Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Monday warned that the erosion of family values was fuelling insecurity and social vices across the country.
Speaking at the opening of Exercise Haske Biyu 2025 at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State, Mrs Tinubu, represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, said families must reclaim their role as the foundation of society.
Speaking on the theme of the event, ‘Family and National Security’, the First Lady noted that many parents, in the struggle to survive, have abandoned their primary duty of raising children, leaving them vulnerable to negative influences such as cultism, drug abuse, prostitution, and extremist ideologies.
“This parental absence creates a void which often gets filled by bad company and destructive behaviour. The outcome is not only catastrophic for families but also dangerous for national security,” she warned.
According to her, the family remains the bedrock of society, where Nigerians of different tribes, religions, and traditions first learn values of love, respect, sacrifice and duty.
A strong family, she said, builds a strong nation.
Mrs. Tinubu, who was the Special Guest of Honour, also underscored the role of religion in strengthening morals and unity, urging religious and traditional leaders to intensify efforts in teaching young people the right principles of faith and reinforcing positive values.
She assured that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was committed to supporting families, citing the scaled-up Conditional Cash Transfer programme, which will deliver N25,000 in three tranches to 15 million vulnerable households.
She pledged that her Renewed Hope Initiative would continue to complement government interventions to uplift Nigerian families and promote stability.
“I urge us all to go forward from Exercise Haske Biyu stronger, more united and mindful of why we serve: for family, for love of country, and for a more secure tomorrow,” she said, while declaring the three-week training exercise open.
Also speaking at the event, both the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Archbishop of the Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, have stressed the importance of family values in ensuring Nigeria’s security and building a peaceful, resilient nation.
The Sultan of Sokoto echoed the importance of family as the foundation of national security, saying, “The smallest yet most important building block of society is the family. Weak families produce weak communities, while strong families sustain peaceful and resilient nations.”
He stressed that most values shaping security culture are acquired in early childhood within the family, long before schools or other institutions exert influence. “The world has not and will never invent anything to replace the family,” he said.
Tracing lessons from history, the Sultan recalled the Sokoto Caliphate, noting that Sheikh Abdullahi’s writings on child-rearing served as the social policy of the Caliphate, demonstrating that strong family values underpin governance and societal stability.
He warned that corruption, illicit wealth, and negative influences from technology and social media are eroding family discipline and exposing children to online dangers, undermining moral upbringing.
To address these challenges, the Sultan called for stronger marriage advisory councils, a review of basic education curricula to promote values, effective drug control, and regulation of harmful digital content. He also urged the government to ensure no child is left out of school and to properly fund institutions addressing out-of-school children.
Kukah’s paper on “Relationship Between Family Dynamics and National Security” was delivered by Rev. John Joseph Hayab, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, who represented him.
Hayab highlighted that the family is the foundation of any society, noting that the socialisation and formation of values in children begin at home.
“Many parents, due to several factors, are unable to raise their children to be responsible citizens,” he said, emphasising that youth radicalisation in Nigeria is often rooted in defective family upbringing.
He explained that other factors contributing to youth unrest include lack of access to formal education, disinterest in schooling, and the growing desire for quick money. He stressed that these issues make family upbringing a critical factor that cannot be ignored.
Citing Proverbs 22:6, Rev. Hayab said, “‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ This timeless wisdom underscores the vital role of family in shaping character, values, and discipline in children.”
Earlier, Commandant of the AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Idris Alhaji, described Exercise Haske Biyu as a bold, multi-agency initiative designed to sharpen responses to internal security and low-intensity conflicts.
He said the exercise, which runs from September 15 to October 3, brings together senior officers from security agencies, ministries, NGOs, media, and strategic partners to build synergy and develop practical solutions to contemporary threats.
Highlights of the programme include strategic lectures, operational planning drills, case studies, and practical field demonstrations, as well as an interactive “Day in the Life of a Soldier” for civilian participants.
The Commandant expressed optimism that the outcomes would strengthen collaboration among agencies and produce actionable strategies for tackling insecurity in Nigeria.
