Towards empowering mothers with good parenting skills to overcome challenges bedevilling society, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos chapter, has advocated for good parenting as a solution to Nigeria’s leadership crisis.
Muslim professionals who spoke at the yearly ‘Ummahaat Day’ said the crisis facing the country can be overcome through good parenting.
The keynote Speaker, Tutor General and Permanent Secretary, District VI, Dr Shareefah Yusuf, said Muslim women are referred to as unique shepherds owing to their nature as mothers of the faithful.
“The Muslim women are expected to bring up unique and distinct children because they are raised by women who have the fear of Allah.
“The physical, spiritual and intellectual development of the child depends on the mother, she plays a major role in the life of a child, beginning from conception. She nurtured the fetus ensuring no danger occurs.”
She added that neglect of parental roles in search for wealth is one of the major causes of the breakdown of the family system. “We know there is economic hardship in the country, but that does not allow parents to abandon their roles of nurturing the children.”
The Vice Principal Hostel Administration, Vanguard Academy, Ijebu Ode, Hajia Basirat Rabiu, said to be a unique parent in an era when parenting has been thrown to the wind and children are endangered is quite tasking.
“A lot of parents believe money does everything whereas the children need their presence in their life.”
She noted that the right parenting skills are crucial to raising God-fearing and responsible children. “We must go back to our communal lifestyle where the whole community raises all the children in that community together. We need to embrace family values as a community.”
The Executive Director of Hijab Right Advocacy, Mutiat Orolu-Balogun said moral decadence in society can be traced to upbringing from the home because the home is the first agent of socialisation.
“Moral decadence is multifaceted and the youth being the powerhouse of any nation or generation, vices are prevalent among them owing to their exuberant nature. “We need to go back to the root, when the family is good the society will be good and try as much as possible to ensure our unit as a society does things right. It starts with the choice of a partner. Are we just doing parenting for convenience or are we active parents? All this must be put into consideration to stem the issue of moral decadence from society.”
She however urged the government at all levels to put measures in place to guard the use of the internet by young adults and provide adequate welfare to citizens. “When the social welfare of the citizens is met people will not have any excuses to go into immorality.”
