By Fatima Muraina
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The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed has called on Nigerians to retrace their steps towards building individual family units and  homes in line with God’s injunctions.

The Minister made this declaration at the weekend during the 33rd Annual Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) National Conference held in Benin,  the Edo state capital.

Muhammed, who was represented at the occasion by Mrs. Fatima Bada said  rebuilding  the family units will address the challenges facing the country.

He said many factors had crept into the society’s  value systems and standards which had threatened to distrupt the peaceful balance treated by Islamic morals and tenets.

He observed that parents no longer give adequate attention to their  children on moral and spiritual issues as it was over two decades ago.

He noted that fathers have  also forsaken the Islamic ethical guidelines with the support of their wives who prefer the services of house maids and creche for their children’s development.

This, he opined has affected  the Islamic family life in the role of contributing pure breed of faithful  into the centre.

He advised on the need to have attitudinal change to retrace steps back to  the Islamic doctrines and tenets to come out of  the decadence   the country found  itself.

“We need to eschew hypocrisy in our worship obligations and serve Allah truthfully, working to uphold his commandments and eschew His prohibitions”, he said.

He however commended  the association’s efforts in propagating the ideals of good parenting since its establishment praying that its efforts  will never dwindle.

In her welcome speech, the National Amirah of FOMWAN, Alhaja Halima Jibril sought  for the urgent need of re-examining the family to strengthen the value system.

Jibril observed particular trends among the Nigerian youths which indicated that Nigeria family has lost its value.

Her words: ” The values of God- consciousness, integrity, honesty, commitment, hard work and transparency have all been abandoned by most Nigerians”.

She highlighted some dramatic changes  in values over 40years where nose making, chewing gum, dress code and improper sitting among girls to now include  assault, alcoholism, cultism, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, rape, robbery and promiscuity among many others.

The re-examination of the family she noted should be in the context of the global influence, feminism, globalization, technological development and communication which have been allowed to undermine our  values as a people in the name of modernization.

While charging parents to live up to their responsibility, she called on the University authorities to place rules, regulations and monitoring mechanism to enthrone morality  within  the university community and to punish erring students.

“The management of Tertiary Institutions should not allow  fragrant abuses of the concept of freedom of association, for absolute freedom is a call to permissiveness, anarchy and acts of bestiality”, she concluded.