Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has identified the weakening of family values as a major factor driving insecurity and social vices across the country.
She made the remarks at the opening of Exercise Haske Biyu 2025, a multi-agency security training programme organised by the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State. Tinubu was represented at the event by Hajiya Nana Shettima, wife of the Vice President.
Focusing on the theme “Family and National Security,” the First Lady emphasised that families are the foundation of society and must play a central role in shaping children into responsible citizens.
She noted that many parents, overwhelmed by economic pressures, have neglected this responsibility, leaving children exposed to cultism, drug abuse, prostitution, extremism, and other vices that ultimately undermine national security.
She underscored the importance of parental presence and guidance, stressing that a strong family structure is key to building a strong and stable nation. Tinubu also called on religious leaders and traditional rulers to reinforce positive cultural and moral values within their communities.
Reiterating the administration’s commitment to family welfare, she highlighted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which includes social intervention programmes such as the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme set to provide N25,000 in three tranches to 15 million vulnerable households.
She explained that her own Renewed Hope Initiative will complement these interventions by further supporting families and promoting social stability.
Declaring the three-week exercise open, the First Lady urged participants to emerge from the programme more united and committed to their duties to both family and country.
Earlier, the Commandant of AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Idris Alhaji, described Exercise Haske Biyu as an initiative designed to foster collaboration among security agencies in tackling Nigeria’s security challenges.
The exercise, running from September 15 to October 3, includes lectures, operational planning sessions, field demonstrations, and a “Day in the Life of a Soldier” experience for civilians. Organisers say the programme reinforces the message that the fight against insecurity must begin from the home.
