Finance minister Zainab Ahmed has urged parents to instill family values in their children as a way to save the country from degeneration.

The minister made the call on Saturday in Kaduna while engaging 77 district heads, religious and community leaders from the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State.

“We are calling the attention of parents that we have failed our children in the sense that the kind of values we used to have is no more.

“We need to remind ourselves that our children need to be upright and that this criminality going on, on a daily basis, is not for their benefits and the benefit of the state and country,” Ms. Ahmed said.

The minister also informed the meeting of a N75 billion youth fund by the federal government and ongoing security measures in Kaduna.

Environment minister Muhammad Mahmud, who was also at the meeting, called for collective efforts to tackle the security challenges in the country.

The minister also advised the youths to be self reliant by focusing on skills acquisition and not depending on the government.

Mr. Mahmud urged the leaders to be advocates of peace in their respective communities in order to bring about meaningful development.

Kaduna State Deputy Governor Hadiza Balarabe appealed to the leaders to sensitise their communities on the need to always uphold the law in all their conducts.

She also condemned the recent spate of looting and destruction of public and private properties.

“These mob actions are unreasonable and intolerable,” the deputy governor said.

She expressed the hope that the interactions would lead to understanding and collective efforts to develop the state.

“As good citizens, it is part of our civic duty to support the government in the development of the state.

“So, we need these interactions between the government, traditional and religious institutions that allow us to reason together,” she said.