THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY TOWARDS NATION BUILDING

So much, seem to have gone wrong with our country, Nigeria. Things were not this bad when we were growing up. I cannot help but wonder how things might have spiralled out of country in such a short time? Who is
to blame for where we are as a country and why does almost everyone seem to be doing things their own way?

In as much as I would not like to point accusing fingers on any one or institution, I would like to draw our attention to the failure of the family and how the home can play a vital role in the transformation of Nigeria.

In Primary school, we were told that the family is the “Basic unit of society”. This means that we cannot be talking about a society without a family. The family is the very foundation upon which every society is built. The success or failure of any nation greatly depends on the family.

If the family is successful, the family succeeds. If the family fails, the society fails. The family is the bedrock upon which every society is built.

The success of every nation is dependent on its shared values and ideas. These ideas and values should be instilled at the family right from birth. The family is the core of society. The first contact a child has with the word is with the parent. 

For the first few years, the child is confined in the home. It is in the home the child utters his or her first ever words. It is in the home that children first learn moral and spiritual values, which ultimately gives him or her direction in life. Pope Benedict XVI said that the family is humanity’s “Principal asset”. 

The rise and fall of the family determines the rise and fall of a nation. Charity they say “begins at home”. The state of the nation is largely a reflection of the state of the family. A weak family will produce a week nation. A corrupt and lawless family will produce a corrupt and lawless society.

The family faces a major crisis, in that it has lost it’s purpose. The home is no longer a place of learning. To have the society and nation of our dream, values such as integrity, truth, honesty, contentment, selflessness, loyalty, sacrifice, service, hardworking, persistence, humility, godliness must be restored back into our home.

Here are some of the Steps to bringing sanity into our homes:

Solution

1.      Teens and youths should be sensitized, inspired, and empowered on the need to bear children only within marriage. This means that they make a pledge to save sex for marriage.

2.      Teen and unwed mothers should be inspired and empowered to bring up their child in the right way, by inculcating in them godly values such as integrity, respect, honesty, faithfulness, contentment, kindness, humility, hard work, and diligence.

3.      Parents and intended parents should be inspired, equipped, and empowered with the necessary knowledge and support systems to raise children with the right values. They must understand that parenting is a noble cause.

4.      Men should be empowered to love and cater for their family, while the woman is equipped to respect her husband and make sacrifices for the family. Men must take upon themselves the spiritual , financial, and moral responsibilities.

5.      People must enter into the right relationship as well as marry right. They must develop themselves to be the right spouse, and also marry the right person through effective counselling.
6. Individuals should consciously imbibe the right values into their lives daily.

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