Cardinal Arinze Warns Youth Against Japa

On Sunday, his Eminence Cardinal Francis Arinze admonished youths to be wary of engaging in any international journey without proper planning. This, Cardinal Arinze said on Sunday, at the St. Paul’s Catholic Church Nnobi in Idemili South LGA, during the dedication of baby Chihotaram Omenugha, daughter of Mrs. Chidera and Dr. Nelson Omenugha, Governor Soludo’s adviser on youth development programmes.

Speaking shortly after the dedication mass, Cardinal Arinze said that every country worldwide has its peculiar challenge and that most times what people admire from afar is not as good in reality. According to the Cardinal, many Nigerians are today serving jail terms across Europe for one crime or another. “When I go for prison visitations, I see them. They greet me in a way that shows that they know me. They are in prison serving jail terms in Europe. That is not good,” His Eminence said. This situation, he regretted, is a direct consequence of desperate journeys and unplanned international travel because some people just believe that once they enter Europe, they will pick money from the streets. To guard against this, Cardinal Arinze said young people must be told the truth. “If you travel to Europe or America without a good skill or a good job, you are in trouble and that is why some of our people end up in jail because they go and get involved in one crime or another,” he said.

The Cardinal who lamented that Nigeria’s profile has suffered from the activities of people who engage in desperate journeys, thereby getting into all sorts and in consequence, damaging the country’s image, also said that Nigerians are equally doing well. In several monasteries in Italy and other parts of Europe, only Nigerians presently occupy many of them, among other positive things that he outlined as being done by Nigerians in Europe.

The dedication of Chihotaram Omenugha which His Eminence Cardinal Arinze had come to celebrate moved from St. Paul’s Catholic Church to the home of Nelson and Chidera Omenugha, where they entertained their guests, family members, and well-wishers.