Stakeholders In Ondo State Meet On Revival Of Cultural Heritage
The relevant stakeholders in Ondo State have met on the need to work out modality for the revival cultural values that are fast eroding in the country.
Some of the stakeholders at the meeting on Tuesday 5th of March, 2024 held in the ministry of Culture and Tourism including NLC Chairman and the State Chairman of NUT, Comrade Victor Amoko, PTA Chairman, Alhaji Abimbola Omoloja, ASSUS Chairman Comrade Tajudeen Balogun, Chairman Conference of Headteachers, Comrade Akintoroye Frederick, ANCOPSS representative Mr. Adebisi Jimbola, Principal Aquinas College, Akure, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Culture and Tourism, directors among others.
While having a chat with journalists shortly after their roundtable meeting, the Permanent Secretary Ondo State Ministry Culture and Tourism, Mr. Adeyemi Sule said that the purpose of the stakeholders’ meeting was to chart the way forward on how to revive the dwindling cultural values of the land.
In his words “What we are doing here today is the first step towards actualizing greater goals in terms of institutionalizing cultural awareness in the minds of the younger ones.
“There is the need to catch them young as a first step towards reviving dying cultural heritage.”
Mr. Sule said it is unfortunate that many of these younger ones could not express themselves in their native languages saying that the meeting will continue and that the goal is to finalize on a day in a week whereby students come to school in their local attire and learn in their mother tongue.
Also in his comment, the Director of Culture, State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr Lanre Akarakiri said it is the right step in the right direction to do all within the power of the stakeholders to see that cultural values are preserved.
In his remark, the State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and State Chairman of NLC, Comrade Victor Amoko said it is quite unfortunate that many young people are not even familiar with their local attires like Alari or kembe and that the move is a right step in the right direction as the focus will be to come up with workable plans towards institutionalizing cultural awareness into schools.
Also speaking on behalf of Ondo State ANCOPSS, Mr Bisi Jimbola, the principal of Aquinas College and the State Chairman of ASSUS, Comrade Tajudeen Balogun restated that the deliberation was quite a success as all hands must be on deck to save our culture from extinction.
They used the medium to commend the ministry for coming up with the idea saying that it will be a welcome development for schools to adopt it for posterity.
In a chat with newsmen, Alhaji High Chief Abimbola Omoloja, the state chairman on of Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and Comrade Akintoroye Fredrick Olakunle, the chairman of Head Teachers in Primary Schools described the initiative as a welcome development which is still being fine tuned and that it is one of the ways to appreciate and promote the beauty of culture among younger generation.