The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has challenged parents to take charge of their families by ensuring good moral upbringing of children so as to minimise crime in the society.
Mrs. Buhari gave the counsel on Monday when she hosted a special prayer session for the nation at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The prayer session had the theme: ”The importance of supplication for the nation’s guidance”.
The First Lady said that the lack of moral upbringing of children and the total collapse of family values was largely responsible for the social crises facing Nigeria.
”Today, many of the nation’s woes are usually attributed to collapse of family values which are primarily in the custody of parents because they are responsible for love, care and mutual respect.
“A family that is loved, cared for, and provided for stands a better chance of transferring these attributes horizontally across the society and vertically to the next generation to avoid cases like corruption, drug abuse, internet theft, kidnapping, robbery, among others.
“I, therefore, call on the heads of families to wake up to their responsibilities by providing enabling environment for our children to tackle the multitude of societal ills that are manifesting on daily basis,” she said.
She expressed the need for Nigerians to always seek for divine intervention in the affairs of their country.
“It is important that at regular intervals, we, as a nation, should remember our purpose in life, which is to worship our creator and open our communication with God Almighty.
“We need to do much better in terms of the welfare of our family, especially as government is increasingly providing outlets, enabling environment and platforms that can be tapped into.
“The economy of the nation is being diversified into agriculture and other non-oil sectors; there are various welfare programmes and loan schemes that can be accessed by citizens to improve their lives,” she said.
The First Lady urged the participants to emulate the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in promoting peace, tolerance, love and harmony among people of different faiths in the country.
She stressed the need for Nigerians to always seek God’s intervention to address some of the socio-economic and security challenges facing the country.
The prayer session was attended by renowned Islamic scholars. (NAN).
