From Esther Akaa, Lafia
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has stressed the need for citizens to embrace the culture and traditions of the society, in order to promote unity, peace and togetherness among the diverse people of the country.
Governor Sule who spoke through his Special Adviser on Youth and Sports Development, Kwanta Yakubu, at the recent Gitta 2021 Cultural Festival, held in Wamba Local Government Area of the state said the cultural heritage of the state must be preserved, in order to prevent it from going into extinction. He described cultural festival as a rallying and unifying force that would galvanise and create a bond among the diverse ethnic groups.
He said that the security challenges of the state, including, kidnapping, banditry, among others can be surmounted, if the people are united through culture and tradition, calling on them to go back to their cultural way of doing things for the peace and progress of the state.
“As a people, the nation cannot continue to thrive on falsehood, fallacies and deceit, and expect the development of values to grow. The culture and heritage of the people must be sustained, in order to unravel the mysteries of the present and constructive plan for the future. Without the past, the present is meaningless and the future will be uncertain.
“What binds our people together is culture. We will continue to support you, as your illustrious sons and daughters are part of the success story of my administration,” he said.
Also speaking, member, representing Wamba constituency in the state House of Assembly, Aliyu Dogara, called on youths to get involved in the promotion of cultural heritage and values, in order to preserve them.
Earlier, state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Comrade Dogo Shammah, said the cultural festival was an annual event, instituted to showcase the cultural heritage and serve as platform to revive the culture of the people, as well prevent it from going into extinction.
Comrade Shammah said that his ministry had put together the 2021 state cultural festival, in order to showcase the rich cultural heritage and values of the state to the outside world.
“Our plan, as a ministry, is to meet with all the leaders of cultural groups in the state, so that they can be given re-orientation and sensitisation on the need to revive our cultures.
“When we came on board, we organised a week cultural festival, where we showcased the cultural values that abound in the state. We believe that this can revive our culture, tradition and create an avenue to improve the state’s internally-generated revenue,” he said.
The event witnessed large crowd of cultural groups, enthusiasts from all walks of life, and many descendants of the Gitta community who came to celebrate their history, culture, tradition and heritage.
