The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, says insecurity in Nigeria is as a result of past seeds sowed by the country.
The cleric who spoke on Friday while delivering a lecture at the 42nd Actualisation conference of Rotary International, District 9110, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, noted that the current insecurity in the country will worsen if Nigeria failed to prioritise education.
Kukah bemoaned the poor state of education and urged religious institutions, charities, and other humanitarian organisations to focus their energies on ending illiteracy.
“We are facing the challenges that are the consequences of our children not having education. Now everybody is fearing bandits, everybody is fearing Boko Haram, we are reaping today what we sowed yesterday and it will actually grow worse.
“We have millions of children, at least between 10 to 12 or 15 million children that are on the streets who are begging, each of these children are growing by the day, the Almijiri that is 10 now, in 10 years time he will be 20 years so unless we quickly do something the situation may go worse”, Kukah said.
“We must all try to combat illiteracy because there is no substitute for education and if we who are educated believe that we are secured then we must think again”.
Earlier in his good will message, former President Olusegun Obasanjo charged the Rotary club to step up their efforts to improve the world.
Obasanjo who spoke in a pre-recorded video, called on the club to keep putting the good of humanity above all else.
The former President exhorted participants to use the opportunity of the conference to
rekindle their enthusiasm for improving society and aiding the underprivileged.
The District Governor, Ifeyinwa Ejezie, noted Rotary Club under her watch has done a lot by focusing on basic education and literacy, maternal and child health as well as economic empowerment.
She disclosed that the District has taken the issue of mental health to another level by educating alot of people, adding that drug abuse among the youths was equally addressed by the club.
Ejezie reiterated Rotary Club’s dedication to humanitarian endeavours within the district and internationally.