Bimbola Sulaiman
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, on Monday in Kaduna harped on the crucial influence of family stability on national security and moral values.
Delivering a keynote address at the opening of Haske Biyu 2025 at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, AFCSC, Jaji, Issa-Onilu described the family as the “first school of citizenship,” where discipline, respect, empathy and responsibility are instilled.
Issa-Onilu speaks on national parenting framework
According to him, children who grow up in homes, guided by love, structures and accountability, are more likely to become patriotic citizens, committed to peace, law and order unlike their peers in broken homes and dysfunctional families, whom he said often become delinquent, drug addicts, cybercriminals, cultists and even violent extremists.
“These are not abstract threats. They are direct contributors to the security challenges we are confronting today. Even as the nation strengthens its military capabilities, attention must also be given to silent, long-term threats arising from the erosion of family values,” he said.
The NOA boss, who commended AFCSC for the choice of the theme, “Family and National Security,” describing it as both timely and visionary, added that security in the modern era must be understood beyond borders and barracks, encompassing the strength of the nation’s social fabric and the values upheld within families.
Highlighting NOA’s role in strengthening national values, Issa-Onilu said the agency would continue to use civic education, community engagements in the 774 local government areas, media campaigns and school-based programmes to promote discipline, tolerance, unity and shared responsibility.
He also made reference to National Values Charter, describing it as a social contract that is binding on the government and citizens adding that Nigeria needs to gently develop a national parenting framework.
This, he said, should be culturally grounded and accessible to parents to empower them in raising responsible, emotionally resilient and civic minded children as he called for reforms in the school curriculum to include value reorientation, civic responsibility and digital citizenship.
The NOA’s helmsman canvassed the necessity for social and security policies to be better aligned to ensure that families have access to social protection, livelihood support and psychosocial tools to remain stable and functional.
