Group seeks measures to reduce divorce cases in Nigeria

The Amirah Lagos District of the Criterion, Alhaja Dhikratullah Abiodun Matesun-Oshodi has charged couples to avoid conflict that will dissipate their marriage, saying that couples should try as much as possible to resolve their conflict so that their children will not be product of broken home.

Matesun-Oshodi gave the advise during the yearly seminar of the Lagos District of The Criterion (an association of Muslim women in business and professions) themed ‘Muslim Child In A Dynamic World’.

She said the theme of the seminar ‘The Muslim Child in a Dynamic World’’ is centered on the rapid increase in divorce cases, couple’s separations, abandonment and distance married couples.

She added that the lectures dwell on the impact of separation or divorce on the children and their upbringing in such cases.

“Divorce usually occur when couples mutually separated for economic sojourn thereby creating a single parent syndrome with its attendant effects on the children and the society at large”.

The Chairman of the occasion, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Chairman, Barr. Zikrullah Olakunle Hassan, urged parents to raise their children with the right virtues that will enable them to be useful in this life and hereafter.

He advised couples to have adequate knowledge of Islam so that their children would not be affected by the influence of bad ideology and indoctrination.

“Due to parental negligence many children have left the comfort of their parents homes to join ISIS and other terrorist groups as a result of strange and competing ideologies”.

Hassan urged government, civil society, religious organization to also encourage cohesive home as much as possible.

The National Amir of the Companion, Alhaji Adewale Thabit Sonaike said the issue of ideology and indoctrination is a major concern in the society.” we are in a multi religious society and even in Islam we have multi dimensional institution practicing Islam. So bringing together everybody under the same umbrella is a major task”.

He noted that in an effort to curb bad ideology and indoctrination Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN) was set up.

“We have set up MUSWEN for the purpose of unity and orientating our people towards the real ideology of Islam. So that all of us can know that whatever we are doing we have to follow the teaching and saying of prophet Muhammad (SAW) and not just anybody telling us this is the way to leave our life”.

The Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule urged parents to endeavor to create time for the children and provide them with rich education beyond the four walls of the classroom.

“Parents should take it upon themselves to train their children, raising of an upright child lies in the home”

She commended the organization and encourages them to create a counseling unit that will cater for the general public.

“The marriage unit should be expanded and an office should be created were anybody who need counseling can go to pour out their mind”

A lecturer of Department of Language, Arts and Social Sciences Education, Lagos State University (LASU), Dr. Khadijah Olaniyan Sobowale while delivering lecture on ‘ The impact of diverse Ideologies and indoctrination on the Muslim home’ said diverse Ideologies and indoctrination disunite family and once the home is disunited, the society will also disunite.

“The Muslim home, is the unit of the society, whatever happen to the Muslim home will affect the society”.
She urged parents to eliminate bad ideology and indoctrination from their homes and endeavor to propagate the teaching and tenet of Islam in the home”.

“The home is no longer there to provide the right guidance and identity needed to the children. Children are trust from Allah and every parent will surely give account on their wards. We are all running after what our children will become in life, leaving behind the proper understanding and practice of the deen, which will bring them closer to Allah.

Sobowale advised parents to propagate the teaching of Islam in their various homes and also participate in the training of their children.

“ Nowadays, parents have left the training of their children to the Muslim schools. There is no education your child can get better than the one they get from the home. Let’s propagate the teaching of Islam in our home, lets find time to dialogue with our youths and know the group they are moving with. When they are being indoctrinated let reason and dialogue with them don’t push them away or throw them out of the house”.

The Founder of Fajim Medicare Foundation, Prof. Fatimah Abdulkareem while speaking on ‘symptoms and early detection of cancer’ said early detection of cancer is one of the most powerful ways a life can be save. “Cancer is very common nowadays unlike before where you hardly hear about it. A lot of people have cancer even at a younger age”

She noted that cancer symptom varies and mentioned some of the signs and symptoms to look out for. “Endeavour to see a doctor when you notice Unusual lumps or swelling in the breast which are usually painless, coughing, breathlessness, chest pain and abdominal pain, ulcer, night sweating, change in bowel habit because they may be a sign of cancer.

AbdulKareem advised people to maintain clean hygiene in order to curtail the spread of Lassa fever.

“Wash your hand regularly with soap under a running water, cook food thoroughly, store food in covered containers and keep the house free from rodent. This will discourage rats from entering them house”.