•Urges parents to teach their children tradition, sanctity of life

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has lamented over the death of the newborn baby boy rescued from a pit toilet three days after he was dumped in the pit by her mother,

The 20-year-old mother, Nwedoka Chidimma from Ebony State, was said to have complained to her friend who she was staying with at Otuocha, Anambra East Local Government Area of the state of having stomach ache before heading to the loo to birth the child in a pit toilet.

The baby was however rescued by bystanders who heard her cry and rescued him using a ladder.

He was hitherto rushed to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, by the Anambra State Commissioner for Social Welfare, Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo for medical attention but died on Thursday.

The governor’s wife in a statement signed by her media aide, Daniel Ezeigwe and made available to Journalists in Awka reminded parents, guardians, and the entire society on the need to quickly wake up in the face of rising moral decay and abandonment of basic norms.

She described the act of Nwedoka (the child's mother) as inhumane and distraught, noting that as a mother, she feels the pain of having to deal with such news, which brings shock and deep discomfort.

The lamented that she was praying for the full recovery of the baby boy immediately after it was confirmed that he had been taken to the hospital and was looking forward to visiting him, only to receive news of his passing.

She added: “The sudden news of his passing away shook my heart.

“Such an incident, along with so many others of a kind, tells an unacceptable story of the present society and how morality has been eroded by growing, unmitigated decadence.”

The governor’s wife however blamed some parents and guardians for abandoning their primary responsibility at home and the duty of proper child upbringing, adding that moral decadence has thrived basically because those entrusted with the sensitive task have failed in their duties.

While calling on the society to rise up immediately and take decisive actions if the spate of current moral decline is to be cut down, she urged individuals and institutions entrusted with the job of societal sanity to show renewed zeal and commitment to the occupation.

She also asked parents to teach their children more about culture, traditions, fear of God, and common values like the sanctity of life, value of patience, self-control, hard work, and perseverance, among others.

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