There was a time when the entire community raised a child. Not just parents—everyone.
Your neighbour could correct you, the woman selling akara could warn you, your father’s friend could advise you, and you dared not misbehave outside because somebody who knew your family would surely see you.
That culture shaped us. It created discipline, respect, boundaries, and a sense of belonging.
It made children understand that society was watching, guiding, and rooting for them. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.
It produced men and women who carried values that still sustained them today.
But somewhere along the line, we Nigerians drifted away from that communal bond.
Today, people say “mind your business” like it’s wisdom. Parents get offended when their children are corrected.
Neighbours avoid getting involved. Everybody faces their own direction.
The result is that many of our youths are growing up with little guidance, little discipline, and almost no sense of communal accountability.
We can’t keep pretending it’s not affecting us.
The rise in violence, disrespect, entitlement, and lack of emotional structure didn’t fall from the sky.
It is the fruit of a society that stopped raising children together.
Maybe it’s time we return to that old wisdom. Not to control children but to build them. Not to shame parents, but to support them.
A child may come from one home, but the work of raising that child—shaping character, offering guidance, and instilling values—should still be the work of many loving hands.
Our future depends on the kind of children we raise today.
And no matter how modern we think we’ve become, community will always be stronger than isolation.
Prince Tony Ogbetere.