values that would add value to their lives.
He said, “Some of us learn integrity by observing what others are doing; the key for your success is in your hands and not by any one’s rule. Success has no language, so you have to build a mentality for service and hard work
“I stand here as an example of a child that was well trained, I have a very big respect for real mothers because they’re the ones that make a lot of difference in the lives of people. I learn by observation. I didn’t learn the value of integrity from a church or mosque, but from people who had no religion.”
He added that some parents who deprive their children from working because ‘they do not want them to suffer’ and then the same parents go ahead to train someone else’s child to be useful by doing domestic chores and working hard, “such parents might end up having a never do well child because you didn’t teach the child that hard work pays. In real life money pursues service. Those of us in business are filling a gap and that is service”.
He however enjoined the children and youths present at the occasion to learn how to work hard, while also encouraging all to support and help drive the initiative.
He added, “This is what is holding Nigeria back. It all starts from the way we think. Your thinking makes you and what you say will one day become you or part of you.
“We have to put our shoulder to the wheel to support this initiative. We make excuses in Nigeria; we take one step forward and 10 steps backward because we have people who do not imbibe these positive values as our leaders and that positive value is what is required to be able to take us to the next level.”
Mrs. Ambode, who was represented by Rhoda Ayinde, noted that if Nigeria must be great and better, “we have to inculcate positive values; we have to live it and share it. We need hardworking people with integrity to fill leadership positions in the country and it begins with initiatives like this which will help groom our children who will someday become leaders”.
She added, “Our children have become so in tune with disruptive technologies and this has taken over the way our children think and do things which is why our children have to be taught the importance of positive values. In this 21st century, positive values have become a necessity that cannot be over-emphasised because the majority of our youths are falling victim to the decadence which can be a major hindrance to the growth and development of the country.
“Youths of these days need to be more enlightened about the benefits of positive values (hard work, integrity, respect for elders etc.) as they go a long way to preserving the priceless legacy which is passed on from one generation to another.”
The event saw performances by various schools, representatives from Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and various NGOs. The highlight of the event was the launch and presentation of two books authored by the National Coordinator, Positive Values Initiatives, Franca Orakwue, to the various NGOs and orphanages.
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