The city of Owerri came alive today, 11th May 2025, as parents, guardians, and stakeholders gathered at The Place Event Center, beside Great Wood Hotel, Port Harcourt Road, for the highly impactful Intentional Parent Summit. The summit featured a lineup of insightful speakers who shared practical wisdom on marriage, parenting, and drug prevention.
Among the keynote speakers was David Folahanmi, a respected drug recovery coach, who delivered a compelling message on intentional parenting. He urged parents to do more than just take their children to religious events. “It is not all about taking your children to church conventions,” he said. “Have you done well to equip them with the necessary skills?” He stressed that a parent’s first primary assignment on earth is their family. “The best solution to drug abuse is prevention, because cure is not sure,” he warned.
Speaking further, Kunle Ologe, a marriage counsellor, took the audience through a personal reflection on his own marriage journey to counter negative narratives about marriage. He illustrated how he planned his marriage from proposal to purpose, emphasizing intentionality in areas such as conflict resolution, financial management, prayer life, parenting strategies, cooking, dating, recreation, vocational choices, capacity building, and managing extended relationships.
“Marriage is a beautiful thing. When your marriage is not working, everything will not work,” he stated. Ologe explained that unresolved marital conflict negatively impacts children, weakening their psychological development. “When you do not listen to your spouse, you teach your children not to learn,” he said.
He highlighted six purposes of marriage: companionship, enjoyment, completeness, fruitfulness of body and work, protection, and reflecting Christ’s relationship with the Church.
Immediately after the marriage counselor, Mrs Wendy Ologe, Africa’s No. 1 Parenting Coach and the Lead Coach for the summit, delivered a power-packed session titled "Becoming Your Child’s Greatest Advantage: Raising Global Giants in a Challenging World." She warned parents against hypocrisy, stating, “Children do not rebel against us, but against hypocrites.” She identified social media, ignorance, and changing family structures as major challenges facing parenting today.
“First class will not make first in life,” she cautioned, urging parents to go beyond academic excellence and focus on purpose-driven upbringing. “Every child you have is created for a reason. Parenting is about disciplining your children to face the consequences of their actions.”
She emphasised that authority in parenting should be built on trust, not fear and control. “Life is an example to your children. Create an environment where they can thrive. You are the product of who raised you. The greatest thing you can give to your children is a platform of wisdom,” she concluded.
Other distinguished speakers at the summit included Etima Umeh, Ebuka Ede, and Marybeth Chima, who also lent their voices on critical aspects of parenting and family development.
The summit attracted wide participation and engagement, with attendees describing it as timely, enriching, and transformative. Organisers expressed gratitude to all participants and promised more similar engagements in the near future.
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