The Lagos State Government has stated that the moral decadence prevalent in society could be traced to poor parenting among youths.
The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development (MYSD), Mr. Olusegun Dawodu, spoke on “Better Parenting” at a training programme organised for residents of Ikorodu and held at Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat.
Dawodu, represented by the Director, Child Development, MYSD, Mrs. Bukayo Odukayo, said that the programme was initiated by the Ministry as part of its concerted efforts to improve the methods of parenting among residents in the State.
He said: “It has come to the knowledge of the State Government that many of the social vices prevalent in the society are usually perpetrated by children with improper upbringing and poor parenting or from broken homes. Therefore, in order to arrest this ugly trend, the Ministry has decided to create a training programme specifically tailored towards this urgent need”.
According to him: “If drastic action is not taken, the society would continue to experience moral decline, especially among the youths. This training programme is in line with the mandate of the Ministry, which is to create a conducive social environment for the citizenry”.
The Facilitator of the Programme and Executive Director, Oasis Youth Initiative, Mrs. Ruth Haruna informed the participants that the 21st-Century methods required for better parenting include protecting the children from all sorts of evil, providing for their needs as well as preparing them for a better future through proper guidance on good character.
Mrs. Haruna also advised the parents not to indulge their children in negative things, but to be strict and guide them appropriately in character, social behaviour and relationships with others.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Ikorodu Local Government Area, Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, represented by the Head of Agric Department, Mrs. Halimat Bamishile, commended the State Government for the training programme that proffered solutions to most of the antisocial tendencies prevalent among youths.
Also commenting, an Assistant Director with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs. A. B. Tiamiyu, disclosed that recent statistics by the International Organisation of Migrants revealed that the number of illegal migrants of Ikorodu extraction surpassed that of other communities in the nation, adding that the training could not have come at a better time.
