Mr Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), on Thursday, advised Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of cultural integration and diplomacy to achieve national unity.
Runsewe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that this was important considering the nation’s many cultural and ethnic diversities.
He said that Nigerians, irrespective of their tribes, religions and languages, should be able to see themselves as a unified force to be able to pursue and achieve common goals in 2020.
According to him, Nigerians should respect one another’s cultural differences and values as well as imbibe them.
“Cultural difference is our major problem; we all must consciously respect the beliefs and practices of other groups without sentiments.
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“We need to explore our diversities as our strength in 2020.
“We should all make up our minds to love one another regardless of our culture and ethnic differences.
“A Yoruba man should be able to wear other cultures’ attires and eat their foods as I do always.
“We should see ourselves as Nigerians and not Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo,” he said.
Runsewe said that many countries had been able to solve problems associated with cultural diversities, adding that, Nigeria should not be an exemption.
He said for the nation to progress, the citizenry must work unanimously to uphold every aspect of the nation’s cultures and respect them.
Runsewe said that the NCAC had been able to blend various cultural differences by rotating the hosting of the National Festival for Arts and Culture in different states each year.
(NAN)
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