community
A cross section of Abuja residents on Wednesday blamed the rising rate of crimes in Nigeria on the neglect of cultural values.
They stated this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mr Opaja Opaja, a businessman in Dei-Dei, said that an African norms and values that has to do with hard work and good character, has been abandoned by the younger generation.
Opaja said that youths do not care about working hard to be successful rather all they desire is to make it quick and big.
“Youths of this generation do not care about doing menial jobs or hard labour, they opt for easy ways such as yahoo yahoo, ritual, cybercrime and others to get quick, easy, money,’’he said
Mrs Cordelia Ezugwu, a teacher in Piwoyi, said that the youths have become comfortable with the western culture and language.
She said that the youths have turned to the use of internet to learn the ways of life of the western world.
“ The internet is the major part of youths misbehavior today, and also our parents.
”If parents begin on time to teach their children morals and values, they will not be affected so much by the things they learn from the western culture.
“I think parents; government and the community should come together and re-orientate the youth on our cultural values.
”The government should ensure that our culture be taught in schools and made compulsory for students,” she said.
Mr Aliyu Ibrahim, a trader in Dei-Dei, said that discipline is a contributory factor to the neglect of Nigeria cultural values.
Ibrahim said that parents, society and the youth are guilty of this since they are influenced by social media and peer groups.
”Lack of discipline among youths these days had led to the breeding of children without morality, sense of character and responsibility.
“Parents no longer instill good home training in their children, they spend less time with them and do not teach them the right standard of living,’’ he said.
Mrs Uzoamaka Abukwe, a trader in Zuba, said that in the early days cleanliness before marriage was a most valued norm which disallowed sex before marriage.
Uzoamaka said that the trend had encouraged high rate of abortion, unwanted pregnancy and early marriage among young people in the country.
“In my community, when a girl has sex with a man before marriage or sleeps with another man that is not her husband, she runs mad, get ill or dies.
“In the past, the fear of punishment kept the young ones from doing the wrong things, but now that discipline is no longer in place,’’ she said.
Patrick Ogar, a resident of Kubwa, said that our cultural values had taught us not to steal and kill, but the youth today have forgotten all about that.
”The African culture teaches us not to steal and that we should love one another but these day you see our youths killing their friends and family members for ritual,“he said.
He urged the Governments at all levels, Schools, Churches and parents to keep teaching the youths the importance of our cultures. (NAN)
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Tags: cultural values
