The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has urged families to revisit ethical values as a way of supporting socio-political and economic growth and stability in the country.
He said without a conscious effort at promoting values, real development would remain largely elusive.
He urged parents to take the leading role in promoting values, adding that “to fix our country , we must fix our minds”
Fayemi stated this in Lagos on Thursday, as Guest Speaker at the 15th Annual Lecture of Women in Business, Management and Public Service (WIMBIZ) .
He said that women held pivotal role in family building and the nation and should therefore continue to lend their voices to areas where they would be most needed.
“As we all know, the family is the largest unit of the society, meaning that it is the most important.
“Women have been known to be strong, and the carriers of ethical values right from the olden days, and it is only necessary for us to talk about these values again at a time the nation needs it the most.
“In those days, even now, it was customary for girls to be taught how to cook and clean, while boys were taught how to play. But today, we should teach both the boys and girls to be creative and responsible.
“They should be reminded of the values of hard work and integrity because a lack of values has robbed us of what each citizen truly deserves.
“The men, who are the heads of the homes, should be more sensitive and tolerant; the incidence of domestic violence has been a source of worry, and this should be highly discouraged,” he said.
The former governor of Ekiti also urged WIMBIZ members to lend a hand of mentorship to the young women to build the next generation of women for the challenges ahead.
He reiterated the promise of the Federal Government to grant opportunities to deserving women for leadership positions, adding that the skills and experiences that women possess are as important as what men have to offer.
The minister also said he had been in talks with women in the mining industry; to find ways of solving their peculiar challenges.
Mrs Aisha Ahmad, President of WIMBIZ, while speaking on the sidelines of the lecture, said that this year’s theme was apt at a time as this.
“We cannot push values into the bin and expect to grow as a family and nation.
“This lecture is to brainstorm and challenge one another on values to ensure that we support the efforts of the government to build the nation.
“The WIMBIZ platforms have been used extensively to propagate the role and capacity of women in business, especially in leadership positions.
“We hope that the lecture will challenge us to go back to our books to see how we can improve on our values.
“Our children must learn these values from us so that the next generation of leaders will be better equipped,’’ Ahmad said.
Dignitaries at the lecture include former Minister of Communication, Mrs Omobola Johnson, former Minister of Industries, Chief Nike Akande; former Lagos state first lady, Dame Abimbola Fashola, Co-founder, African women’s Development Fund and wife of the minister of Solid Minerals Development, Erelu Bisi Fayemi and Chairperson of First Bank Plc, Mrs Ibunkun Awosika.
