The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has warned that insurgency may get worse if government fails to prioritize education of the young generation.

Kukah made this known on Friday, while delivering a lecture at the 42nd Actualisation conference of Rotary International, District 9110 in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The clergyman in his lecture described rising security challenges in Nigeria as the consequences of the young generation not having proper education.

 

He blamed the insurgency on the government’s inability to prioritize education of the young generation, warning that the situation may get worse.

He said Nigeria is reaping what it sowed following bandits and terrorists’ attacks across the country, most especially in the North.

He said “We are facing the challenges that are the consequences of our children not having education. Now everybody is fearing bandits, everybody is fearing Boko Haram, we are reaping today what we sowed yesterday and it will actually grow worse.

“We have millions of children, at least between 10 and 12 or 15 million children that are on the streets who are begging, each of these children are growing by the day, the Almajiri that is 10 now, in 10 years time he will be 20 years so unless we quickly do something the situation may go worse.”

He called on philanthropists, religious bodies and other humanitarian organisations to channel their efforts towards combating illiteracy.

Kukah said Nigeria “must try to combat illiteracy because there is no substitute for education and if we who are educated believe that we are secured then we must think again.”