Institute blames western education on cultural declination
National Institute for Cultural Orientation has lamented the rate at which western education has eaten deep into the lives of Nigerians, saying that it has affected the cultural heritage of the people.
The Niger State Coordinator of NICO, Funke Ndukwe, said on Wednesday in Minna at an event to mark the 2014 World Cultural Day, jointly organized by the institute and the Niger State Council for Arts and Culture, that Nigerians must speak our local dialect, especially to their children.
According to Ndukwe: “World culture is about appreciating culture, know what your culture is all about.
“Looking into our lives today, you will find out that western education has eaten deep, especially into the lives of our children that they do not know anything about their cultural heritage.
“We must speak our local dialect, especially to our children, because children are the ones that need the culture.
“It is said that anybody that losses his culture has lost his identity.”
Ndukwe however suggested the establishment of NICO Cultural Clubs in all primary and secondary schools so that children will be able to learn and speak and write their native languages.
She applauded Nigerlite for upholding their culture and advised them to keep it up, adding that she had no much work to do when it comes to cherishing culture in Niger State.
“This signifies that everybody in Niger State is embodiment of culture,” she said.
The Coordinator emphasized the need to have public enlightenment programme to educate people, especially in the rural areas, to know what culture is all about.
“We organized weekend indigenous programme where we teach children and adult how to speak and write the local languages in all four state offices and six zonal offices every weekend and its free of charge,” Ndukwe said.
