Katsina imam seeks creation of ‘Ministry of Family Affairs’

The federal and state governments in Nigeria have been urged to create ministries of family affairs to curb crime and moral decadence, which have been blamed on the collapse of family values.

Sheikh Nura Gwanda, the Imam at Kofar Marusa Juma’at Mosque in Katsina, made the call during his Friday sermon with the theme “Parenting as a Sacred Trust.”

He listed social ills such as drug and substance abuse, thuggery, armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping, and corruption as direct fallouts of the collapse of family values.

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Sheikh Gwanda explained that most countries in the Middle East and Europe have Ministries of Family Affairs that handle issues related to marriage, child upbringing, inheritance, domestic violence, child abuse, divorce, and child custody.

He argued that since the family is the building block of society, creating such a ministry would go a long way in addressing issues like child destitution, lack of moral training, and the widespread abandonment of children in the northern part of the country.

The Imam also maintained that creating a Ministry of Family Affairs would help eliminate the root causes of insecurity, as the key actors in crime are often abandoned children and those from broken homes.