Experts have stressed the need to imbibe African family life solutions for global impact and also to address the mirage of problems confronting the continent.
This was disclosed at the 8th African Family Life Delegate Conference, organised by the Institute of Family Engineering and Development, held in Lagos.
Speaking, the institute’s founder, Praise Fowewe, stressed the need for the government to establish a Ministry of Family Affairs to promote family values, lamenting that African values are being eroded.
According to him, a Ministry of Family Affairs would help preserve the values of African family life and strengthen the family structure that is being impacted by digitisation, globalisation, and urbanisation.
He said: “Every time people talk about leadership; these leaders came out of certain families. What was the family structure in there? If you don’t raise wholesome people from the family, they can’t become wholesome leaders when they get in there.
“So, if you don’t raise people who are empathetic from the family, by the time they get into leadership, they can’t display empathy. Nigeria does not have a Ministry of Family Affairs; we have the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Justice, but not one dedicated to family.
“Values such as integrity and hospitality should be given attention. We are very hospitable as Africans. Growing up, you could not steal and people would clap for you but now people steal and people would say ‘It’s our thief.’ He doesn’t get persecuted because, ‘he is our man, and it’s our turn.’
“The government is the people. They are human beings produced by the family. When people say a leader is bad, what family raised him? If we don’t fix the family, we will keep churning out people who are traumatized. If we can raise wholesome people from the family, then when they get to power, they will be wholesome; they will think about the people, they won’t think about their pocket.”
On her part, a Professor from the University of Lagos, Ngozi Osarenren noted that family life plays a critical role in the survival, protection, socialisation and societal identification of the individual.
She added that by traversing cultures, harnessing African family life solutions, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders, sustainable development could be achieved.
The don advocated for a proper interrogation and understanding of cultural diversities across societies with attendant family dynamics.
“When we embrace, accept and celebrate African diversity and richness, we would collectively contribute to a global society that is more inclusive and harmonious.”
