From Victor Osula, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has officially designated 2026 as the “Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria,” marking a major policy shift that places the family unit at the centre of national development, security, and social cohesion.
The declaration, made at the State House on Thursday, February 5, 2026, signals a strategic reorientation of governance priorities.
The President directed coordinated action across all levels of government to strengthen families as the foundation for sustainable growth.
According to the President, stable families are critical assets to national security, noting that societies investing in family stability are better positioned to reduce vulnerability and systemic instability.
“Strong families are a national security and development asset. Societies that invest in family stability reduce vulnerability and long-term instability,” Tinubu stated.
With this initiative, Nigeria joins a group of countries, including Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, that have adopted family-centred policies.
The President explained that the decision was a response to the root causes of national challenges ranging from poverty to social fragmentation.
Central to the new agenda is the Nigeria Families First Programme, which serves as the primary coordination platform for these reforms.
The programme targets four key transformational areas including economic empowerment of families to strengthen household incomes and promote sustainable livelihoods, and parenting skills development to provide resources for child-rearing and family stability.
It also focuses on universal child benefits to establish social safety nets for Nigerian children, as well as health, housing, and formalised care to professionalise the care economy and expand access to decent housing.
The initiative is also aligned with the domestication of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, with priorities for women and children being implemented under the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, noted that the administration is transitioning from policy commitment to tangible action.
She added that the declaration followed President Tinubu’s January 2026 state visit to Türkiye, where a landmark Memorandum of Understanding was signed to strengthen family cohesion and social welfare systems.
The administration reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that all social and economic interventions begin at the household level to foster lasting national stability under the Renewed Hope agenda
