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27 

FORMATION OF THE CHRISTIAN YOUTH 

AND ITS IMPLICATION ON INTEGRAL 

DEVELOPMENT IN THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY 
 

Prof. Felix Ehimare, ENEGHO 
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Humanities,  

Kogi State University, Anyigba, 
Research Fellow, Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and 

Missiology 
University of South Africa, Pretoria 

felixenegho@gmail.com 
 

Abstract 
The place of the youth in the growth and development of any nation 
cannot be overemphasized and Nigeria is not an exception. Many today 
on the African continent have blamed the West for the 
underdevelopment of Africa as a people and as a continent because of the 
transatlantic slave trade that devastated the continent for some centuries. 
The transatlantic slave trade was a segment of the global slave 
trade that transported between 10 million and 12 million enslaved 
Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from the 16th to the 
19th century. It was the second of three stages of the so-called triangular 
trade, in which arms, textiles, and wine were shipped from Europe to 
Africa, slaves from Africa to the Americas, and sugar and coffee from the 
Americas to Europe. However, though such African youths who were 
part of the slave trade saga rather than being formed in Africa were 
exported to the Western world, this paper aims at assessing critically the 
formation of the Christian youth in Nigeria today with the intent of 
looking at its implication for the development of Nigeria. How are the 
youths being formed in Nigeria? Who are the formators? Are such 
formators utilizing the right tools of formation in our time and age? Are 
the youths being formed aware of their roles in their training? Why are 
the Nigerian Christian youths always so eager to migrate to any country 
in the world? Why are so many Christian youths involved in all kinds of 
criminality in Nigeria and abroad today? What is the way forward at 



Section III: Religious/Socio-Cultural Perspectives And Human Formation    371 

curbing the challenges facing the Christian youths in contemporary 
Nigeria? What indeed is the problem with Nigeria, is it the youths or the 
system? These questions would form the basis of this paper. This work 
utilizes the socio-historical method.  
 
Keywords: Christian, Youth, Formation, Development, Nigeria 
 
Introduction 
Formation of the human person has continued to receive attention 
globally and Nigeria is not left out in the whole enterprise. Whenever we 
hear of the word “formation” especially in Roman Catholic parlance, our 
minds quickly swing to and fro like the pendulum to formation in our 
seminaries. But far from it, formation is not only for those intending to 
be priests or religious, monks or nuns, but for all human persons. 
 The concept “formation” is one that should not be undermined in 
our world that is fast going through all kinds of transformation, a 
transformation that suggests that we need to be cautious in our 
relationship with people of different mentality, ethnic/tribal affiliations, 
religious and ideological differences. It has often be said by all and 
sundry that the world has become a global village with each unit of that 
village having its own ideologies and models.  

In defining the concept “youth” in Nigeria,, the Federal Ministry 
of Youth and Sports Development on May 24, 2019 launched the 
Revised National Youth Policy, 2019 with youth stakeholders in Akure, 
Ondo State. The review which was long overdue – the 2009 Policy states 
that it should be reviewed periodically (every five years) – was due for 
review in 2014. However, due to various challenges, the policy review 
process was not completed till 2019 (an additional five years after the last 
review was to have taken place). 

In the 2019 Policy Foreword, the Minister of Youth and Sports 
Development, Solomon Dalung, quickly points out that, ‘A major thrust 
of the current review is regarding the age bracket for the classification of 
youth from existing grading of 18 – 35 years to 15 – 29 years. The review 
is informed by practical empirical analysis and the need to promote the 
appropriate targeting of desired beneficiaries of intervention programmes 
for the youth rather than adults masquerading as youth.’ Internet source 
(May 28, 2019) 

However, this paper focuses on formation of the Christian youth 
and its implication on integral development in the Nigerian society. The 
act of forming people is quite onerous and challenging. It therefore 
demands all the time and attention one can possibly give in seeing to the 
realization of that goal of making impact on the human persons and in 
this case the youth, so as to assist in the integral development of the 



372 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

Nigerian society. This paper shall adopt the socio-historic approach in its 
research methodology. 

 
Integral Formation of the Christian Youth in Nigeria 
The formation of the Christian youth in Nigeria starts from birth. One  
born into a Christian family as a child automatically shares from the table 
of other Christians at home, in the school and up to his/her work place. 
As a Christian such a child displays the traits of Christianity inherited 
from his/her parents and live with that until he/she begins to live on 
his/her own. This brings us to the idea of what a name truly means. 
There is nothing like a good name, it is often said. It endures forever and 
never dies. A good image means a good name, a positive reputation, a 
respectable noble, self-comportment among the members of one’s 
community. Iroegbu (2000, p.186) 
 Often the fraudulent and wicked though rich, end up as persona non 
grata (undesired persons) in the long run. They build on the vanishing, 
and sooner or later they vanish with it. An old English primary school 
poem has it:  

The loss of gold is much, 
The loss of time is more, 
The loss of honour is such a loss 
That no man can restore.  Iroegbu (2000, p.187) 

 To loss one’s name, one’s honour and reputation is a disaster that is 
unhealable, unrecuperable. It can practically not be restored. The human 
person and in this case the youth, has an image, that of divinity. The 
divine is being in goodness, perfection and love. It is therefore a great 
value to be one who mirrors goodness, excellence and love. What makes 
a good name is for one to be good and not wicked to others; to be 
excellent in performance in your trained and talented area; and to have 
loving-kindness, a caring, understanding and tolerant heart. Therein lies 
the good image of a person. These are the values that last forever. 
Iroegbu (2000, p.187) 
 The place of the family in formation the young people in the society 
cannot be overemphasized. In all societies North and South, changes 
appear to be under way, as a result of which individuals and social groups 
are subjecting their relationships with the family, politics, the economy 
and religion to a critical review, albeit at varying speeds. By so doing the 
traditional concept of society is being stood on its head. Indeed, there is 
talk of ‘a crisis of social cohesion’.  Several authors, including Hervieu-
Leger believe the emergence of new models of family will bring about 
‘institutional deregulation’ or ‘deinstitutionalisation’. Roussel even 
alludes to a dual form of deinstitutionalisation within the family affecting 



Section III: Religious/Socio-Cultural Perspectives And Human Formation    373 

both the rules and laws which governs it and the normative framework 
to which it adheres. Guiblehon (2017, pp.71- 72) 
 It is important to mention here with regards to formation of the 
Christian youth in Nigeria just as elsewhere around the world how 
certain practices by the male folks in our society can affect the psychic of 
both the young girl and boy. In many cultural and religious traditions the 
woman’s body is conceived in such a way that the autonomy of her will 
and wishes is completely denied. She is often seen as an object for 
unlimited access. It is not uncommon to find that in many cases of rape, 
the tendency is to blame the woman rather than the man. A particular 
fashionable example is the reference to the so –called “provocative dress” 
of women as if this is a good excuse for violating their persons in cases of 
rape. Another typical example is what is portrayed in John 8:3-5a “The 
scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in 
adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, 
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 
Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women” But the 
law as stipulate in the book of Leviticus required that both the adulterer 
and the adulteress should be stoned to death (Lev. 20:10). In the case 
cited in the passage quoted above, the rule is bent and the woman alone 
was condemned to be stoned to death. This is a case where rules and 
regulations are used to control the body of the woman. Amoah (1996, 
p.80) With this kind of orientation, young men often believe that the 
world is theirs and therefore see women as tools only for their pleasure 
not minding women’s disposition to such act. This kind of orientation 
need to be moderated, whereby women should perceive themselves as 
the image and likeness of God and men are to see them as such and show 
them all the respect they truly deserve. 
 There is also the existence of mental and spiritual violence as well as 
the fact that physical violence can harm and destroy not only the body 
but also the human spirit. There is the need to transform ourselves and 
our world; we need to foster. And gather empowering resources of 
strength for new cultural creation and transformation. That is why we 
need new forms of spirituality: spirituality for life which helps and 
sustain us in choosing life, to affirm, increase, and trust life, and to 
recognize the energy and power of God’s spirit in all the movements of 
life. Spirituality is quite imperative in formation of the Christian youth. 
For many people, spirituality is a soft word, something idealistic and 
dreamy, even sugary, like the icing of a cake, or it is understood merely as 
something inward, personal, private, or escapist. Spirituality must not be 
considered as something abstract, divorced from life, as a far-flung 
saintly ideal for the devout and few; on the contrary, it is something very 



374 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

concrete, strong, physical and material, embodied, something we can 
really touch and be in touch with. Ursula (1996, p.152)  
 There exists a strong tradition in spiritual teaching about the 
necessity for a discernment of spirits: what is good and what is bad, what 
is debilitating, distorting spirituality, and what is a strengthening, 
nourishing one which can bring about growth, lead us to the fullness of 
life, and endow us with the strength of wisdom. Spirituality is deeply 
grounded in human experience, but it is also linked to the belief that 
there is a greater, fuller reality which surrounds, beckons, and calls us. 
Christians speak of the call to holiness and perfection implicit in the 
gospel, which says, “You must be perfect as your (parent) in heaven is 
perfect” (Mt. 5:48). From the beginning of Christianity the search for 
spiritual perfection, of life lived in the spirit of God, has led to new forms 
of life, to asceticism, monasticism, and mysticism. Countless Christian 
writers, from the desert fathers and mothers to medieval and modern 
saints and mystics, have written about their spiritual quests and struggles, 
left instructions and teachings, and provided us with models of Christian 
discipleship and holiness. Ursula (1996, p.152) 
 As An interpretative, existential tool, Ursula (1996) opines that 
spirituality is the attitude and interpretation we adopt towards our own 
experiences to give them meaning, to make sense of them. We can do 
this by drawing on the resources of a religious faith, on a programme for 
action relating to justice and peace, on an ideal of being fully human, on 
a relationship of love and forgiveness. There is the need to discover the 
ever transcendent and yet so near horizon which surrounds us, envelops 
and cradles us. In this sense spirituality as the struggle for life is quite 
literally the immense effort, labour, and pain to produce and bring into 
life into this world, as women in collaboration with men always do, but 
also to attend to all details of growth, to nurture it with love and care, 
and struggle to live and survive against all odds, to make ends meet, to 
produce the food needed for so many mouths, to calm down fights and 
quarrels. It is more than merely struggling to survive; it is also the 
tremendous effort to live a fuller, more abundant, richer, and more 
meaningful human life. Understood in this sense, spirituality which is a 
great tool in formation of the Christian youth is the breath and blessing 
of life; it is the very bread of life. (154) 
  
The Nigerian Christian Youth and Interface with other Religions 
The Christian youth in Nigeria is faced with so many challenges as 
he/she strives to live out his/her live in a country that is passing through a 
difficult face in its history. Many observers today see Nigeria as one of 
the most religious nations on this planet. One can adduce that religion is 
the Nigerian culture as it permeates all aspects of the average life of a 



Section III: Religious/Socio-Cultural Perspectives And Human Formation    375 

Nigerian from birth to death. In every city, town and village, the most 
imposing structures are religious houses. With such religiosity, one 
would readily have expected sanity in every area of life of every Nigerian. 
If Nigeria must become a peaceful nation and attain holistic 
development, there must be a better approach to the issue of how the 
Nigerian Christian youth is trained. I choose to lay emphasis on the 
Nigerian Christian youth, because he/she is the focus or target of this 
paper. (Otonko (2018, p.1) 
 Religion is a worldwide phenomenon which has played a part in all 
human cultures. It is an aspect of human experience that may intersect, 
incorporate or transcend other aspects of life and society. Nigeria is 
clearly a religiously pluralized society. Three religions, however, stand 
out very clearly. These are African Traditional Religion (ATR), Islam 
and Christianity. Islam entered Nigeria by the eleventh century and 
Christianity set roots in about the early 15th century. Since inception, the 
two religions have grown steadily on the Nigerian soil. One would 
ordinarily expect that the country should be reaping the good fruits of 
these two religions presently. Sadly, however, in Nigeria, especially in 
recent years, the pages of several newspapers, news items and comments 
on the radio and television, articles in journals and magazines, and also 
the social media, fall over themselves identifying and reporting the 
periodic religious upheavals in the country and the adverse effects these 
have had on the citizenry. Thus, religious crises have become a ready 
tool for all forms of national disagreements and conflicts. Because the 
North-South dichotomy is coterminous with Muslim-Christian entities, 
every argument in the land is more often than not very readily given 
religious interpretation. This orientation or perception of national issues 
has become a lethal threat to the corporate existence of the nation. 
(Otonko (2018, pp. 7-8) 
 Extremism has been extolled in the practice of religion in the 
contemporary Nigerian society. Various provocative seminal topics are 
often on the lips of preachers, and these often make people of divergent 
religious inclinations live in awe of one another. This tide has persisted, 
thereby helping to widen and deepen the dichotomy that exists among 
adherents of different religions in Nigeria. Thus religions which ought 
to preach peace, and which should be harbingers of this peace, have 
become avenues leading to riots, clashes and cold wars between citizens 
of the country. This certainly looks like an outrageous clash of 
paradigms. (Otonko (2018, p.8) 
 One may wonder why this analysis of the Nigerian Christian youth 
and the interface with other religions. It is for the simple reason that in 
forming the Christian youth, first by the parents who constitute the first 
church the youth ever knew while growing up, the church and the 



376 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

school, especially Christian schools must educate the youth to be tolerant 
towards other religions and adherents of other religions.  
 
The Family as Agent of Youth Formation 
Hervieu-Leger in her analysis of the anthropology of the Church asserts 
that it favours the biblical model of marriage and the family on the 
grounds that the norm-the one true married family, following biblical 
norms, established by God consists of a father (male), a mother (female) 
and the children they conceive together and that the family is the only 
natural institution capable of laying the ground for the establishment of a 
bond between spouses, parents and children. Guiblehon (2017,p.77) 
 Assessing Hervieu-Leger this form of anthropology which makes 
marriage the unique, sole and unequivocal benchmark of all human 
conjugality, leans too heavily on the ‘divine will which, it is assumed, is 
expressed by a natural order explicitly linking a union with procreation 
and preserving the principle of submission by women to men.’ She 
however concludes that this model fails to give recognition to the fact 
that the creation of an ideal couple is based on the virtue of love. For this 
reason, she regards it as rather discriminatory. Also, there have been 
increasing calls, even among the Church faithful urging respect for 
individual choices and for the ‘menu of options’. It is quite a 
challenge to talk of specifically African concepts of marriage and the 
family, since the influence of Western models and practices is extensive. 
However, to be docile and not proactive would be tantamount to suicide 
for the Church, which might be forced to accept a model it feels intense 
dislike or disgust for. It would appear, therefore, that the Church in 
Nigeria just as in many parts of Africa has little choice but to formulate 
its own model of the family which remains true to the Church as well as 
the rich African heritage and its ideas on the family, which include a 
strong feeling for relationships, kinship and brotherhood, a sense of the 
importance of solidarity, hospitality, respect for elders and traditions, and 
a sense of honour for and attachment to ancestors, all of which help to 
maintain group equilibrium (pp.78-80) 
 Christian parents should aim at raising children who love and serve 
the Lord. Perhaps, this is their most important goal. They need to tell 
their children about the Lord and teach them about his love, so that they 
come to know the Lord on a personal basis. It is not strange to see 
children today who do not want to attend Church services. Often, 
Christian parents feel baffled because their efforts at trying to raise their 
children in the knowledge of God does not seem to be working, 
especially as their efforts run up against indifference or resistance in the 
children. Some children do not want to hear about the Lord. They do 
not want any part in family devotions. Often times, it is easy for parents 



Section III: Religious/Socio-Cultural Perspectives And Human Formation    377 

to lose faith and decide that their children really do not have any desire 
for the Lord or his life. Ralph (1978, p.139) 

We have it often said that ‘it is the habit a child forms at home 
that he exhibits outside and the manners that a girl-child learnt at home 
that accompany her to her husband’s house’. It is not what the child 
learnt in school that is mentioned here. When many today refer to 
education as the greatest legacy parents can bequeath to their children, 
such persons seem to undermine informal education which encompasses 
the rudiments of moral and religious formation. For those who have the 
means, the services of house helps would do in place of their parental 
responsibility. This is rather an ill-disposition towards the formation of 
the young ones since as the saying goes, “blood is thicker than water”. It 
is a valid submission that no nanny or house help will ever satisfactorily 
fulfill the duties of parents with regard to the raising of children. Parents 
need to perform their role as parents for the proper formation of their 
children and for the good of our society. Onoise (2013, p.38) 
 
The Church and Formation of the Christian Youth in Nigeria  
Christians comprise of the clergy and the laity and their task involves 
evangelism and proselytism. The general activities in the Church are 
presided over by the religious leaders who are mandated to perform due 
to their special positions. Religious leaders are persons who are trained 
and set apart to carry out spiritual rites and ceremonies, offer sacrifices to 
God sp as to obtain graces, favours and spiritual harmony. Hence, the 
clergy are symbols and representatives, spiritual and moral guardians of 
God’s love to and for humanity. They are personal representatives, 
mouth – pieces of the divine will, teachers and interpreters of the sacred 
mysteries and spiritual counselors in their communities. Muyomi (2011, 
p.505) This indicates that the church has an important role in the 
formation of the Christian youth in Nigeria. 
 The traditional position of the mission of the Church heavily 
emphasized the spiritual perspective. This stand needs to be modified, 
when we take into consideration the increasing crises in society such as 
population explosion, famine, poverty, wars, political oppression, 
muzzling of freedoms of expression, worship. Movement and 
association, corruption at all levels, increase in refugees and lack of 
provision of medical care, education and other services. (p.505) The 
proliferation of street children and street dwellers can be associated not 
only to poverty but also the break up of the marriage and family 
structures, as well as a clear indication of the failure of the leaders to 
ensure socio-economic parity. These groups of people lead a 
dehumanizing, destitute and desperate lifestyle.(p.507) 
 



378 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

The School and the Task of Formation 
Christian schools are quite germane in the all round formation of the 
youth. It does not matter if such youth are Christians or Muslims as 
exemplified in the fact that most of the early nationalists in Nigeria who 
were at the forefront of clamouring for Nigeria’s political independence 
went through Christian schools, especially Catholic schools. The 
Catholic school forms part of the saving mission of the Church, 
especially for education in the faith. Remembering that ‘the 
simultaneous development of man’s psychological and moral 
consciousness is demanded by Christ almost as a precondition for the 
reception of the appropriate divine gifts of truth and grace’, the Church 
fulfills her obligation to foster in her children a full awareness of their 
rebirth to a new life. It is precisely in the Gospel of Christ, taking root in 
the minds and lives of the faithful, that the Catholic school finds its 
definition as it comes to terms with the cultural conditions of the times. 
Flannery (2002, p.608) 
 While policies and opportunities differ from place to place, the 
Catholic school has its place in any national school system. By offering 
such an alternative the Church wishes to respond to the obvious need for 
cooperation in a society characterized by cultural pluralism. By so doing, 
she assists in promoting that freedom of conscience and the parental 
right to choose the school best suited to parents’ educational objectives. 
There is a sort of conviction that the Catholic schools, with their 
educational objectives, perform a vital service for the Church in today’s 
world. The Church takes part in cultural dialogue through schools, 
making her own positive contribution to the cause of the integral 
formation of man. There is the belief that the absence of the Catholic 
school would be a great loss for civilization and for the natural and 
supernatural destiny of man. (p.609)   
 
Self as Agent of Formation 
While agents such as the family, the school, the church and society are all 
key players in the the process of formation of the Christian youth; 
however the major actor in the formation drama is the youth. Self – 
mastery for self-giving is the solid principle of relating to others with 
success. Only a fine disciplined mind in a well ordered body can create 
and achieve something worthwhile for himself and for others. Scholars 
of literary and historical tell us that the greatest victor on earth is not he 
who conquers kingdoms and nations. For these are only temporary and 
external. The greatest victor is he who conquers himself. It is one who 
has perfect control over his unruly emotions, wild desires and bad 
tempers. The body and mind are by nature wild. They wander away and 
get scattered thereby scattering the productive energies of the person, if 



Section III: Religious/Socio-Cultural Perspectives And Human Formation    379 

left uncontrolled. In some persons this trait is more dramatic than in 
others, yet all have a battle- against-self to win. Iroegbu (2000, p.186) 
 The value of self-mastery is fundamental. It is to train oneself in self-
control and good character formation. This is through the formation of 
contrary habits that bring to order the areas most prone to unruliness. 
Form good habits. Practice good behavior. Educate the senses. Train the 
faculties in the right direction. It makes one a perfect gentleman or 
woman. Many also utilize the spiritual methods, others athletic, and 
some other still normal human practices of self-restraint and self-
containment. For instance if your problem is that you talk like a parrot 
without control, you can choose to practice restraining  your tongue by 
using your hand to shut your mouth or using your teeth to hold your 
tongue because the urge to talk break loose in the nervous system. If one 
sees himself as a lazy person, the best and proper thing to do is to follow 
hard working people or group, not to draw them to his lazy-cushion, but 
to be inspired by them to wake up from one’s laziness-slumber. As a rule 
of thumb, constant systematic practice will bring about self-mastery and 
self-development in the desired context. Self-mastery helps in fidelity to 
one’s life commitments, to nobility of life and to general good 
comportment. It makes one a gentle and good person. By so doing, the 
persons acquires peace and joy of life. It is a great value (p.186). 
 
Food for Thought 
Formation is an ongoing process in our journey in life. Formation does 
not end till death. We need to realize that the fact that formation exists 
means that one would continue to get formed from the time one is 
conceived in his or her mother’s womb with the collaboration of God 
and of one’s father. That is why it seems out of place for any person to 
feel that whoever is not receptive to integral formation is doomed in life 
and should be sent out from such a society or community. 
 Those involved in the formation of the youth have a herculean task 
in their hands. Such persons first and foremost must bear in mind that 
they have a difficult project ahead of them and must work assiduously to 
achieve good results. Backing out of the project is a sign of failure or 
weakness or both. Formation involves the physical and the spiritual 
aspects. The formator must understand the physical and spiritually 
dimensions of training if they are to come up with great impact and 
excellent results.  
 When there are problems or challenges in the forming of any human 
person and in this regard, the youth, there are indicators to  put into very 
serious consideration which includes that if there is failure or successes 
recorded, the person being formed and the formator has his/her share in 
whatever went wrong or right in the training process. This means that 



380 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

the right approach or strategy must be adopted and the youth being 
formed need to be receptive to training.   
 It is not longer news that many young people in Nigeria today 
including Christian youths have the mindset to acquire wealth at all cost 
even if it means stealing from others. This attitude possibly is an offshoot 
of the corrupt and immodest life style not only by the Nigerian political 
elites and others who the youth often look up to, but also sometimes by 
key players in Nigerian Christianity.. Many youths in Nigeria in trying 
to imitate the much older people end up being corrupt by acquiring 
those traits which are not in the best interest of Nigeria as a nation. 
 In the twenty first century, there is the need for policy and decision 
makers; including formators in all areas of life in Nigeria to encourage 
the youths to be job creators rather than job seekers. This means that 
entrepreneurship should be encouraged in our school curriculum. 
Presently, though entrepreneurship is being taught in tertiary institutions 
in Nigeria, it is however not yet fully understood clearly by the students. 
Many youths simply see the act of entrepreneurship as only important in 
passing examinations. Formators need to do more in educating the 
young people of its importance in the growth and development of 
Nigeria. 

Also, formators including the government and the Church need 
to look critically at those indicators which make the youth in Nigeria to 
be rebellious against the system. In Nigeria for instance the issue of 
unemployment has become a major challenge. The lack of good living 
condition of the young people and their inability to raise their profile to 
the level they would have expected have turned the youths into all forms 
of unruly behaviour and criminality. This aspect need to be seriously 
addressed. The youth should be made to realize that migrating to other 
countries in search of greener pasture is not necessarily the solution to 
their problems. The solution may just be to look inward and take their 
destinies in their own hands by believing in their ability to stand firm 
even in the midst of what may look at insurmountable challenges. 

The government has a big role to play in the attitude and 
development of the Nigerian youth irrespective of the religious 
affiliation of such youth. The problem of insecurity needs serious 
attention. There is the need to tackle the problem of insecurity 
emanating from the Fulani herdsmen who constantly terrorize people on 
our highways, farms and even residential areas. There are also the 
constant threats posed by the Boko Haram in their reckless bombing and 
killing of innocent and harmless Nigerians including the youth force. If 
the youths are to be well formed, security in all areas is key to unlocking 
the numerous potentials in our youths.    
 



Section III: Religious/Socio-Cultural Perspectives And Human Formation    381 

Concluding Remarks 
The youth constitute the bedrock of the future in any given society, and 
this makes it imperative that genuine and serious effort be made so as to 
assist in his formation. Any society or group that neglects the training of 
young people is gradually losing its relevance and future in our world. 
For this reason, the Church must continue to strive for the proper and 
all round formation of her youth because in the youth lies the 
continuous growth and development of the Church in our society that is 
gradually heading towards secularism and all forms of anti Christian 
tendencies. If the Nigerian society is to grow and develop, the young 
people need to be made to channel their energy towards making 
themselves available for the right kind of formation that befits a follower 
of Christ.  

However, those involved in formation of the Christian youth 
must never give up in their effort at getting the right result in their effort 
at formation of the youth in meeting the numerous challenges of the 21st 
century. They need to have the right spirituality which should aim at 
attracting the youth to the things of God and the Church. A genuine 
formator should not be someone who would always display the attitude 
which seems to portray that the youth should only do what he the 
formator says and not imitate his actions.  

The family, the school, the Church and the society should 
continue to actively participate in the training and re-training of our 
young people for the purpose of developing the Nigerian society 
positively; but for formation to be total, is the will and responsibility of 
the young person being formed. Often times, punishment of the person 
being trained is not only the best solution, and also sending the young 
person out of a particular system or institution is not only the best 
method of formation, except it is very apparent that such a youth has 
become a real danger to others within the system. Extra effort is required 
from all those involved in formation so as to achieve the desired goal of 
integral formation. Giving up on the young person being trained so 
easily no matter the challenges encountered is the easiest way of 
neglecting one’s responsibility as a true formator.  

A great thinker was asked about the meaning of life. He replied, 
LIFE itself has no meaning, it is an opportunity to create a meaning..! 
“Be honest when in trouble and be simple when in wealth. Be polite 
when in authority and be silent when in anger” “This is called “The life 
management.” Let us all join hands in the act of formation of the 
Christian youth so as to bring about the integral development of the 
Nigerian society in this twenty first century. 

 
 



382 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

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