Members of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA Abuja chapter have urged parents and guardians to pay adequate attention to the attitude formation of their children and wards to ensure they grow up with the right norms as they mingle with the rest of the society.
According to the authors, family forms the building block of every child's attitude and character which s/he lives with in the larger community.
They therefore urged that irrespective of how difficult the times are, parents and caregivers should devote adequate time to raising children of high moral standard.
At an event to mark the 2022 World Poetry Day on Monday, with the theme, 'Poetry, Family and Society' chairman of ANA Abuja, Halima Usman said poetry as a language of communication plays important role in moulding individuals which in turn impacts the community.
While decrying that Nigeria is confronted with lots of challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, corruption and lots more, she said the genesis of it all is a faulty family foundation.
She said failure of parents to inculcate good moral values on their children and wards has led to a high level of decadence, making the society more volatile.
According to Usman, this has assumed even a more alarming proportion with the advent of technology which allows children access to unhealthy websites, challenging authors to begin to address key issues of morals in their works.
"Because parents are busy, we have neglected our primary responsibility of raising our children and inculcating them with the right norms.
"Some of them have grown up to associate with any kind of lifestyle through peer pressure, by what they see on the internet with their mobile phones and that is how we are where we are today.
"As members of ANA Abuja, we are using this theme, 'Poetry, Family and Society' to appeal to parents and guardians to begin to look at these germane issues.
"They should commit more time to their families, discuss, share ideas in order to see how we can remould our children so that when they go into the society, they will be better people, better leaders who will see to the restoration of peace and tranquility in our country" she urged.
Also speaking, National President of ANA, Barr. Ahmed Maiwada said authors should be socially responsible to make meaningful contributions that will ensure the health of their community.
He described the gathering as a wake-up call on authors to talk about ideal families in their works, urging them to write for purpose of unifying and making impacts.
The Artistic Director Arojah Royal Theatre and former Secretary of ANA Abuja, Om'Oba Jerry Adesewo said poetry plays a critical role in correcting the ills of the society.
Mr. Adesewo stated that the loss of norms and values at the family level reflects on the society generally, challenging authors to preach the message of an ideal family system so that the entire society will be habitable for all.
The evening witnessed discussions, poetry and robust literary engagements.
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