Charles Ajunwa, Segun James and Yinka Olatunbosun
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called Nigerians to elect leaders, who would take advantage of the nation’s rich, multicultural heritage and language diversity to unify the country come the 2023.
Sanwo-Olu, who made the appeal at the 35th Edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture tagged: “Eko NAFEST 2022”, said due to some leaders’ actions and choice of language, the nation has become more polarised than ever before
According to him, “The decision to host this year’s edition was borne out of the desire to further support and showcase our arts, our crafts, our entertainment, our nightlife our people, our disposition, and the aquatic splendour of our dear state.
“A lot of effort has gone into the preparation of this national event including a major facelift of the National Institute for Sports, a venue which was carefully picked for its historical value and importance. Equally, this Stadium, the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly known as Onikan Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, is the oldest stadium in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture co-opt other relevant sister Agencies to ensure the event goes on without a hitch: LASAMBUS, LASEMA, our combined Security apparatus made up of LNSC and the Armed forces Force, our Traffic officials, and Safety Commission were all engaged to ensure a successful event.
“Our efforts ensured that the state met and surpassed the criteria set by the National Council for Arts and Culture for hosting this event. We have put our own delegates through rigorous rehearsals to ensure that we not only host, but host to win in the competitive events, including the just concluded parade in which our contingent, glamorously dressed in our typical ‘Eko for show’ manner, paraded with so much pomp and pageantry.
“Lagos State has participated actively in past editions of the Festival held in other states and we have come tops in several of the activities. I am, therefore, confident that we shall no doubt perform the feat at home.
“As we all know, this is the campaign season as our nation’s general election has been scheduled to hold within the first quarter of next year. As political officeholders continue to engage the electorate during this period, it is important to re-echo the message of unity and peaceful co-existence, which NAFEST platform provides.
“Rather than seeing the differences in our language and culture as a dividing factor, I implore us to see it as one of our greatest resources to be embraced, celebrated and used to our collective advantage.
“As we celebrate the Nigerian heritage and cultural diversity here today, my clarion call is that we take this an opportunity to elect leaders, who will recognise and take advantage of our rich, multi-cultural heritage and language to unify us as a people and as a nation which was the intention of our founding fathers.”
