The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Eze Madumere has called on parents to put more effort in teaching their children Igbo cultures and traditions.
The Deputy Governor made the call while speaking to newsmen in Ukpo, Anambra State during Ofala Festival at the country home of Prince Arthur Eze popularly known as Ozo Igbo Ndu.
Madumere while congratulating ‘Eze nu Ukpo’ on 2018 year’s colourful Ofala Festival where Igbo cultural heritage was on display, commended him for the colour and pageantry that have been brought into it, making it very attractive to the younger generations.
Madumere who was in Ukpo, Anambra State, to identify with Eze whose brother-Igwe was celebrating said; “I salute the good people of the state for preserving this rich cultural heritage. I know that Ofala Festival is an annual event where a traditional ruler commemorates his coronation and will use the opportunity to tell his subjects his activities for the year and also speak on other issues that deserves their attention. What makes it so beautiful and alluring are the cultural and traditional heritage of our people that are on exhibition.”
Madumere did not spare parents who have chosen to embrace Western culture in-to-to without any effort towards exposing their children to the cultures and traditions of the people.
He spoke on the need to preserve those values of Igbo people that have remained relevant in the way we bring up our children and to also teach them the belief of Ndi Igbo.
He therefore called on state governments in the South East to do more to ensure that history is taken seriously in the academic curricular to ensure that present generation and generations to come do not lose touch of their background, who they really are and what their historical antecedents have been.
His words; ” I am one of those who have been preaching the need to re-fashion our educational curricular to accommodate history and make a compulsory subject. There is also the need to unearth those areas of importance that have been veiled with lies by some unpatriotic elements. We will be undoing ourselves if we fail to pass on to the present and next generations what our background is about, our historical antecedents and our challenges in history. It will mean a lost people who know nothing about themselves and therefore vulnerable.”