Ibadan - Governor. Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State said on Monday in Ibadan that the state was blessed with abundant cultural resources that were good tourist attractions.
Alao-Akala, who spoke while opening a five-day cultural festival, said: “we are not celebrating or glorifying idolatry, but rather we are re-launching our lost values which have become virtually extinct”.
The governor said that his administration would unearth all the cultural resources to assist the state to earn foreign exchange.
He said that as a people, Nigerians should not forget their culture, urging them to desist from imbibing foreign cultures.
Alao-Akala said that indigenous languages should be used to impact knowledge in primary and secondary schools as was being done in China, Korea and India.
The governor also admonished parents to always speak their local languages to their children, adding, ìour culture must not be wiped out in Nigeria”.
He called on Oyo residents to remain orderly and peaceful throughout the duration of the festival which, he said, would now hold annually.
“Let us eschew all forms of violence. The visitors in our midst must depart our shores with good memories and with a desire to return to witness the next festival”, he said.
Alhaja Risikat Alabi, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, said the state was blessed with hundreds of tourist sites and historical monuments.
She added that it was unfortunate and disheartening that the state’s tourism potential had not been fully tapped to enhance its economic benefits.
Alabi said that there was need to create awareness to attract local and foreign investors as well as tourists to the state.
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