The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, says the current security challenges bedeviling the nation could be attributed to negligence of family values.

Mr Mustapha said this on Tuesday when he hosted the president of National Council of Women Society (NCWS), Lami Adamu Lau, and members of the Women in National Service (WINSERVE) Week Implementation Committee in his office in Abuja.

Mr Mustapha said that bandits came from homes, with mothers and fathers; they did not drop from heaven.

“As parents and caregivers, we have neglected our duties and family values, everybody is busy, both father and mother, just to get the good things of life. So I believe that we all have a role to play,’’ he said.

He charged Nigerians to be more concerned about their security.

“I want to appeal to Nigerians to take the issue of security as everybody’s business, it’s not government business, everyone has a role.

“Constitutionally, government has the responsibility of providing for the security and wellbeing of the people, but the people have a role to play.

“Security is everybody’s business and we should take it as such and it starts from the home,’’ he said.

Mr Mustapha also expressed optimism that the Academic Staff Union of University would soon call off the strike and students would return to schools.

“We have no justification to keep out children from schools for five months; we believe that in the soonest, our wards will go back to school because we don’t want to produce half-baked graduates,’’ he said.

Earlier, the NCWS president, Mrs Lau appealed to the government at all levels to address the insecurity in Nigeria, adding that it was gradually destroying the country.

“I want to appeal to politicians to close ranks, and put national interest above all sentiments and face these problems squarely in the same way they face party delegates.

“The issues of security and education must be taken seriously in like manner,’’ she said.

(NAN)