By Stephen Adeleye.
Prof. Sunday Ododo, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer (GM/CEO), National Theater, Lagos, has commended the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for promoting Nigerian culture.
Ododo said this on Saturday during the NYSC 2023 Batch ‘B’ Stream Two Cultural Carnival, at the Orientation camp, Asaya, Kabba in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi.
“I am glad to be here today to witness the NYSC cultural carnival in Kogi, and to see all the Platoons being culturally prepared to display our various cultural shows.
“A cultural show that unites us with our roots; culture is existence, life and life is culture. This is one of the key objectives of NYSC.
“I know through this, the corps members have learnt something about the culture and traditions of Kogi people as well as that of other zones in Nigeria.
“This is the way to go if we must survive as a nation with pride; and no other way,” Ododo said.
He pledged that the National Theater would partner with Kogi NYSC, to constitute a prize for the best cultural troupe.
According to him, this will become an annual event and prize giving as well as a National prize.
He urged the corps members to continue to put in their best and exhibit cultural and moral values in their places of primary assignments.
He stressed the need for children to be thought culture, ethics and morals from home, and engage them in cultural activities in schools.
“We should teach our children about national cultures early, not just their own culture but other cultures within the society.
“When children know these early enough, they will be guided to do the right thing.
“They would have value for human life, and would not engage in banditry, kidnapping and killing.. No culture support killing and immorality; every culture safeguards life and morals,” he reiterated.
Earlier, the State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Mofoluwasho Williams, said the event titled: “Cultural float” is a display of all cultures of the nation as far as they could showcase.
According to her, the NYSC scheme remains the credible institution which serves as a reference, melting point and veritable platform to showcase the rich cultural values of all the constituents that made up the entity called Nigeria.
She said that the event was focused on re-orientating the youth to believe that the country had rich cultural heritage, saying, “when we look deep into the different cultures, we are basically the same.
“With this cultural float, we are trying to make the corps members appreciate fact and do a buy-in so that they can market and export our cultures.”
The state coordinator tasked the corps members on discipline, teamwork, decent dressing, self-controlled and time conscious, which were the ingredients needed to be successful in their chosen careers.
On her part, Mrs Aminat Etsu-Muazu, the Head of Social Committee, said the cultural carnival helped in promoting the country’s rich heritage.
According to her, it is ensuring that the language, culture and traditions do not go into extinction.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the corps members showcased the cultures of major tribes of Kogi as well as some other states.
Platoon seven emerged the overall winner of the NYSC 2023 Batch ‘B’ Stream Two Cultural Carnival in Kogi with a prize award of N200,000, which was shared among all the 10 platoons. (NAN)
