The Diocesan Bishop of Akwa Ibom State, Christ Army Church (GBC), Rt. Rev. Dr. David E. Udonsek, has urged parents to raise responsible citizens rather than children focused solely on wealth and personal success.

Udonsek made the call while delivering a sermon titled, “Victory and Peace Over Our Land and Territories,” during a Sunday service at the City of King David Cathedral, Onna, Akwa Ibom.

The bishop spoke on the sub-theme, “Keys to Bringing Healing Upon Our Land,” and identified responsible citizenship, godly leadership and unity as essential to addressing challenges confronting the society.

He said families, communities and the nation required citizens who understood their responsibilities to God, society and the country.

Udonsek urged parents and guardians to desist from raising children solely with the ambition of acquiring wealth and achieving personal comfort.

He said wealth was desirable, but children must also be taught patriotism, service, responsibility and concern for the welfare of others.

“Raise citizens, not merely successful individuals; patriots, not merely wealthy people; and servants of society, not owners of society,” he said.

The bishop said Nigeria needed patriotic men and women prepared to confront societal challenges and regard leadership as a call to service.

He also urged leaders to surround themselves with people who shared their vision and values, rather than appointing individuals based on sentiment, favouritism or personal connections.

Udonsek described responsible citizens as “watchmen” who should not remain silent when their communities face danger, hardship or injustice.

He said the biblical account of the healing of the waters of Jericho in 2 Kings 2:19-20 demonstrated that problems affecting a land could be addressed through recognition of the problem and divine intervention.

The bishop also cited 2 Chronicles 7:14, which he said offered a pathway to restoration through humility, prayer, repentance and a return to God.

On the second key to healing the land, Udonsek urged society to recognise and honour genuine servants of God and other people of substance raised within communities.

He said the people of Jericho recognised the prophetic role of Elisha and sought his intervention over the condition of their land.

He regretted that society sometimes rejected or frustrated people of substance capable of providing guidance and solutions, while seeking assistance from outside their communities.

The bishop urged political and other leaders to cultivate humility and listen to wise counsel, stressing that good vision could fail without appropriate guidance.

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety,” he said, quoting Proverbs 11:14.

Udonsek maintained that a healed society must be one where leaders value wisdom, truth can be spoken to power and genuine servants of God are respected.

On unity, the bishop urged Nigerians, particularly Christian leaders, to set aside unnecessary divisions, selfish interests and personal ambitions for the common good.

He said challenges confronting communities and the nation could not be effectively resolved by individuals acting alone.

He urged citizens to identify common challenges, discuss solutions, pray together and take collective action.

“Division weakens us, but unity gives us strength to confront challenges that would be impossible for individuals to overcome alone,” he said.

Udonsek said unity did not require everyone to be the same, but demanded recognition of common purpose and collective commitment to societal development.

He stressed that healing of the land would require deliberate action by citizens to become instruments of positive transformation.

The bishop called on families to become centres for raising responsible citizens, while urging leaders to seek godly wisdom and citizens to remain vigilant.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria could experience healing and restoration if citizens returned to God and embraced their collective responsibilities.

“The waters were healed unto this day,” he quoted from 2 Kings 2:22, adding that a wounded land was not beyond the healing power of God.