Urges parents to instill discipline in children
AS Nigerians joined the rest of the world in celebrating Father's Day Sunday, President Goodluck Jonathan has lamented the fact that most state governments found it difficult signing into law the legislation on capital punishment.
This came as he also stressed the need for parents to cultivate the spirit of discipline in their children and wards with a view to bringing them up in a God-fearing way. To this end, he challenged state governors to endorse capital punishment.
In his message during the celebration at the State House Chapel, Jonathan noted that even though the father is supposed to show love to his children, the aspect of discipline must not be ignored if the children were to become useful and responsible citizens of tomorrow.
"If we look through all the references that we have today with the father in the Bible, you will see that we expect a father to show love," he said. "The father is the breadwinner of the family, to take care of the mother and the children, to provide food for them and take care of their education.
"We expect fathers to be role models where children will want to be like their fathers. I want to urge all of us who are fathers to discipline our children. No matter what you do, even if you show love and provide the needs of the family, if you don't discipline your children, it is not good.
"Like my late father, when we were small, anytime we committed an offence and we heard his voice, we would start crying. You would not wait to see him because you know what would happen to you. But these days, because of modern life, discipline is almost gone.
"Discipline can be in various forms. In the (United) States, it could be admonition. Magistrate can just admonish and allow him to go. From admonition to various forms of punishments, it could be imprisonment; the extreme is capital punishment."
Of the governors, he said: "State governors should sign those laws, even though governors sometimes find it difficult to sign. I have been telling the governors that they must sign because that is the law. The works we are doing have a very sweet part and a very ugly part and we must perform both.
"No matter how painful it is, it is part of their responsibilities. For us as parents, it is important to let our children constantly know that it is good to take the right path. It is good for them to know that they must be upright."
Meanwhile, in his sermon at the church service entitled "Fathers' Responsibility," the President of Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev. Soja Bewarang, said if Nigeria must move forward, those working with the President must be honest and refrain from stealing public funds.
"If this country must survive, all men working under the President must practise honesty and must not steal," he said. "He (the President) cannot fight corruption when you are not supporting him. He may try, but he cannot be everywhere. You are his representatives, so you must practise honesty and you must not steal."
The Guardian