ISAN, EKITI - Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Oyo has reiterated the need for core Christian values to make the lives of Nigerians better and guarantee a place among the saints in the life after. The bishop gave this admonishing in his homily at the funeral Mass for the late Madam Dorcas Aina Fayemi, the mother of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State. The ceremony took place on Friday, May, 18, 2012, at St. Martin Catholic Church, Isan Ekiti; and was attended by dignitaries from all walks of life. Condemning the insatiable lust of most Nigerians for wealth, power and status, Bishop Badejo pointed out that the craze of the country for the mundane things of life has greatly retarded the spiritual and socio-economic development of the people and the country. Alerting that the joys of eternal life can only be obtained through exemplary Christian way of life, the bishop urged all to be ready for death which he said is a necessary end for every mortal and; judgment to be delivered on the last day according to how we have responded to the calling of God during our life time. He remarked: “ You and I, all of us carry an expiry date.” “… all the good you manage to do is all you are. Every funeral calls upon us to concentrate in life more on who we are than what we have.” Bishop Badejo described every burial ceremony as a wakeup call and another divine teaching-aid that one day, it will all end. Calling for a re-examination of conscience on how we have contributed to the ills or predicaments of the country, the bishop called for a change of heart and stressed the need for all to return to the ways of God. He said: “Time now to revive our values and re-organize our priorities”, adding: “We simply cannot continue to decay in corruption, injustice and falsehood and the pursuit of self-interest.” He warned that all the negative ways of life being perpetrated by the leaders of the country and the society, which do not enhance our culture will give “license to youth brigandage and mayhem.” Speaking on the exemplary Christian life of the deceased, Bishop Badejo commended her for being faithful to her beliefs, her marriage and her Jesus and for the good up-bringing of her children in the ways of the Lord. Lamenting the fate of family life in the country which is fraught with tales of betrayals, divorces, dysfunctional children, trafficking and even ritual killing, Bishop Badejo warned that if family values are not revived, the society is in grave danger. He noted that mama Fayemi and her likes “are exemplary not because they did extraordinary things but because they did those simple things of life extraordinarily,” including “training their children for life and for God and simply played the role of mothers. Calling on all women and indeed all parents to emulate the exemplary life of this woman of great Christian virtues, Bishop Badejo concluded: “Such people are a blessing to the world they lived in.”