By DADA AYOKHAI
Nigerians have been advised to take advantage of the nation’s diverse rich cultural heritage for the advancement of the country and not as a tool of division.
The member representing Egor/ Ikpoba-Okha federal constituency in the National Assembly, Honorable Murphy Osaro Omoruyi gave the advice at the weekend in Benin City, Edo State at
a three-day Cultural Orientation and Sensitization for students of public and private secondary schools in Egor and Ikpoba-Okha local government areas of Edo state .
The programme which was facilitated By Hon Omoruyi was sponsored by federal government through the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.
The cultural event featured training in various skills like the making of cultural beads , 3D epoxy floors and tiles, as well as cultural dance competition.
Sixteen schools participated in the program with each school represented by one hundred students.
Among schools that took part in the cultural events were: Fortune Group of Schools, Mater Dei Catholic School, Igbinovia Group of Schools, and Lydia Group of Schools.
Others were Evangel Sure Foundation School, Aideyan Memorial Academy, and Obaro Education Center for the senior category.
The junior secondary school category featured Apex Ville Group of Schools, Fortune Group of Schools, and Lydia Group of Schools.
Also in the junior category were Kingdom Schools Academy, Holy Land Demonstration Group of Schools, A.B Educational Center, and Great Success Comprehensive Collage.
The three day event was action-packed as the students engaged in paintings, bead making, and production of 3D tiles.
Aside from the show of skills , all the sixteen schools also took part in the keenly contested cultural completion that showcased an array of Nigeria’s diverse cultural heritage, espousing a mix of folklores and cultural dance steps to the admiration of the audience.
The effort of the students did not go unrewarded as the facilitator of the cultural orientation program and member representing Egor/ Ikpoba-Okha federal constituency of Edo state, Hon. Murphy Osaro Omoruyi showered the participating schools with gifts and prizes, among which were over twenty thousand branded note books, fifty school bags each for the sixteen schools, and a hundred thousand Naira for each of the participating schools.
The highlight of the three-day cultural event was the presentation of cash prizes to the winners of the cultural competition.
In the junior secondary school category, Palm 23 Education Center came tops and was presented with a cheque of five hundred thousand Naira while A.B. Education Center and Great Success Education Center were the first and second runners-up and received three hundred and fifty thousand Naira and two hundred thousand Naira, respectively.
For the senior secondary school category, Obaro Education Center emerged the overall winner and went home with a cash prize of five hundred thousand Naira.
Fortune Group of Schools came second and collected the sum of three hundred and fifty thousand Naira while Mater Dei Catholic School emerged third position and got the sum of two hundred thousand Naira.
While presenting the prizes to the deserving schools, Hon. Omoruyi enjoined the students to be good ambassadors of their cultural heritage even as he announced that the cultural orientation and sensitization program shall become an annual event.
