The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has urged Nigerians to embrace, appreciate and showcase their cultural values home and abroad.
Ogunwusi said this at the inauguration of the Erelu Yeye Odua (E.Y.O.) Cultural Renaissance Centre on Sunday in Lagos.
The event organised by the Erelu Yeye Odua Foundation, featured a Christmas Carol and Gala Night.
According to him, most Nigerians no longer appreciate their cultural values as it was in the past.
“We have rich culture, heritage, norms and values that we can market to the outside world but most Nigerians now prefer western values to their culture.
“They have lost their cultural values to the western world and this is not good for the image of the country,” he said.
The traditional ruler urged the Federal Government to adequately fund the culture and tourism sector to reawaken the country’s traditional values.
He also implored government to encourage private investors to fully tap into the nation’s rich cultural resources.
Ogunwusi said that adequate funding of the sector would attract more investors to the art, culture and tourism world.
The traditional ruler also urged the present government to empower youths to explore and harness the culture, art and tourism potential of the country.
He said that if the federal government could properly fund the sector, it would in turn raise government’s revenue and help to address the nation’s unemployment challenges.
