The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has raised concerns that corruption, illicit wealth, and unregulated social media erode family discipline and weaken Nigeria’s moral foundation.
Speaking on Monday at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, during the opening of Exercise Haske Biyu 2025, which has the theme “Family and National Security,” the Sultan said the family remains the most critical foundation of national security.
He described the family as “the smallest yet most important building block of society,” stressing that weak families produce weak communities while strong families sustain peaceful and resilient nations.
According to him, most values that shape a secure and disciplined society are acquired during early childhood within the family.
“The world has not and will never invent anything to replace the family,” he declared.
The Sultan traced the role of family values in governance back to the Sokoto Caliphate, noting that Sheikh Abdullahi’s writings on child upbringing served as the Caliphate’s social policy.
He urged Nigerians to draw wisdom from their history instead of relying solely on foreign models.
He warned that modern threats—including unchecked digital content, drug abuse, and the pursuit of illicit wealth—were undermining parental guidance and exposing children to negative influences.
To address these challenges, he called for stronger marriage advisory councils, reforms in basic education to emphasise values, effective drug control, and tighter regulation of harmful online content.
He also urged the government to ensure no child is left out of school, stressing the need for proper funding of institutions responsible for tackling the out-of-school children crisis.
The Sultan appealed to President Bola Tinubu and other leaders to take the family–security connection more seriously, cautioning that Nigeria’s problem is not a lack of ideas but a lack of political will to implement solutions.
He prayed for the country’s leaders and urged sincerity of purpose in rebuilding families, which he described as the surest way to secure Nigeria’s future.
