Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has urged religious leaders to convince parents to take parental upbringing seriously.

He made the call yesterday in Asaba when he played host to the General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church Worldwide, Pastor William Kumuyi. Wife of the Governor, Deaconess Roli Uduaghan, and other top government functionaries were present at the occasion.

Governor Uduaghan, who frowned at the rate of out-of-school children in the country, stated that it is a challenge for religious leaders to convince parents to ensure that their children have a proper upbringing, noting that the rate of criminality among young children could be linked to lack of parental care.

“We hear that about 40 per cent of children that are supposed to be in schools in the country are not in schools and for us in Delta State, it is about 10 per cent and we are also very worried that we still have people who are not in school. So we set up the ‘EduMarshal’ to ensure that every child that is of school age gets back to school,” the governor said.

He added: “We have discovered vices among children which are attributable to lack of parental care; I want to beg you as a Spiritual Leader to admonish parents to be more responsible to their duties as criminality starts from the child’s upbringing.”

Dr. Uduaghan reiterated that his administration was working to ensure that no child of school age was out of school, disclosing that primary and secondary education are free in the state while over 280 Deltans who are first class graduates have benefited from his administration’s scholarship programme for first class graduates.

While urging Pastor Kumuyi to pray for the state and Nigeria as a nation, Governor Uduaghan attributed the achievements of his administration in the past seven years to the handiwork of God, asserting: “The finger of God is working in Delta State.”

Earlier, Pastor Kumuyi said that he was on a pastoral visit to the state and lauded Governor Uduaghan’s developmental stride.

According to him, “When I was entering Delta State, everything has virtually changed, great things have been done in the state, I want to commend the developmental stride of the Governor.”

Continuing, he said: “I will not be surprised if the state becomes a model in the country, the Governor looks so simple and unassuming, he is a great gift to Delta State and the country.”

Pastor Kumuyi said he was interested in youth’s development and to refocus them on the way to spiritual and material greatness, asserting: “We need to invest more on the youths and impact positively on their lives.”

•Photo shows, from left, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, his wife Deaconess Roli Uduaghan, the General Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi and his wife Pastor (Mrs.) Esther Kumuyi when the Pastor visited the governor in Asaba, Friday.

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