Obasanjo: “My generation has failed Nigeria.”
Soyinka: “…I feel at this moment that I can only describe my generation as the wasted generation…”

Today the 16th of June is set aside to celebrate fathers worldwide. As progenitors’, fathers have successfully ensured the continuous replenishing of the earth via copulation with females. In keeping in tandem with God’s ordained plan for procreation, fathers have been the custodian of the sperm which merges with the “egg” to form you and I.

Nigeria as a country has been blessed with a history rich in varied traditions and inspiring cultural beliefs. The Yoruba’s in Nigeria for example, are prominent for their show of respect to older folks. Other nations are also known for one cultural behaviour or the other.

In defining our history, we can never forget the fathers who took it upon themselves to fight for the actualization of the entity called Nigeria – Anthony Enahoro, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Eyo Ita, Alvan Ikoku, Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, Dennis Osadebay, Obafemi Awolowo. Ambrose Alli etc. These folks (all dead) have etched their names in the sand of time. These were fathers. They had ideals, they had a cause and they fought for it. For them, national interests trumped personal gains. Did they have their flaws? Yes! However, their contributions to nation building cannot be easily erased. Did they succeed? We can’t say! We are still scrutinizing their successors to determine that!

The bedrock of education in the South West and Cocoa development in the Western region could be traced to the vision of a leader – Awolowo. Seeing the future, he began consciously setting up the Western region to become the education hub of Nigeria. Today, the leading institutions of higher education (private and public) are domiciled in the West.

Over time, as they died and a new breed of fathers evolved, we have had cause to wonder if the current fathers are off springs of the past fathers or perhaps, these current fathers have been fathered by a beast. The tales and sights we are treated to daily are quite painful and sad. The qualities of sacrifice, care, patience, foresight, competence etc. that were visible in the late fathers are nowhere to be seen among the new fathers.

It is not uncommon to read news like “74 years old man rapes 8 years old girl”, “school principal defiles underage pupils”, “father defiles daughter” etc. In fact, public shame was so ceremoniously celebrated when blames were being traded by the managers of Queens College during the water poisoning saga. That a people could be bold as to trade blame when lives of the youths was so carelessly being wasted is nothing short of shocking.

On the political scene, it is not any different. The clowns who parade themselves as leaders are in essence thieves masquerading in sheep’s clothing. They have thrown aside any sense of humanity and have settled to fleece and inflict maximum pains on the masses. The elected officials from the presidency to the legislature to the judiciary are made up almost totally of these nuisances who are a total deviation from the norms and values so exhibited by our founding fathers.

The religious sector is even more worrisome. The rising spates of immorality and fleecing of church members by clerics of gullible members has only exacerbated in recent times. Gone are the days when clerics where wholly committed sincerely to the well-being of their members. We now have clerics whose roving eyes do not escape presentable ladies and who have found it rather convenient to loot without conscience church purse for personal purposes.

Charity they say begins at home. As we celebrate this fathers’ day, I am reminded of my father whom I am very proud of. I am reminded every day of what it takes to be a man as I reflect on all his sacrifices during my growing up stage and even now. I can’t easily forget the hardships and ridicule the man had to go through to ensure that we were all educated. The insults due to delayed payment of school fees and house rents. I can still remember pushing the “beetle” car which stopped while he was taking me to school. O, I still remember his “apu-muaka” visits to plead for grace to pay our fees. There were times he had to go hungry just so the little rice mixed with oil would go around and yes I still remember him having to trek all the way from work home so he wouldn’t deplete the money made that day. Did he have his flaws? Yes! Has he succeeded? Yes! I do not hope to make the same mistakes he made, but I am never competing with him when it comes to the standard of a father he has set for me.

As I gradually contemplate settling down, one thing I can promise my future wife is to be never better than my dad as a father. The values of sacrifice, care, patience, support, teaching, time etc. he has taught me are just awesome. Despite all the hardships, it didn’t prevent my dad from ensuring we all had our textbooks, had good lesson teachers and attended good schools. I am who I am today because my father (and mother) were faithful custodians. They could have saved up to buy the latest clothes (as things got better) or brand new cars or built a mansion. They could have decided to keep up with the Joneses. They had every right to send their kids to inferior schools. The lesson teachers could have been done away with. No! They gave up their interests just to ensure their children had some proper upbringing.

Are they regretting? No! They look at their kids and smile to themselves. As they play with their grandchild, they are confident that they are leaving behind a worthy legacy. They can now sit down to own a house and buy a new car - obviously not with their money. They can now think of going on holidays abroad and yeah, that “george” looks okay for this occasion.

The youths in Nigeria are getting lost. No bearing, no direction, no upbringing, no fatherhood, no parenting, no example. The rising cases of crime is not all about unemployment, it has a root in poor parenting. The wakeup call is serious and rings aloud that very soon we would be leaving the scene. What legacy would we be leaving behind for the younger generation!

We must strive to begin to build healthy skills and values worthy of emulation in work, at church, in business, at home etc. Parents must begin to devote time for their kids. Getting all the wealth in life at the detriment of proper child upbringing is tantamount to failure. If the kids are not responsible enough, the legacy left behind by the parents is lost.

Emphasis must thus be placed on raising children who have positive and godly attitudes that would move the society forward. Mindsets of the younger generation should be moulded to be problem solving and not fault finding. Parents MUST lead godly lives for their wards to emulate.

Are you proud of the parent you are or would be?