Parents, teachers to blame for bad value system - Obasanjo

Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has blamed the religious institutions, parents, teachers and community leaders for the delinquencies and loss of values system in Nigeria, saying they are not living up to the expectations.

He spoke in Abeokuta at the 2017 International Youth Variety Day and public presentation of volume one of his books for children organized as part of activities to mark his 80th birthday.

The former president, recalling his experience while he was in the Yola prison, said some of the inmates were jailed for the offences committed because of the moral decadence in the society.

He said, “One area of our lives where we have to do a lot of work is in the area of values.

“When I was growing up, if people don’t know your source of sudden wealth, such a person was isolated and ostracised.

“If your father went out at nights, it was likely that your father was a thief. And we other children were asked to keep away from children of such character.

“How do we bring back these values? When I was in prison in Yola, I interviewed some young men in that prison, I was shocked with what I found out. Given the level of criminality and delinquencies in the society, you have to blame the teachers, schools, churches, mosques, community leaders among others.

“But where do we begin to make correction? One of the ways are the story books I have written. I started writing the ‘Tortoise stories’ while I was in Yola Prison. Now the Volume 1 is being presented today”.

The former president lamented that Nigerian museums no longer have national treasures.

He explained that the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, has been modelled after the U.S Presidential library to bridge the gap between the attitude and behaviour of not preserving the national treasures.

Also speaking at the event, education minister, Malam Adamu Adamu explained that the library and books of Obasanjo was borne out of his interest and passion to move Nigerian education system forward.