Mothering Sunday: Transformation Should Begin From Families, Says Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan said in Abuja, yesterday, that for the nation to experience transformation, all families must go through a transformation process.

The president’s statement was contained in a goodwill message he delivered at Aso Villa Chapel, Abuja.

“If we bring up our children in the fear of the Lord, most of what we experience today in the nation would not arise.

“We hear of cultism and students hacking one another, this doesn’t speak well; transformation should begin from within. I agree with you, we as fathers or mothers should transform our families because once we transform our families, the nation will be transformed,’’ the president said.

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, in her Mothers’ Day address, thanked Nigerian mothers for their strength and urged them to take stock of the role of men as a Christian mother.

“We must as Christian, mothers and women seize this opportunity to examine ourselves and consider whether we are playing the roles expected of us as home makers, care givers, peace-makers and bridge-builders.

“To be successful in our roles as wives and mothers, we should take time to study all the individual members of our families with a view to measure the value of what they do for a living.

“If a child is good, it will reflect on his community and ultimately the nation. If we bring up these children in the fear of the Lord, there’ll be peace in this nation,’’ Patience said.

She urged men to “show love to their wives, sisters and mothers because it is from your wife people measure who you are.’’

In a sermon, titled, “A Christian Woman in Times Like These’’, Mrs Florence Onwusiribe, said “women must be prayerful, prudent and learn to hear from God.’’

She said that “a Christian woman is one who has a regenerated spirit and impacts on the lives of others, putting in what it takes physically and spiritually, adding that most of the ills in the society today are because most mothers did not do their homework well.

“We have also ignored God. Even in our national anthem, we stop in stanza one ignoring the second stanza, which is a prayer for our beloved nation and its leaders.”

Our correspondent reports that presentations were made to the first lady, the president’s mother and other women, who had excelled in various departments in the chapel.

Prayers were offered to God for the first family for direction and for all wives and mothers to be supporters of their husbands and good mothers to all children.