Neglecting Education is Creating a “dysfunctional future” for Nigeria: Catholic Bishop

Abuja, 04 December, 2025 / 3:31 PM

Nigeria risks deeper insecurity and social collapse unless families, communities, and government urgently recommit to educating and morally forming children, Bishop Anselm Umoren, has said.

Speaking to ACI Africa on Wednesday, December 3, during the 40th anniversary celebration of Hand Maid International School, Abuja’s pioneer Catholic school, the Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja said many of the country’s current challenges are rooted in a long-term failure to treat education as a national priority.

“If we fail to take the education of our young ones seriously, we are simply preparing a dysfunctional future for our nation,” Bishop Umoren said.

He noted that many Nigerians are trapped in a system that fosters “the false impression” that education does not matter.

A society that treats learning and intellectual growth as optional, he warned, “is in trouble.”

The Auxiliary Bishop linked Nigeria’s worsening insecurity—including kidnapping, banditry, cybercrime, drug abuse, and widespread youth restiveness—to inadequate moral and intellectual formation.

Such problems, he said, “are symptoms of a deeper issue — a system that has failed to equip young people with values, skills, and a sense of responsibility.”

“We are talking about forming the whole human person and giving every child the tools to build a meaningful future,” the Bishop said.

He emphasized that the family remains the primary place for formation. 

Calling the family the “basic unit of society” and the Domestic Church, the 63-year-old member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul (MSPN) said national stability depends on parents fulfilling their God-given roles. 

When families fail, he noted, the damage is often too costly and too difficult to repair. “Prisons, rehabilitation centres, and the nation’s security woes are filled with examples of failed family upbringing.”

“Schools cannot replace the family. Churches cannot replace the family. The government cannot replace the family,” Bishop Umoren emphasized, adding, “Each has a role, but the foundational work must begin at home.”

He reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s role in education worldwide, insisting that learning must be treated as a right, not a privilege. 

The Catholic Church leader called for collaboration among Church institutions, families, communities, and government to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to quality education. 

When children are neglected, he said, “society pays the price. When they are educated, empowered, and morally formed, society benefits.”

Bishop Umoren urged intentional investment in the next generation, saying the country’s future depends on today’s children. 

“Let us build a generation whose hands will keep our society safe, productive, and prosperous. We must be intentional about this. It will not happen by accident,” he stated.

On the issue of insecurity, he highlighted Nigeria’s spiritual crisis and called for national repentance and divine intervention. 

The Nigerian Catholic Bishop urged citizens to pray for kidnapped victims, affected families, national leaders, and the security agencies.

“Pray that those who have been kidnapped will gain their freedom and be reunited with their loved ones,” he appealed.

Bishop Umoren also called for prayers that leaders act with “wisdom, courage, and sincerity,” and that security personnel work with unity and discipline. 

“Their sacrifices must never be in vain,” he added.

Despite the daunting challenges, Bishop Umoren offered a message of hope, expressing confidence that “with prayer, responsibility, and renewed dedication to children’s education, Nigeria will rise above its challenges, and our children will fulfill their destiny.”