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Dogara on Fathers’ Day, canvasses good quality leadership

By Terhemba Daka
20 June 2016   |   2:48 am
Speaking on the importance of fathers, Dogara said : “The word ‘father’, in the Bible, stems from the word “Abba”, which means sustainer.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara PHOTO: TWITTER/DOGARA

Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara PHOTO: TWITTER/DOGARA

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has urged Nigerian leaders to play a fatherly role in the affairs of
the country by providing good qualitative leadership.

According to a statement issued by Turaki Hassan, the Speaker’s spokesperson, Dogara made the call on Sunday during the Fathers’ Day service at the Aso Villa chapel, where he represented the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Speaking on the importance of fathers, Dogara said : “The word ‘father’, in the Bible, stems from the word “Abba”, which means sustainer.

That is what a father is. As the sustainer, the father is then the foundation and the root of the family, and no matter how beautiful a building is, it is not defined by the colour but by the strength of its foundation.

When God created man, He said: ‘Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth’ and in other versions, it says to dominate.

The family institution is the way through which this mandate to have dominion over the earth can be achieved and as long as the family unit is disorganised, there is no way humanity can exercise the dominion that God has given us, and that is why it is important that we honour our fathers as they are the foundation of the family institution.

“I guess that is the importance of this day and whoever instituted this day, I believe, did so in line with the commandment of God which says to honour our parents.

“As the chaplain said, what do you do with fathers who are abusive, those who are never there and those who abdicate their responsibilities? We should honour them whether they deserve it or not, as God’s word is eternal and will never change.

In such situations, the most important thing is forgiveness and if you haven’t learned how to forgive, then you have not taken the first step in Christianity” he said.

Dogara also urged Nigerian fathers to live in accordance with God’s commandments, saying: “When you honour God as a father – praise Him
and live by his dictates – that moves God to make you a father of nations like he said and did to Abraham.”

He said that leaders are the fathers of the nation, and should play their role by providing qualitative leadership and providing strong foundations.

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