M-Solution Consulting International Limited (MSCI) on Saturday, November 6 churned out 14 trained and certified Marital Counsellors during its 6th graduation ceremony.
The new batch of graduands join their senior colleagues to make a total of 176 Marriage Counsellors produced by the institution in three years, Muslim News learnt.
The colourful event which held live on Zoom was attended by important dignitaries, including the Managing Director, Jaiz Charity and Development Foundation, Dr Abdullah Shuaib, who served as the Keynote Speaker and Prof. Fatima Abdulkareem of Pathology Department, College of Medicine, University of Lagos
In his welcome address, Dr. Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, Senior Partner and Lead Counsellor, MSCI, said he was delighted with the attendance of the special guests, graduands and other participants.
He observed that the institution has been able to turn out 176 Marriage Counsellors in three years despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus.
“This particular set is the 3rd batch of our online marriage counselling course and this is the reason that we are having an e-graduation ceremony,” he added.
According to him, “Just like the world will continue to need oxygen, the need for Marriage Counsellors cannot be over-emphasised. African homes are crumbling and the divorce rate is noticeably increasing because of crisis.
“Marriages today are being endured and not enjoyed; as such, many remain in their marriages only because of their children. When a home is bedevilled and in crisis, it soon reflects on the children, the society, and the nation at large. That is the reason Marriage Counsellors will forever be needed to rescue homes.
“We have trained our graduands on core and models of couple counselling, conflict resolution in marriage, counselling psychology among others. Also, we held live sessions to discuss practical cases and tips. At the end of every module for six weeks, we organized quizzes to test their understanding of the concepts in the modules. All these are to certify the knowledge that they have acquired. We believe that we have trained competent counsellors and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours,” he stated.
While wishing the graduands well in their various endeavors, Ogunmuyiwa sought partnership and patronage to train more persons, extend their reach across the nooks and crannies of Africa, saying, “the goal is to save as many marriages as possible.”
In his keynote address, Dr. Shuaib advised couples to build their marriages on the fear of Allah, saying it is the key factor that sustains marital relationships.
He lamented the rising profile of marital breakdown in Nigeria, saying a recent research in 2020 shows there is an increasing trend of single parenthood in the country.
“Marriages are now hitting the rock quickly in recent times. We have 5, 6, 7 months old marriages hitting the rock. What sustains a marriage is if the parties concerned build their marital life with Taqwa (fear of Allah). Where the fear of Allah is not the basis of their coming together, anytime they have disagreement or any minor issue, either party can press the button and it could trigger many things, and even lead to marriage breaking down,” Dr Shuaib said.
“The Prophet (SAW) mentions that whoever Allah (SWT) wants to assist, He gives such a person a righteous spouse, and whoever Allah has given a righteous spouse, He has assisted him to complete half of his seen. Therefore, let him fulfil his obligation in the remaining half. Taqwa is not only about the fear of Allah, it is also your conscious responsibility and duty to your spouse.
“This is why I tell people that what causes marriages to break down is when the husband abdicates his major responsibility, which is spending. The third aspect is the area of sexual attention. That is why it is important for people to go for counselling before dabbling into marriage. Marriage is a socio-religious contract where the two parties must be compatible,” he noted.
The Keynote Speaker meanwhile charged the graduating counsellors to understand the terrain where they want to operate so as to provide resourceful counselling to couples and intending couples.
“I should also mention that counsellors are not supposed to put words in the mouth of the spouses when they are making reconciliation. At no point should a counsellor suggest divorce as an option to couples. He should leave them to decide on their own after ruminating about the issue. A counsellor must pay attention to details and be prayerful to Allah to intervene”, he added.
