From John Adams, Minna
Niger State Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago has attributed the rising cases of thuggery and youth restiveness to a lack of proper moral training, emphasising that parents and religious institutions must shape young lives.
Speaking on Saturday at the opening of the Nupe Christian Fellowship International’s annual conference at the Cathedral Church of St John in Bida, he stressed the importance of parental care and moral upbringing in curbing crime and social vices among youths.
Represented by former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and APC chieftain Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, Bago said, “The religious institutions in the country have a crucial task in bridging the gap in the moral training of our youths.”
He highlighted his administration’s reintroduction of Christian Religious Studies (CRS) and Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) in public schools, stating, “It helps in moulding and shaping the lives of our youths. The absence of proper moral upbringing is hugely responsible for the growing rates of all forms of social vices among our youths.”
Bago added, “No responsible government will fold its hands and watch some miscreants taking over the state and unleashing terror on the innocent citizens.”
He assured efforts to control thuggery and restiveness, promising equal treatment for all religious groups. “Niger State is a secular state, and therefore there will be fair and equal treatment of the adherents of the two major religions in the state,” he said.
“We have reintroduced the teaching of the two main religions in our public schools as a step towards ensuring equity, justice and fairness for all. There will be no discrimination.”
The governor announced a ₦10 million donation to the Nupe Christian Fellowship International. Earlier, the fellowship’s president, Jacob G. Tsado, praised Bago’s infrastructural achievements over the past two years, noting, “The annual conference is an event that promotes the spiritual and socio-economic revival of members.”