Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has underscored the vital role of national security in creating a stable environment for families and economic growth, noting that strong families are the foundation of a stronger nation.
Senator Oluermi Tinubu made this known during the opening ceremony of Exercise Haske Biyu at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, in Kaduna, North West Nigeria.
Represented by the Vice President’s Wife, Nana Shettima, Senator Oluremi said that the theme of this year’s exercise, “Family and National Security in Nigeria”, is apt, timely and relevant to the country’s challenges.
She emphasised that the family remains the bedrock of society, serving as the primary place where individuals learn values such as love, duty, respect, and sacrifice, which in turn translate into national cohesion and security.
The First Lady further explained that safeguarding families and ensuring their stability directly contributes to peace, unity, and sustainable development, adding that the exercise highlights the need for holistic strategies that integrate family values into the broader framework of national security.
According to her, family is the bedrock of society. It is where we learn our core values of love, duty, respect, and sacrifice.
“Our nation is made up of millions of individual families from various tribes, ethnicities, religions and traditions, each with dreams, aspirations, and the right to live in safety and freedom,” she said.
“However, these days, the family unit is no longer what it used to be. Many parents, while striving to make ends meet, abandon their parental responsibility, thereby leaving their children to raise themselves,” she added.
She noted that this parental absence creates a void which often gets filled by negative influences, including bad companies, cultism, exposure to drugs, prostitution, get-rich-quick syndrome and extremist ideologies.
“This trend is detrimental and leads to catastrophic outcomes for the family, which sometimes threatens national security,” she stressed.
According to her, religion also plays a very important role in our society, promoting unity, strength and moral guidance for our young ones.
She urged religious, traditional and community leaders to continue to teach our children the right principles of faith and reinforce positive family values.
The Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is committed to supporting the welfare of families through various economic reforms and social interventions, particularly the conditional cash transfer programme, which has been scaled up to provide N25,000 in three tranches to 15 million vulnerable households across the country.
“On my part, through the Renewed Hope Initiative, we will continue to do our best to complement the government’s effort towards ensuring a better life for families,” she said.
She thanked all the officers here today for their service to the nation and dedication to a safer Nigeria. Let us go forward from “Exercise Haske Biyu”, stronger, more united, and mindful of why we serve: for family, for love of country and for a more secure tomorrow.
She declared, “Exercise HASKE BIYU 2025” opened.