The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Dr Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called on Nigerians to return to core family values and integrity as the foundation for peace, security, and national development.
The monarch made this known while addressing the participants of Exercise HASKE BIYU at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.
According to him, “conflict is more in the minds of men than in the nature of things, and those minds are shaped first in the family, the smallest but most important building block of society.”
The Sultan stressed that no institution, past or future, can replace the family’s role in shaping values, norms, and a culture of security among children. He urged Nigeria to look inward into its own history and traditions, rather than over-relying on borrowed social models.
Abubakar III further warned that corruption, illicit resources, and loss of discipline are eroding Nigeria’s social fabric.
“What matters today is wealth, by any means. This dynamic undermines our foundation and leads us into a cul-de-sac,” he cautioned.
On solutions, the Sultan outlined four key reforms: Marriage advisory councils under religious scholars and traditional rulers; Curriculum review to prioritise essential values, with teachers as role models; Zero exclusion in education, ensuring no child is left behind; and Drug and media regulation, working with communities to counter harmful influences.
He reminded participants that Nigeria does not lack ideas but the will to implement them.
Meanwhile, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, in Southern Nigeria, who was also present at the event, said family remains the first and most powerful institution of moral formation.
Atuwatse gave a lecture on ‘Strengthening Family Values for National Security: The Roles of Traditional Institutions’.
According to him, “Trust must be central to the mission of traditional institutions. Traditional rulers, often through their chiefs, assign punishments to serve not just justice but as a public deterrent.”
“Shame and honour operate powerfully in collectivist cultures, and the public nature of discipline reinforces societal boundaries,” he stressed.
“Traditional rulers must remain unbiased arbiters of justice, not tools of the state, but trusted guides who hold the moral fabric of their communities together.
“What we seek is strong family values and moral clarity, which will not come without resistance.”