Minister of National Development Planning Alexander Chiteme has urged youths to change their mindsets and believe in themselves to succeed in life.
Chiteme was speaking in his Nkana Constituency in Kitwe during a Thanksgiving Mass for Father Mark Ngwenya, who was ordained as a Jesuit Priest, at Our Lady of Africa Parish, Sunday.
He advised the youths to desist from bad vices and focus on working hard for them to realise their purpose in life.
“My appeal to the youths is that let us change our mindsets. Let us believe that only hardwork is going to make you fulfil the destiny you were made for,” Chiteme said.
He cautioned the youths against tolerating the beliefs that they could be rich through Satanism or killing people.
He observed that some parents had inculcated wrong beliefs in their children that people who were succeeding and creating wealth in their lives were dependant on evil powers.
“That is bad and not true. Let us believe in God and work hard,” Chiteme said.
The Nkana PF member of parliament expressed concern over youths gangs such as ‘Sons of the Devil’ and ‘Tokota Boys’ that had been terrorising people in Kitwe.
He urged parents to monitor their children and guide them in the right direction for them to grow up with God’s love for one another.
“These Sons of the Devil, Tokota Boys come from our homes. They are our children, they are our youths. Let us show them the way of peace and not beating up people, stealing and all those bad vices they are involved in,” he said.
He urged Zambians to emulate the hardwork of the Chinese instead of just complaining that they were grabbing their land.
“If you go towards Chingola Road, the land was given to us Zambians. Who has sold it to the Chinese again? We sold it to the Chinese ourselves. Now we come to cry that the Chinese have grabbed land from us. The Chinese are doing the very things that right now you are supposed to be doing,” he said.
The Minister urged the Zambians to acquire financing from government, and invest in agriculture and other sectors to grow the economy.
He added that people should heed the call of the forefathers to ‘go back to the land’ and invest in agriculture.
Chiteme said Zambians must diversify the economy for the benefit of the current and future generations.
The Minister congratulated Fr Ngwenya and wished him God’s grace to continue fulfilling his calling.