Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has charged religious leaders to engage Nigerians, especially their followers, on the importance of building strong family structures for a better nation.
Sanwo-Olu gave the charge at a Special Jumaat service in commemoration of the 61st National Independence held at the Lagos State Secretariat Community Central Mosque, Alausa, on Friday.
The governor who was represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, said, “it was time for clerics and religious leaders to change their sermons.”
“This is by stressing on how to protect the environment by imbibing right attitudes and be law-abiding, among others.
“It is time to change our sermons to how do we protect our environment and other positive attitudes.
“This is because people listen more to their religious leaders than the governments, especially in Nigeria, as they are taken as role models.”
He noted that the religious leaders are listened to by the people than the government, urging them to use their pulpits to sensitize the citizens on family values and the need to always be their brother’s keeper.
Sanwo-Olu said that family values had been lost and must be rejigged and strengthened for national development.
He cited poor parenting as being responsible for some of the challenges and social vices in the country which had now become a threat to the people as a nation.
The governor, therefore, charged parents to take proper responsibility for the upbringing and training of their children.
The governor added that government could build roads, schools and other infrastructure, “but the way parents train their children is important.
In his remarks, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, said that the special Jumat prayer was conducted to mark the Independence of Nigeria.
Elegushi said, “prayer is necessary, realising that the only thing that could see people through is prayer.
”It takes two to tango. If we want to really see a change in the nation, the government will play its own role and the people too play their own role.
”But, I want to believe, it is very easy for us to achieve the change in government, but it is difficult to achieve that behavioural change in our people.
”So, it takes two to tango, both government and the people must come together so that we can move the nation forward,” he said.
In his goodwill message, Sheikh Mohammed Waziri, Lagos State Director of the Department of State Security, said that they will continue to synergize with the state government, to ensure peace and orderliness in the state.
Earlier in his sermon, Dr Saaid Ahmad admonished Nigerian leaders to rejig the system for the better, while charging the youth to love one another as well as the country.
He advised the citizens to work together for the development, as well as the progress of the country and stop blaming one another.
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