By DADA AYOKHAI
The National Institute of Cultural Orientation (NICO) has charged parents and guardians on inculcating culture, value and indigenous languages on their children as a way of curbing the influx of foreign culture .
The Executive Secretary/CEO of NICO, Ado Yuhuza, gave the charge in Benin during a sensitization programme for junior and secondary schools in Oredo federal constituency.
The event with the theme “Culture Consciousness and the Nigeria child” was organised in collaboration with Hon. Esosa Iyawe, member House of representative, Oredo Federal constituency.
Yuhuza said culture consciousness is crucial to disabuse and dissuade the youths from imbibing foreign culture which he said is negatively impacting on the youths.
“My message to the parents is to teach their children their culture and values. They need to make them imbibe their culture and values and also dissuade them from imbibing foreign cultures, these are drawing the nation backward”.
“Now we have the invasion of social media and our children are always hooked to social media learning garbages from outside Nigeria. We need to give them the orientation so that they can grow with our culture, values and indigenous languages so that they would be better leader tomorrow.
He explained that imbibing our culture and value would make the youths become good citizens and better leaders.
“The programme is to inculcate cultural consciousness in our children so as to raise leaders of tomorrow that are grounded in their culture and understand the value of culture and norms so that they can contribute their quota to the nation’s development”.
He said activities lined up to stimulate creativity, national consciousness and healthy competition among the students.
include recitation of national anthem in indigenous
languages, traditional hair making, traditional music and dance,
fashion parade, cultural quiz, cultural cuisine, poetic rendition,
debate.
On his part, the House of Representative member, Esosa Iyawe, said culture is key to national development and that the event was designed to sensitize the students on the need to imbibe their culture and values rather than focusing on foreign culture.
He said he would work with the state government so as to infuse cultural heritage in the school curriculum so that it would not go into extinction.
Also speaking, governor Godwin Obaseki, said the state primary objective is to ensure that Edo rediscovers its Cultural
identity and heritage that define us as a revered kingdom of historical
significance.
Represented by the commissioner for Art, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Uyi Oduwa-Malaka, said Edo is one few states in the country that have a
comprehensive Heritage Policy in place, which is still being reviewed.
He said his administration would partner with NICO with a view to nurturing and cultivating early interest and awareness in its cultural heritage and values.
The schools which participated were Edo College; Imaguero College; Oba Ewuare Secondary school; Emotan College; Ihogbe College; New Era College; Edokpolor Secondary School; Ogbe College; Iyekogba Grammar School; and Idia College.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Edo College came first in the Cultural Quiz competition.
New Era College took the first position in Traditional Hair-do, while Ogbe College placed first in both Traditional Cuisine and debate competitions
