The beauty of any well-meaning nation lies on its youths. Nigerian youths are dynamic, just like their counterparts all over the world. They are our pride, the future hope of the country, those hoped to renew the face of the earth.

However, youths seem to be at the crossroads. When one thinks of the internet and the society today, viz-a-viz the effect the use of computers and the internet has on them, then you realize that our youths are endangered species, if this trend is not drastically checked. Youths have quickly and clandestinely abandoned proper education at the door step of internet.

Again, morality is of no consequence these days. It has gone down the drains. Morality is being treated with reckless abandon. This is because the society is bastardized with immoral codes in all ramifications with little or no shame. Orchestrated hooliganism is almost becoming the order of the day at the expense of Godliness. Mkpuru mmiri, the word in vogue, is corrosively and dangerous destroying the lives of families and youths.

It is disheartening that some youths, unknown to their parents, leave home for school and end up in business and betting centers, hotels, and hide out centers, where they engage in insatiable fantasies, unfulfilled desires and dreams.

The internet has turned the world into a global village where one sees the bad, the good, and the ugly at a glance. Thus, social media exerts a considerable influence on the educational, moral, spiritual and social life of our youths and even adults too. Consequently, the unsuspected user-prisoners have become slaves to the electronic gadgets. Some of them wallow off in pornography, insatiable desire syndrome, nude websites, or even dangerous games, gambling and fraud in the name of browsing.

Esteemed parents, guardians, mentors, teachers and leaders, the dye is cast! Let us wake up. Our children are at the cross roads. They need us badly! They need our love! They need our attention! They need our guidance, both at home and in school. It is high time we woke up, before the impending deluge carries them away into oblivion, but God forbid. They have to be rescued from this clandestine danger of electronic bondage.

Let us take our children to Christ Jesus, the saviour. They must be trained in the expected code of conduct from the home. Parents should be conscious of their negative behavior before their children as their act may pose a threat to their children’s upbringing.

Parents walking around nude in their homes, when their children are around, is not healthy at all. It psychologically affects them. Also, parents quarrelling and fighting before their children is not healthy. It creates a bad image in their psyche. Parents must equally observe the type of friends their children keep.

Parents should teach their child the proper way to follow so that when they grow, they will not depart from it. They should not spear the rod and spoil the child at the door step of being too busy. Parents should not mortgage their children’s welfare with their attention heaped on T.V, radio, mobile phone, browsing the web, social media, gambling and other distracting vices capable of destroying them. Our children need us and our undivided attention for the times are perilous.

For those in lower education, parents should always check their books when they return from school and for those in higher education, occasionally pay unannounced or impromptu visit to check on them. One has to observe the signs of the times and the timing of events.

In essence, the internet is good for the modern person, but at the same time, it does pose its teething problems to humanity, including the youths. Town and religious leaders should rally round with one accord to eradicate the ugly menace and pains caused by mkpurummiri.

To help save the youths, all hands must be on deck. Let us, on our knees, go back to the drawing board with our eyes soaked with tears in prayer to save our children in distress and disarray.

WRITTEN BY LADY OBY ONYENWE

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