Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has attributed the country’s escalating security challenges to the gradual erosion of family values and the abandonment of parental responsibilities across Nigerian society.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of Exercise Haske Biyu 2025 held at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Jaji, Kaduna State, the First Lady emphasized that families must urgently reclaim their fundamental role as the cornerstone of societal stability and moral development.
Represented by the Vice President’s wife, Hajiya Nana Shettima, Senator Tinubu explained that many Nigerian parents, overwhelmed by economic pressures and the daily struggle for survival, have inadvertently neglected their primary duty of properly raising and guiding their children. This parental absence, she argued, has created dangerous vulnerabilities that expose young people to various forms of criminal and antisocial behavior.
The First Lady warned that when parents fail to provide adequate guidance and supervision, children become susceptible to recruitment by cult groups, involvement in drug abuse, engagement in prostitution, and radicalization by extremist ideologies. She described this parental vacuum as a critical security threat that extends far beyond individual families to impact national stability.
Senator Tinubu stressed that the consequences of neglected parental responsibilities are not limited to family dysfunction but pose significant dangers to Nigeria’s overall security architecture. She emphasized that when families fail in their foundational role, the resulting social problems manifest as broader security challenges that require costly interventions from law enforcement and military agencies.
The First Lady highlighted the family’s historical role as the primary institution where Nigerians from diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds first learn essential values such as love, respect, sacrifice, and civic duty. She argued that these early lessons in family settings traditionally served as the foundation for building responsible citizens who contribute positively to national development.
Reinforcing her central message, Senator Tinubu declared that strong families are essential for building a strong nation, suggesting that addressing family breakdown should be viewed as a critical component of national security strategy rather than merely a social welfare concern.
Beyond family structures, the First Lady also emphasized the importance of religious and traditional institutions in reinforcing moral values and promoting national unity. She called on religious and traditional leaders to intensify their efforts in teaching young people proper principles of faith while working to reinforce positive values that can serve as bulwarks against criminal influence and radical ideologies.
