Nigerian Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has said family holds a sacred duty to instill the principles of integrity, empathy, and honesty, among other values in their children in order to shape their character and guide their actions throughout the journey of life.
Idris, who made this known in Kaduna on Saturday, at the Annual Ramadan Lecture organized by NTA, FRCN, VON, NBC, themed “Family Dynamics: Rights and Obligations from Islamic Perspectives,” appealed to parents and guardians to remain steadfast in their commitment to inculcating moral values in their children.
According to him, “Moral values serve as the compass that steers our children through the complexities of the world, helping them distinguish right from wrong and navigate ethical dilemmas with clarity and conviction.
“By imparting these values within sanctity of our home, we equip our children with the tools they need to become responsible and conscientious members of society”, the Minister added.
Idris said the family remains the cornerstone of the society, embodying religion, values, traditions, and heritage and serves as the nucleus of the community, nurturing the next generation and promoting bonds that transcend time and circumstance.
According to the statement released by his aide, the Minister said his ministry is on the verge of unveiling the Nigeria Values Charter, which embodies a social contract between the country and its citizens and will serve as a blueprint and policy for a national value system.
“The new policy, which will be launched this year by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, consists of the Nigerian Promise and the Citizen Codes, which have seven pillars each. The government intends to incorporate these values into formal, informal, and vocational educational policies to ensure that they are not only imbibed but engrained in the minds of our citizens,” he said.
Idris said the Tinubu administration has prioritised the implementation of policies and programmes that support and strengthen the family and ensure that every individual has the opportunity to live a comfortable and secure life, with ample opportunities to fulfill their desires and aspirations.
“It is because of this that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration has committed itself to creating an enabling environment for all Nigerians to prosper through the implementation of bold fiscal and monetary reforms aimed at growing the economy, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable development.
“The reforms being implemented by Mr. President, are not knee-jerk reactions to our economic challenges; they are well-thought -out plans, to run concurrently with a comprehensive Social Intervention Programme to mitigate the transient pains of the reforms,” he said.
The Minister said with the reform of the National Social Investment Programme, additional safeguards have been introduced to ensure transparency and accountability in the disbursement of funds to the poor and vulnerable in society.
He stressed that henceforth, beneficiaries are to be identified with their National Identification Number (NIN) and BVN or identified mobile wallets.
Idris added that a silent revolution is currently taking place in the agricultural sector, saying his team was amazed by the level of successes being recorded in dry season farming when they recently undertook the tour of some farming communities in Kano and Jigawa States.
“This past Thursday, I led the National Communications Team, comprising senior media and communications advisers to the President, and the Directors’ General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the NTA, VON, and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on a duty tour of Kano and Jigawa states to feel the pulse of the silent agricultural revolution that is gradually taking shape.
“Our team’s visit to the Federal Government and World Bank-backed Hadejia Valley Irrigation Scheme showed a massive agricultural production of rice, hibiscus, and wheat, amongst other crops, by resilient farmers in Jigawa state, who farm all year round on the banks of the Hadija-Jama’are River Basin. Please, let’s all embrace agriculture and the vast value chain potentials it holds,” he said.