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 Representatives, Oredo Federal Constituency.
“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 enthused.
Going further, he explained: “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.”
On his part, the House of Representatives 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.
Also speaking, Governor Godwin Obaseki, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Uyi Oduwa-Malaka, 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.
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.
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