By Salisu Sani-Idris
The Ansar-Ud-deen Society of Nigeria has stressed the need for all Nigerians to intensify prayers to seek divine intervention toward restoration of lost family values in the society.
The Chairman, Ansar-Ud-deen Northern States Council of Missioners, Sheikh Muhydeen Bello, gave the advice, while delivering the 27th Annual Ramadan Lecture of Ansar-Ud-deen, held at the society’s Central Mosque, Maitama, Abuja.
The titled of the annual lecture is: Ramadan: Family Values and Nation Building”.
“We are talking about family values and nation building. All these things are not possible if the situation of the country remains like this.
” So, when we look at things, especially in the country now, we don’t know whether it’s possible for us to say that we want to build a nation again.
” But we have to be close to the Almighty Allah. It is only the Almighty Allah that can rebuild it for us and it is only Allah that can answer our prayers to restore the lost glory of our nation.”
Bello, therefore, called on parents and the entire Muslim community to pray, insisting that only prayer could change everything into normal again.
” Let us face the Almighty Allah in prayers and submit ourselves to the will of Allah because things have already been damaged and it is only Allah we can call.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Mashood Mustapha, enjoined parents to take the responsibility of moral upbringing of their children seriously.
“It is unfortunate where we find ourselves today because most parents don’t even know how their wards make their living talk less of even knowing where they are.
“We have responsibilities to our children not only to pay their school fees and feed them but we should also be interested in the kind of leaders they will become tomorrow.
” We have lost the family values because of this social media thing that have separated parents from the children and you will see a lot of children being independent when they are not supposed to be.”
Also, the Abuja Branch Missioner of Ansar-Ud-deen, Dr Olaofe Musa, decried increasing rate of disrespect for elders and constituted authority in the society.
According to Musa, with respect and honour you can get everything and with disrespect you can miss a lot of things.
” And that is why it is very important that we should always train our children, talk to them politely and we should let them know even when they school abroad they must have family values and education.
” Once they acquire education, then they must have respect for elders so that everybody will enjoy them in the society.”
On his part, the Chairman, Abuja branch of the society, Alhaji Mohammed Olayiwola said the current deplorable and decadence in today’s society could be traceable to the poor family upbringing.
” Therefore, to build today’s nation, we parents must return to when communal responsibility on all the children are taken seriously by all community members without any sentiment of whose children or parents are involved.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that at the end of the event special prayer was offered for the restoration of peace and security of lives and property in the country. (NAN)