By Donald Iorchir
Th e fi rst annual cultural summit and creative exhibition will be hosted in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from September 21 to 22, 2017, organisers of the event have disclosed. At the unveiling of the Arise for Nigeria Schools/Children’s Cultural Summit and Creative Exhibition, held at Protocol Garden, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), the President, Waka About Grassroots Media, Mr. Happy Joe Isitua, disclosed that the sole aim of organising the two-day event was to “re-awaken the consciousness of Nigerians, especially the youth population, to the need to uplift the nation’s rich culture, improve the environment, agriculture and our traditional values.”
He said: “Th e nation’s traditional values and standard of education have been eroded due to the infl uence of western cultures and home appliances like videos” which he regretted have captured the interest of the youth and directed them away from our cultures.
“Th e importation of foreign traditions and beliefs should be curtailed if we hope to bequeath lasting legacies for the future generation, stressing that now is the appropriate period to kick-start there-reorientation and rejuvenation process. “Th e idea of catching them young in schools through the development of cultural, environmental, agricultural, creative exhibitions and education during the event will help raise the consciousness of the youth in these areas.”
Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Ali Johnson Onoja, an industrialist, called on Nigerians to embrace restructuring as a way of developing the nation and making it take its rightful place as a player in the global economy. He said “a situation where primary and secondary schools have forgotten about agriculture, which used to be part of the activities in former periods, is disturbing,” and urged that agriculture be returned to the schools. Onoja urged parents to redirect the attention of their children to their cultures rather than allowing them to focus every day on foreign movies and cultures.
