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From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism Bar Yusuf Musa, has attributed the current spate of youth involvement in crime and other negative vices to the sustained erosion of the people’s culture and tradition.
Musa was speaking as a guest of honour at the maiden cultural festival organised by the youth of the 500 unit housing estate on Wednesday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
To address this he opined that the family must strive to retain those values that unite and shape the child towards positivity and productive lives.
He said the Governor Abdullahi Sold administration attaches great importance to the revival and promotion of the rich cultural heritage and values as well as tourism potential in the state.
According to him, the policy direction of the state as encapsulated in the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS) document is geared towards speedy but organised development of the state and its people with youth as the centrepiece of its implementation.
While commending organisers for their vision, the permanent secretary who was represented by Mallam Umar sued for support for such initiatives and challenged youth to the advantage of opportunities to improve their educational, economic and entrepreneurial potentials.
Other speakers at the event, Salamatu Ibrahim Ogiri for Alago, Hajiya Halima Mohammed Sarki for Kanuri and Hajiya Ruqayya Ilyasu for Egbira all gave perspectives on their various cultural norms and expressed concern over the failure of stakeholders to nurture and protect the sacred values that positively shape the society.
They urged the young organisers to take the initiative an annual festival and urged tribal and cultural associations in the community to embrace and support the event.
Organisers of the event Muhammad Danjuma Muhammad, Aseku Irfan Ahmad, Abdullahi Ibrahim Abdullahi, Musa Ibrahim Orume, Binta Bawa and Aliyu Haidar Yahaya among others said the event was organised to foster unity among the different ethnic groups in the estate.
According to the organisers through their chairman, Muhammad Danjuma Muhammad, a lot of positives could be derived from the diverse cultural potentials in the state and assured that they would continue to champion the cause of unity amongst the people in the estate.
The highlight of the event included an exhibition of cultural food and attire, cultural dances and drama series as well as goodwill messages from well-wishers
