World Culture Day, soul-searching platform

World Culture Day is celebrated on May 21 annually. It has been described as a platform for soul searching by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Makanjuola Suleiman Ajadi. Commissioner, Social Development, Culture and Tourism, Kwara State, Amos Aboyeji, represented by Mrs. Funmilayo Ajiboye, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said […]

World Culture Day is celebrated on May 21 annually. It has been described as a platform for soul searching by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Makanjuola Suleiman Ajadi.
Commissioner, Social Development, Culture and Tourism, Kwara State, Amos Aboyeji, represented by Mrs. Funmilayo Ajiboye, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said key players in the Tourism and Culture industry were committed to transform the sector and reposition it for a critical role in dealing with the current challenges militating against the country, and that this could only be achieved by working together.
“In recent times, entrepreneurship has become a continuous social science investigation and it was not unconnected with its usefulness as a primary assert of any country’s economy, Nigeria not being an exception in the comity of the nations,” he said.
Adding: “because of the global development this aspect had achieved, individuals, scholars, agencies and government were on the track of what the problems of its slow pace were and how to curb them, if not stagnant in Nigeria.”
Speaking at this year’s celebration of the Day, organised by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) North-Central Zone, Ilorin, in collaboration with Kwara State Ministry of Social Development, Culture and Tourism, Ajadi said, “such an occasion should not be taken only as an assembly of future leaders, lectures, and the rest of it. Instead it should be thought of, as a platform for parents, community and the entire society, to do soul-searching and see if parents still carry out their traditional responsibilities of inculcating in their children sound cultural values.”
At the event themed ‘Cultural Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria’, Ajadi, explained that, the celebration which revolves around the role of culture in entrepreneurship development, was timely, as the youths have become victims of unholy acts, being mercenaries in the hands of wicked persons.
In his welcome address, NICO boss, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma said the 2014 World Day for Cultural Diversity, Dialogue and Development had become a celebration with significant impact on ways to end the man-made tragedies bedevilling the country.
Read by the Zonal Coordinator, Ibrahim Lawal, Ayakoroma said the essence of the Day was not only to create a chance for people to celebrate diversity and harmony, “but also to understand issues around cultural diversity and harmony among governments, non-governmental organizations and the public, adding that, as a multi-religious country, Nigeria, instead of enjoying speedy development as one of the advantages of unity in diversity, was battling with the unexpected tragedies threatening the country’s peaceful co-existence, and that it was not unconnected with near total negligence of core cultural values.”
Adding: “For Nigeria, as one of the countries of the world which embraced her varied cultural history and acknowledged the importance of embracing it, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is a celebration of Treasure Peace.”
Highlighting the significance of NICO programmes, including the “National Conference on Culture, Peace and National Security for Traditional Rulers,” Ayakoroma said it was based on the foregoing that the Institute wrote the Kwara State Government to sponsor some traditional rulers in the state to attend this year’s national conference which took place last Monday at the Banquet Hall, Arewa House, Kaduna.
He recalled times when primary school pupils offered Arts and Crafts as a subject with practical sessions under very strict supervision, and children learnt varieties of creative works, such as pottery, basket weaving, broom making, beads and sculptures of different sizes, and many more, saying all of these really helped develop entrepreneurship and doubted if such platforms still existed.
Lawal, said occasions like the World Culture Day, which tend to enhance the advantages of cultural diversity in development, needed to be organised more frequently, so that everyone would know that Africans, Nigerians in particular, do not have cultures of any manner of destruction.
Adding that, “the frequency will also awaken and sustain in people, the importance of the country’s cultures and deepen the understanding of cultural diversity and harmony for peaceful co-existence of the people.”
In a paper, titled, “Considering Cultural Entrepreneurship for Economic Development in Nigeria,” co-presented by Dr. Lawal Ejalonibu of Department of Political Science, and Mr. Olatunji Abdulrahaman of Department of Sociology, all of University of Ilorin, highlighted the significance of this year’s theme for the celebration.
A total of twenty-seven primary and secondary schools attended the programme, out of which twelve and the Kwara State Performing Troupe entertained the audience with dances and a dance drama, titled, “The Tricks,” as well as exhibition of arts and crafts.
Meanwhile, staff of NICO’s South-South Zonal Office, penultimate Thursday, went through a one-day sensitisation programme to enlighten them on staff discipline, conduct and work ethics, to enhance service delivery.
In his opening remarks, the Zonal Coordinator, Mr. James Imohiosen, said the sensitization programme had become imperative considering the fact that training is critical to staff development and urged them to take the exercise seriously, as knowledge gained from the training will improve their working skills for greater efficiency.
Resource person, Mr. Andrew Ebi, in his lecture, delved into very sensitive areas on the rules and regulations guiding the civil service.
Encouraging staff to adhere to the civil service rules, he said, “your success in the service depends, largely, on how you strictly abide by the civil service rules.” He emphasised on acts of indiscipline (improper dressing, lateness to work, insubordination, disrespect to superiors, sleeping on duty, and so on), which attract disciplinary action; and cases of gross misconduct (fighting, falsification of figures, advance fee fraud, that is, 419), that attract dismissal, termination or forced resignation, as the case may be.
It will be recalled that the decision to sensitise staff on the rules and regulations governing the civil service came on the heels of a recent visit to the Zonal Office by the Executive Secretary, where he harped on staff discipline, advising them to take the issue seriously as defaulters will face severe disciplinary measures.