The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Ondo State, Hon. Wale Akinlosotu has made known his intention to facilitate economic development of the state through the instrumentality of culture and tourism.
Akinlosotu made this known while having a chat with the Democrat News Magazine and other journalists in Akure on Thursday February 10, 2022, saying that he was motivated by vision to change the face of culture and tourism in the state being in charge of the ministry.
He said: “This is a Ministry that houses our culture and tradition in Ondo State and as a people who cherish culture, we have to step in with proactive mind to take culture and tourism to the next level. This is our motivation.
“We are developing our museum in Ondo State to be the world class in order to showcase our rich culture and tradition to the world thereby bringing economic values to our state.
While identifying the line of demarcation between culture and religion, Akinlosotu said: “Your culture is who you are, which represents the total value, norm and tradition being passed on to a man from one generation to another as a way of identity.
“Truly, religion has actually changed people’s orientation about culture, but we just have to keep our culture because that is who we are.
He therefore charged they parents and the younger generation to strive hard to keep the Yoruba rich culture alive stressing that nothing should make the culture go to extinction.
“Everywhere you go in the world you will see people preserving their culture, like the Chinese, the Spanish people and others they are always preserving their culture because it is their way of life and identity.
“Parents should endeavour to teach their children our cultural heritage and they in turn will teach their own children for posterity. There is nothing wrong in adopting English as our lingua franca in Nigeria but children should be encouraged to speak Yoruba at home.
“English is not our mother tongue, so they can speak English while in school and speak Yoruba at home to balance it.”