DG NCAC tasks youth on need to reconnect to Nigerian culture

The Director-General National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe has charged youths to be ambassadors of culture wherever they find themselves.

The NCAC boss was speaking at the recently celebrated Nigeria of My Dream season five event with the theme, “Arise o compatriots, Nigeria in dire need of nationalists not politicians” The event witnessed a lot of fanfare with Otunba Runsewe using the occasion to further reiterate the need for the youths to imbibe our tradition as against western culture. He proclaimed, “our culture, our pride, our music our pride. Our dance our pride, our diversity our pride”.

Runsewe explained that a situation where a handsome looking boy plaits his hair is alien to our culture.He charged leaders to do everything humanly possible to discourage all manner of attitude or behaviour that do not promote Nigerian culture.

While commending the organizers of the Nigeria of My dream project, the culture helmsman emphasized the need for all hands to be on deck in ensuring that Nigeria becomes a strong, virile united Nation. “Let us support this dream with all we have to make the dream a reality” says Runsewe who doubled as the Chairman of the occasion. He challenged the students of both public and private schools present to have passion for a greater Nigeria.

The keynote speaker, Mrs. Nnena Akajemeli, National Coordinator SERVICOM congratulated the organizers for sustaining the competition to season five saying the event was worthwhile because it encouraged patriotism, mutual coexistence, healthy competition and development of leadership. She added that all stakeholders must do everything to make the Nigeria of My Dream project a reality.

According to Mrs. Akajemeli, promoting richness of diversity amongst the children whom she described as our seeds for the future, would not only expose Nigerian students and pupils to a value based competition but will also inculcate in them the right ways of doing things which is one pillar of the SERVICOM mandate.

The National Coordinator stressed that plans are underway to incorporate SERVICOM principles into the school curriculum as part of civic education at all levels.This, according to her was recommended in a communiqué at the end of the recently held National Policy Dialogue on strategies for improving service delivery with the aim of inculcating in the younger generation the culture and ethics of punctuality and dedication to duty among other things.

Earlier on, the former Director-General of National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Mr. Peter Igho (MFR) who is also patron of Nigeria of My Dream Project, felicitated with the organizers for achieving another feat. In his remarks, he charged leaders to always lead by example, ensuring that the younger generation emulate only people of true nationalist character. “We must care for them with all means possible in order to have a better tomorrow,” he urged.

The event came to a climax with the presentation of prizes to the participated schools at both primary and secondary categories. At primary category, two schools competed; Pilot Science Primary School and LEA Model Primary School, Maitama.

At the end of the contest, LEA primary school came first with 199.6 points, the second position went to Pilot Science with 144.3 point. In the secondary schools categories, Destiny International School clinched the 3rd position with 133.3 points, EFAB International School came 2nd with 136.3 as Aunty Marries Kiddies Academy emerged the overall winner with 182 points.

The outstanding individual performance award tagged, ‘Sterling Performance Award’ went to Kaliru of Aunty Marries Kiddies School while the newly instituted Award of the Director-General of NCAC, called, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe Award for the Best Cultural Performance went to LEA Model Primary School, Maitama which emerged the overall Best school in this regard.