{"id":2329,"date":"2025-12-30T21:53:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T21:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2329"},"modified":"2025-12-30T21:53:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T21:53:48","slug":"marital-unions-are-pillars-of-national-development-shettima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2329","title":{"rendered":"Marital unions are pillars of national development \u2014Shettima"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President Kashim Shettima on Sunday described marital unions as fundamental pillars of Nigeria\u2019s social strength and long-term national development, saying strong families nurture the values essential for national cohesion, stability and progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shettima, according to a statement titled&nbsp;<em>\u201cMarital Unions Are Pillars of Long-term National Development,\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, spoke in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, while representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the wedding ceremony between Miss Deborah Ershima and Mr Samuel Aondoakura, son of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Olamide, Wizkid - Kai! (Official Video)\" width=\"980\" height=\"735\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7tChMHOrQJM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier, the Vice President arrived in Benue State to grace the wedding reception, where he was received by the SGF and the Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, alongside other top government officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upon arrival, Shettima observed a Guard of Honour mounted in his honour before proceeding to the venue of the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking at the solemnization, the Vice President said marriage was not merely a personal milestone but a vital social institution that strengthens society and supports long-term national development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are moments in life an event quietly writes itself into memory. Today is one of those moments. We have come together not merely to witness a wedding, but to stand at the intersection of two stories choosing to become one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shettima noted that strong family unions contribute directly to national cohesion, adding that the institution of marriage reflects values that are \u201cdeeply Nigerian and deeply human.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He commended the families of the couple for raising children grounded in discipline, faith and character, stressing that strong homes are built intentionally and not by chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA home is not built by vows alone. It is built by everyday choices. By the decision to return kindness for impatience. By the courage to apologise even when you feel justified,\u201d the Vice President said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to him, successful marriages thrive on patience, humility and alignment, noting that everyday acts such as listening, forgiveness and mutual support sustain families long after wedding ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drawing a link between family life and nation-building, Shettima said unity and commitment at the household level mirror Nigeria\u2019s resilience and capacity to overcome challenges. He urged parents, relatives and society to support married couples with counsel and goodwill rather than undue pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While praying for the couple, the Vice President said, \u201cMay your home be anchored in trust and sustained by faith. May your laughter outlast your disagreements. May your unity be stronger than any season of challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier, the SGF, Senator Akume, paid tribute to President Tinubu for what he described as transformative leadership since assuming office in May 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have to pay a very big tribute to our President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for honouring this invitation. The quality of representation here is massive and fundamental,\u201d Akume said.  <a href=\"https:\/\/punchng.com\/marital-unions-are-pillars-of-national-development-shettima\/?utm_source=auto-read-also&amp;utm_medium=web\">(Punch)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vice President Kashim Shettima on Sunday described marital unions as fundamental pillars of Nigeria\u2019s social strength and long-term national development, saying strong families nurture the values essential for national cohesion, stability and progress. Shettima, according to a statement titled&nbsp;\u201cMarital Unions Are Pillars of Long-term National Development,\u201d&nbsp;issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, spoke in Makurdi, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[343,2703,1325,675,617,2704,1610],"class_list":["post-2329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-benue-state","tag-deborah-ershima","tag-george-akume","tag-hyacinth-alia","tag-kashim-shettima","tag-samuel-aondoakura","tag-wedding"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Marital unions are pillars of national development \u2014Shettima - Tona Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vice President Kashim Shettima on Sunday described marital unions as fundamental pillars of Nigeria\u2019s social strength and long\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2329\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marital unions are pillars of national development \u2014Shettima - 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