Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria Tasks Government to Investigate Weakening Family Structures

He added, “One must always remember that the family as a product of marriage has been defined in sociology as the first agent of socialization and the most basic social unit upon which society is built and also linked to other institutions like religion, education, politics, economy, and security.”

The Nigerian Archbishop defended the family institution, saying that the government’s recently unveiled budget should target poor families struggling to meet their daily bread.

“We hope that the 5-billion-naira palliative allocated by our president to each state and the FCT to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal, and the N25,000 monthly grant, allocated to 15 million struggling Nigerian families from October – December 2023, will truly get into the hands of these poor and vulnerable people,” he said.

On the other hand, the Archbishop urged families to also participate in ensuring their well-being by adhering to the laws of the country to drive away criminal elements from Africa’s most populous nation.

“Families must see to it that its members are patriotic and law-abiding,” Archbishop Kaigama said, and added, “It is disturbing to observe that the perpetrators of violence, cybercrime, kidnapping, are sometimes young people indoctrinated by criminals and enemies of the state. One is left to wonder if these young people belong to families.”

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In his address on the first day of the assembly that is scheduled to end on Saturday, November 11, Archbishop Kaigama also highlighted some of the challenges threatening the family in the contemporary world.

He said that modern ideologies like relativism, hedonism, and minimalism have brought “many maladies” that threaten the very core and existence of marriage and family institutions.

“The most potent threat is the one that is like a double-edged sword. It is the abuse of Information and Communication Technology with specific regard to social media,” he said, adding that besides social media having some advantages, it could be dangerous if not regulated.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.