Culture is important to development of Nigerian youths – Dalung

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has stressed the importance of culture to the development of youths in Nigeria and its civilisation.
Dalung spoke on Friday in Akure when he paid homage to the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi in his palace.
The minister said there was no country in the world that had developed without the development and promotion of its culture.
Dalung, who was in Akure for the sixth National Council of Youth Development and the inauguration of the revised National Youth Policy 2019-2023, admonished the youth to be involved in the promotion of the country’s cultures.
Dalung said the issues affecting youth development in the country were becoming critical and they had to be declared as emergencies at the national level.
He said: “Youths are crying for attention more than ever before, they are crying for space, looking for guidance, better inspiration and they want to be prepared for the future.
“We have been shaving heads of the youth in their absence. The white man started it, it must not continue. There is nowhere in the world that civilisation developed without their culture.
“I was in Seoul; they spoke to me in Korean.
“The French President is the custodian of the French language; we must revert to our traditions, to our roots and develop our youths.”
Dalung also used the occasion to appeal to all stakeholders to put the issues affecting the youth in the front burner.
He said that this was to avoid the ‘Tsunami’ such neglect cause in the future.
He said: “We are in Akure to present the reviewed National Youth Policy carefully put together by the Federal Government and its partners.
“It treats issues such as the information technology, terrorism, cybercrime, employment that are key to youth development.
“It is important to put it before Nigerians for implementation. Experts from different parts of the country will be participating.”
The Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, lauded the minister for advocating the promotion of culture and on how to improve the Nigerian youth.
The monarch also commended the present government for treating issues affecting youths with all the seriousness it deserves.
The monarch advised the Federal Government to continue to promote youth empowerment and everything that would protect the nation’s many cultures.
He said that a delegation had visited him with a plan to organise an empowerment programme for youths in Akure.
The traditional ruler also said that the African culture, especially the native languages, was going into extinction.
He agreed that nationals of other climes were fond of speaking their indigenous languages.