Emir blames parents for Nigeria’s insecurity

A Nigerian Emir has blamed parents for not instilling enough discipline in their children, resulting in a rise of insecurity in the country where the security forces are struggling to fight kidnappings and an Islamist insurgency.

The Emir of Gwandu, Muhammadu Bashar, also put rape and homosexuality on the list of the country’s ills.

He was speaking at prayers in Birnin Kebbi, in the north-western state of Kebbi, to mark Eid al-Adha, a three-day Muslim festival.

“The society today is bedeviled by cases of rape, homosexuality, lesbianism, kidnapping and rampant killings which resulted into the present insecurity Nigeria is faced with,” he was quoted as saying by the state-owned News Agency of Nigeria.

“The present ills in our society are also due to indiscipline and too much love for material wealth,” he said.

He also pointed a finger at parents for not giving their children a good education.

The emir warned that unless people feared to sin against God and parents remained committed to “imbibing good family values”, the country would continue to face instability.

Some papers have picked up his remarks, saying he blamed the insecurity on homosexuality.

This has caused a stir on social media, with some users saying bad governance is the real cause of insecurity.

Nigeria is a socially conservative country where homosexual acts are illegal and can be punishable by death in some Muslim northern states that have adopted Sharia.

His comment about getting a good education could be seen as more progressive, especially if he is calling for parents to send their children to school.

Boko Haram has been fighting an insurgency in the north-east for the last 10 years to create an Islamic state and ban Western education. –BBC