By: Joe Ephraim, Calabàr
A Professor of Genetics and Biotechnology at the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), Hannah Edim Etta, has warned that excessive pursuit of career advancement by parents is creating dangerous gaps in child upbringing and weakening family values in Nigeria.
Etta gave the warning while delivering the 12th Inaugural Lecture of UNICROSS at the institution’s Department of Mass Communication auditorium in Calabar.
The lecture, titled “Links, Linkages and the Missing Links: From DNA Backbones to Social Cohesion,” drew parallels between the interconnected structure of DNA and the relationships required to sustain families and society.
The don, who is also Director of Academic Planning at UNICROSS, said the breakdown of family structures was increasingly reflected in wider societal problems.
“Just as DNA requires all its strands to function, society also depends on strong linkages to remain stable,” she said.
Etta expressed concern that many parents, particularly academics and professionals, were becoming so absorbed in their careers that they were neglecting their responsibilities in raising their children.
“Yes, we create lacunas, and we raise up children that we are not proud of,” she said.
She added: “You see a lot of intellectuals, a lot of professors have children that are just wayward and off. They are always busy with their careers, pursuing degrees, and leaving the foundation unattended to.”
According to her, maintaining a successful career while raising children could be demanding, but parents must deliberately create a balance between their professional obligations and family responsibilities.
“You’re a nursing mother at some time, you’re raising teenagers, raising young adults, and you still have a career. Sometimes it’s like, ‘Ooh, let me try,’ even though it’s too stressful. But you keep going on because you have a focus,” she said.
The professor stressed the importance of support systems in raising children and sustaining families, noting that some people who had lived under her care eventually graduated from university despite not being her biological children.
“Just be good to people. Have a good support system. When you are, you give out goodness, goodness follows you. I’ve had about six people pass through my house and ended up as university graduates. They were not my biological children,” she said.
Etta urged parents, particularly academics and professionals, to prioritise their families while pursuing career ambitions, saying closing the gaps in the home was essential to addressing wider societal challenges.
“The onus is on us, as parents, to make sure we find balance in our career, our family, and everything,” she said.
The don also called on Nigerians and religious leaders to promote mutual respect and tolerance as a means of addressing recurring religious conflicts in the country.
She said religion, which was expected to promote peace and unity, had in some instances become a source of division.
“Religion is supposed to bring peace and togetherness. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case in Nigeria,” she said.
Etta expressed concern that the religious divide between the North and South had contributed to recurring conflicts and damaged Nigeria’s image internationally.
She urged the government, citizens and religious leaders to work towards rebuilding trust and strengthening social cohesion by bringing the “missing links” together.
“Bring all the missing links together and find a way to coexist,” she said, stressing that national healing must begin with mutual respect and tolerance among citizens.
