INTRODUCTION

It is natural for human race to experience dynamic changes, which are inevitable using the family as a take off base for positive advances. The family is the smallest unit of human socio-economic organization. It is the link between the individual and the society. Any society, nation or state that undermines the pivotal role of the family will disconnect itself from her meaningful flowering and dynamic source, such society may not know it but sooner or later, such society will become a theatre of conflict in which life will be short, brutal and nasty.

Various definition of the family have been offered by scholars leading to various theories competing for recognition, thereby promoting the proliferation of contending paradigms. But above all, a family is a bio-social group hence we are all born into one form of family or the other. Consequently, we inherit from the family the characteristics genes that makes up our biological being.

It is from the family that we derive our identity and fulfill the potentialities for personal growth and development.

The family as the first agent of socialization plays a big role in shaping society for the better, hence happy homes produce happy children, happy children make a happy community, and a happy community makes a happy world. Inevitably, a family in crises will produce society in conflict because the family is the microcosm of the macro society, which is the nation.

The family is the most enduring and permanent of all association or groups. According to Otite (1985), it's a plurality of persons bound by a distinctive set of social relations, which includes certain characteristics.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY

The agreeable perceptions of the characteristics of the family are as follows:

1. Interaction: members of a group are continually interacting in some meaningful way. Communicating through words, gestures, writing or other forms and by so doing affect or influence each other's behavior.

2. Psychic Identification with the group: Members of a group have common membership, each member sees himself or herself as part of the group and also is recognized by other members as been so. Thus, in the minds of the members there is a sense of belonging and the development of "we" feeling. Those not in the group are seen as "they".

3. Responsibilities and Duties: Each member of a group is expected by the others to accept a certain degree of responsibilities and duties and to abide by certain norms. At the same time he is entitled to certain privileges as a result of his membership. A group persists if there are activities to carry on which the members value and need. Sharing in membership activities can help towards developing a strong sense of unity,

4. Division of Labour: There is a division of Labour in the activities carried out by the members of a group. For example some teach while others learn. In other words, some sort of arrangement is made resulting in different people doing different things, in furtherance of the group goals.

The family as a basic bio-social permeates into the econo-political systems. It is a fundamental social institution at the very core of society, which provides for the rearing of children and inculcation of worthwhile manner and character. The family is of universal importance for the survival of the entire society. No other human group is vested with or assigned such unique and crucial roles and responsibilities. Inevitably every individual is a combined product of the interaction between his genetic inheritance, his family experience and his socio-political milieu.

FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY

The family performs a lot of socio-economic and political responsibilities, without which the society will plunge headlong into abysmal chasm of destruction. Some of the functions are:

Procreation: The basic biological function of the family is procreation or reproduction; this is necessary for the maintenance of human species, and provision of new members for the continuation of society. Every society, if it is to survive, must replace those who die with new members. The family is also an avenue for deep emotional satisfaction.

Socialization: The family has the primary and basic responsibility of caring and bringing up all children through the process of socialization. This process enables the infant to grow into maturity and adapt well into the social system. The family transmits our heritage and culture i.e. language, behaviour patterns, values, expectations, standards of morality, male and female roles. It is at this stage that the foundations of personality are laid and the child learns the limits of tolerated behaviors.

The family provides the physical security, protection and material opportunities for emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social development, which totally go to give the child the sense of belonging to a particular group.

The family should provide love, warmth and emotional security to its members particularly the children, to develop positive feeling that lead to loving other human beings in society. According to Erinosho (1981) "a child who group in a family which has not shown him or her love is unlikely to give love to his or her children. Lack of love for children in the family unit may lead to their developing emotional problems during adult life.

Economic: The family co-operate as an economic unit. The economic service provided by the husband and the wife complement one another and this contributes in making the partners dependent on each other, at times children are involved. The family provides all the needs for food, clothing and shelter. It also cares for the young, old, the sick and the physical and mentally handicapped.

Kinship: The family is not an isolated group, but part of larger social unit called the kinship. Kinship refers to the relationships between individuals based upon ties and marriage. This involves relatives made from marriage such as in-laws, (father-in-laws, Mother-in-laws, Brother-in-law and sister-in-laws, Uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece) called the new affined. In all the family offer emotional and psychological anchorage. Here joy and sadness are shared together while moral and material supports are given in times of crisis.

However, in the family system we have the nuclear family made up of father, mother and siblings while the extended family is make up of extension of blood related relations outside the nuclear circle.

CHANGING FAMILY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

It is an accepted fact that many Nigeria families are in crises as a result of multitude of problems, which are challenging when compared with the past. Inspite of civilization, democratic and technological opportunities, a lot of challenges still contend with our families. One of such is the erosion of cherished family values handed down to us by our forefathers.

The ideal family values includes true love, fear of God, hard work, contentment, patience, respect for parents and elders, honesty and prudent management of our resources. The Nigeria positive family values handed over to us by tradition are today facing challenges such as poverty, divorce, separation, prostitution, marital infidelity, gender inequality (male child preference) domestic violence, (wife battery), early marriage, abortion, and juvenile delinquency.

These family aberration has penetrated the larger Nigerian society and has indeed given the country a bad image and reputation through vices such as advance fee fraud (419), drug trafficking, examination malpractices, cultism in schools, bribery and corruption, armed robbery, teenage pregnancy, and human trafficking.

All these are the fallouts of the challenges where fathers and mothers have long abandoned their responsibilities as agents of transmitting positive values to their children in search of wealth or political power. Nevertheless opportunities abound for families given the present democratic government whose intentions are to bring the dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of every family in terms of the following:

(i) Qualitative free education
(ii) Good heath care services
(iii) Creation of employment to empower families
(iv) Poverty eradication programmes
(v) War against human trafficking

CONCLUSION

As we celebrate the International Day of the family, it is necessary to increase awareness on family issues within governments, voluntary organizations, and the private sectors in order to strengthen family values that are at the verge of collapse. If our society must change for the better, concerted efforts must start from the family, as everyone here is a product of a family. 1 therefore urge us to mark this year of International Day of family by reflecting deeply on the ways to improve family life, family income, family peace, unity, love and happiness.

This is the only way to improve the social, economic and political development of our great nation, because no house can be stronger than the materials with which it is built, neither can any river rise above it source. The source of positive values in our society remains the family.

REFERENCES

Erinosho, O.A (1981), Behavioural Science for Nursing and Medical Students in Nigeria: London; Gorge Alien and Unvin.
Oba, D (2000), Citizenship Education and Leadership Science:
Otite, B.A and Ogionwo, W. (1981), An Introduction to Socio Logical Study: Ibadan; Heinemann Education Books Ltd.
Otti, P.N (1985), Population and Family Life: Lagos, Nigeria Educational research Council.