ABUJA – Prof. Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information, on Tuesday in Abuja admonished couples to adhere to the principle of good marriage and family values.
Gana was speaking at a colloquium organised to mark the 25th anniversary of the Abuja Diocese of the Anglican Communion.
The theme of the colloquium wase on the topic “The Traditional Christian Family and Marriage: The Family as Foundation for the Next 25 years’’.
The lecture is aimed at building up the Christian family in the Anglican Communion, with a view to achieving successful marriages.
Gana noted that the biggest institution God created was marriage, adding that without it, families would not roll together as one.
He stressed the need for couples to establish good family lifestyle and pursue excellence as a spouse in the home.
Gana also said that people should learn to be in love first, before going into marriage and not to get married for sympathy and cultural reasons.
“When I first saw my wife, I could not take my eyes off her.
“I wrote my first love letter in the high school which I did not get a response to in the next seven years; but it was not a problem.’’
Gana said couples should have a vision, dream, objective and goal.
He also underscored the importance of having inbuilt trust, saying that if couples don’t trust each other, the marriage would be ruined and there would be no love.
He added that the cornerstone of a good and successful marriage was commitment, which was necessary for couples to get closer with a high sense of responsibility.
Gana advised couples to be emotionally healthy as well, avoiding character disorders and low esteem.
“There should be good communication between the couple; maximize your passion and don’t be ashamed to be romantic as a couple.
“When you as a couple don’t communicate, little things begin to crop up.
“If you don’t take time, you may be speaking the wrong words to your partner,’’ he added.
He stressed the need to have a good love language by using words of affirmation, spending quality time together, rendering services, holding each other and giving and receiving gifts from your spouse. (NAN)
