By Moses Abu.
The Founder/Chief Executive Officer of EduShine foundation, Dr Safiya Stephanie Musa has advised youths in the country to imbibe positive cultural practices to ensure quick development of the nation, saying culture and development must remain harmonious.
She stated this in Anyigba over the weekend while speaking at the Cultural Day celebration organised by the National Association of Idah Students, Kogi State University, Anyigba chapter.
Represented by Mr Ilemona Ogwu Jude, Dr Safiya stated that the cultural day celebration couldn’t have come at a more auspicious time than now when there was urgent need to harmonise culture with development in order to create social stability especially among youths.
She commended the organisers for the choice of the theme of the celebration, “Our culture, our heritage, Our pride”, describing it as “apt.”
According to her, the relevance of the theme for the celebration could be viewed from the crisis of identity afflicting majority of Nigerians including those of Igala extraction and the need for people to trace their cultural identity to help them appreciate their peculiar humanity.
“I wish to use this platform to call on all sons and daughters of Igala ethnic group to come together to restore the good cultural practices of the Igalas, which have successfully built cohesion among the people over a long period of time manifesting in the pride and positivity that define their identity.
“Let our youths not be influenced by negative vices despite the pressures on them arising from peer groups to want to belong, resulting in negative practices like cultism, political thuggery, armed robbery, kidnapping and intellectual laziness,” Dr Safiya further stated.
The social advocate also encouraged Igala youths to utilise their youthful idealism and energy to set agenda for development in Igalaland for those in power instead of serving as willing tools in their hands to manipulate electoral processes or engage in corrupt practices while in office.
“You should use culture to engender unity among yourselves, and strive to serve as examples of how leaders should live, instead of creating disunity and promoting violence as some have been known to be doing,” she warns.
Dr Safiya also admonishes Igala youths to be active in political participation by serving as vigilantes in political activities, saying that could lead to the entrenchment of due process in the political recruitment system, noting that acts of indiscipline and lawlessness among youths clearly contradict the cultural practices and value system of the Igala people. She particularly praised the organisers of the event for showcasing the positive aspects of Igala culture and called on the generality of Idah students to remain good ambassadors of the community.
“As the ancestral home of the Igalas, Idah students should maintain the best of Igala tradition by promoting discipline, obedience, hard work and anti corruption. Let me also assure you that I will continue to play the role of mentor, philanthropist and advocate of social justice using the platform of EduShine for the promotion of the Igala ideals of empathy, selfless service and good neighbourliness,” she further stated.
The cultural day event which was witnessed by some special guests including the Administrator of Idah Local Government, Mr Hillary Ahmodu, the Ejeh Dekina, Ogohi Anyigba, Ogohi Ologba and so many other personalities was described as “impressive” with many giving testimonies to the various community services and engagements of students in Kogi State university by EduShine Educational Support Foundation.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of merit awards to some deserving personalities and organisations in which EduShine foundation bagged two of the awards from both the Idah and Dekina local government students associations of the institution.
Cultural Day celebration is an event dedicated to cultural displays by students of higher institutions with a view to reawakening their cultural identities and reviving the cultural practices.
