The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama has said that it will be appropriate if poor and vulnerable people in the society are the only beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s N5 billion palliative to each state as a measure to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
The Catholic Bishop also said the N25,000 monthly grant to 15 million struggling families should truly get to the hands of those who need it.
Speaking at the 4th Abuja Archdiocesan General Assembly (AAGA), with the theme ‘Marriage and Family in Contemporary Society’, Bishop Kaigama said more than allocating grants and palliatives, families need to be empowered and supported by the government to embark on sustainable entrepreneurial activities.
He also charged families to ensure that its members are patriotic and law-abiding. He said it is disturbing that perpetrators of crimes in the society are young people.
“We hope that the 5 billion naira palliative allocated by our President to each state and the FCT to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal, and the N25,000 monthly grant, allocated to 15 million struggling Nigerian families from October – December 2023, will truly get into the hands of these poor and vulnerable people.
“We hope too that the fundamental causes of family breakdown, divorce, cases of domestic violence, lack of care for the sick and the elderly, etc., will be investigated and remedied by our government.
“On their part, families must see to it that its members are patriotic and law-abiding. It is disturbing to observe that the perpetrators of violence, cybercrime, kidnapping, etc., are sometimes young people indoctrinated by criminals and enemies of the state. One is left to wonder if these young people belong to families,” the Catholic Bishop said.
He said the family is the first and vital cell of society, and a society is only as healthy, as stable, as energetic, and as imbued with moral values as its families.
Kaigama further noted that a nation can be said to be crumbling if its families are falling apart and riddled with moral decay, and the existence of good families is essential for the existence of society.
He said the contemporary society is largely driven by modern ideologies like relativism, hedonism and minimalism, and the foregoing has brought with it too many maladies which have threatened the very core and existence of some Institutions.
“Two of such Institutions are under some form of attack, and they are marriage and family life. The most potent threat is the one that is like a double-edged sword. It is the abuse of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with specific regard to social media.
@While this can be a plus for couples and families, who spend a lot of time apart because of work, business or studies and it could help the children explore their creativity; the dangers can also be alarmingly profound if not wisely utilised,” he said.
In all of these according to him, “one must always remember that the family as a product of marriage has been defined in sociology as the first agent of socialization and the most basic social unit upon which society is built and also linked to other institutions like religion, education, politics, economy, and security.
“This means that without marriage and the family, there will be no society of persons and human beings to practice any form of religion: no persons to engage in education, politics, economy and security etc.”
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