By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
The Olori Francis Meshioye Foundation, a cultural Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged parents to step up efforts to preserve culture and foster inclusiveness and resilience among children.
The Founder of the organisation, Olori Francis Meshioye, gave the advice at the inauguration of some projects in the Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos on Thursday.
The projects were outcome of collaboration between the Department of Philosophy of University of Lagos and the Foundation.
According to him, culture is the only weapon, potent enough, to guide the younger generation and the country at large, to the much-anticipated greatness.
He said that there was the need for parents to therefore first discover who they are, learn to be hard working and realise that they are responsible for so many things, including imbibing knowledge of their culture, early enough in the children.
He stated that much as civilisation was good, it must not be allowed to deride or erode the culture of the citizens.
“For instance, you don’t scold your children because they speak your native language. It is not done.
“This is because, it is this local language that gives them the sense of integration and makes them unique. There are things one cannot change through translation but when it is said in the local language, the children would have deep understanding of it,” the founder noted.
Meshioye said that sustaining culture as a people, would facilitate development and promote unity and inspire inclusiveness.
“Today, we are inaugurating projects in our department, which is part of our mission to foster our culture. One of such projects is the Postgraduate lecture room, to support the university in the area of renovation.
“We want to support whatever we can do to sustain the African culture and ensure it is promoted and brought to limelight, not underrated, because every nation’s culture matters a lot. It is part of our culture to give, reach out and support.
“We will not fold our hands and watch our culture goes into extinction.
“Remember culture determines how one goes about life, relate with people and it makes one get well routed. When you are well routed, you can channel your path easily and very well too.
“If anyone should forget his or her culture, then it is possible that such person will be afloat and when one is afloat, then there is a problem,” he said.
Speaking on the dangers of civilisation on culture, he noted that the problem with civilisation, good as it might sound, infiltrated local contents and ideas.
He said that it would be ridiculous for anyone to act people’s play or rights, saying that keeping it original, real as well as maintaining one’s identity as a people, remained the panacea for accelerated development.
“If there are other ideologies, on the issue of civilisation, there is nothing wrong about that but that should not be at the detriment of our own understanding. You only dispose things that are no longer useful.
“I should not try to be a Chinese, when I am an African but I can look at what the Chinese does that could assist me in improving on what I already have.
“You don’t just hear that there is rain and rush off to throw away the one in your pot, even before the rain comes. It is only wise to collect and add it up.
“I don’t mind civilisation, it is a beautiful thing but you do not reject what you are doing or discard your root and identity because of it,’’ he said.
According to him, I will not say because I am learning English and then, do away with my native language, which is Yoruba.
“It sounds foolish. I will not discard my culture because I want to acquire a foreign one.
“The western world study and preserve their culture. So if they are doing this, why can’t they try to understand and appreciate my culture?” he asked.
Also speaking, Prof Douglas Anele, immediate past Head of Department (HOD) of Philosophy of the university, said that the projects would assist in facilitating the three functions of their callings as academics, which were teaching, learning and community development.
“I must say that we are over excited over these positive developments in our department today.
“This is because, despite the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, series of strikes and in spite of my serious ill health, I was able to achieve some legacy projects, as the Head of Department of Philosophy of this university.
“The projects are the seminar room, which was facilitated by the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, here in UNILAG, through the Director, Prof Muyiwa Falaiye.
“Then, a complete refurnishing of our Postgraduate lecture room by the Otunba Francis Meshioye Foundation. In fact, I want to boast that the Department of Philosophy has the best Postgraduate lecture room among public universities in Nigeria today.
“That is why I brought those who facilitated some of those projects, my friends and colleagues to the commissioning ceremony today,” Anele said.
He said that the third was the refurnishing of the HOD’s office by the little resources of the department and his own fund.
“So these are the three projects that we are commissioning today,’’ he said.
Anele noted that the projects would also serve as templates for his successor to ensure that they leave a legacy project.
“It is not always about what you can get. The problem of leadership in the country is that those people in leadership position are always thinking of what they can get.
“But the moment you put yourself aside, no matter how tight the funds are. You can imagine, since 2020 till now, I had faced serious health challenges and still able to put all these in place,
“I feel it should be a model for others to copy.
“I have done my beat. I have handed the baton to my successor.
“So, I will keep reminding him but the quality of job done is solid,” he said.
Anele, however, noted that the furniture in the Postgraduate lecture room and the HOD’s office could last for over a decade, as he ensured that the best was used in line with the tradition of the university.
He said he was appointed HOD of the department from Aug. 1, 2019 to July 31, 2022, saying that he would personally ensure that the facilities were also maintained.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, lauded the Foundation for the gesture, noting that it was in line with his administration ‘s mission of the “P3P Initiative”, which is: Pick a Project, Pick a Person and Pick a Programme.
Ogundipe said that the gesture by the Foundation would further enhance learning environment for the Postgraduate students of the department and even the final year students.
“This is all about the P3P initiative that we have been talking about. It is all about ensuring that we get the best in place for our students for academic excellence and more.
“We need more of this,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)