By Francis Ogbuagu Benin City
Hon Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Member, Representing Oredo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has restated the need to preserve Nigeria’s culture in order to foster unity that will producing effective leaders for the betterment of the nation.
He made the remarks on Tuesday at the 5th edition of the Cultural Orientation and Sensitization Programme, organized by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) in collaboration with the House Committee on Culture and Tourism, in Benin City.
The lawmaker said the four-day event themed, “culture consciousness, empowerment and the future of the Nigerian student” was geared towards inculcating the values of culture into students of secondary schools Ogbeide-Ihama, who is also the Chairman House committee on culture and tourism, noted that despite the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, they have been able to sustain the annual event by devising a strategy to organise this year’sedition.
He urged both students in both Senior and Junior Secondary Schools in Oredo Local Government Area of the State, to do their best in the competitive events. “Over the years, we have been able to discover talents and today there is hardly any students in public schools that cannot recite the national anthem and pledge in Bini language “Culture is a way of life; if we do not imbibe it in our students or children from birth then we are going to have fundamental issues as generations pass by.
In his remarks, Executive Secretary National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Ado Muhammed, said the event serves as a medium for cultural revitalisation and reorientation for the young generation. Muhammed who was represented by the deputy director orientation and cultural affairs of NICO, Franca Okoro said, “culture has been a vital force for accelerating human development especially when its untapped potential are well harnessed”.
