The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has once again urged the youth in the country not to dismiss the advice and guidance of parents and elders.
She was speaking at a one-day workshop for women and youth on corruption prevention, organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), held in Abuja.
The First Lady emphasized that the fight against corruption must start at home, with mothers leading the charge. “We must move beyond the desire to have our voices heard and step into roles where our actions are impactful. Let us take a moment to reflect on the words of our elders: ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ In the same vein, it takes the collective will of the entire nation to defeat corruption.”
Senator Oluremi Tinubu urged mothers to take their nurturing role more seriously, particularly as corruption is a societal challenge that undermines development.
“This menace is present in every sector—from the trader in the market to the private sector, government agencies, the judiciary, and even places of worship, to mention a few—and age is no barrier. For the future of our beloved country, we must remain resolute in our efforts to combat this scourge. We cannot leave this battle to government agencies alone.”
“It is time for us to take our place as mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, leaders, and reformers to do the needful. Women are nurturers, but recently, we have left our children to raise themselves with the excuse of providing a better life for them.”
In his address, the chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, emphasized that the fight against corruption is one that the commission is determined to win, which is why it has adopted the approach of involving mothers, youth, and other critical stakeholders.
There were goodwill messages from representatives of the youth, the Code of Conduct Bureau, JAMB, and security agencies, among others.
The registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, noted in his message that mothers have a crucial role in ensuring that corruption is not integrated or perpetuated in the next generation.
Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Youth in Kogi State, it was noted that students must move from protests to participation.
The workshop, themed Women and Youth Alliance Against Corruption, was attended by youth from various sectors, security agencies, and women’s groups, among others.
