The paramount ruler of Ila-Orangun in Osun State, Oba (Barrister) Adedokun Omoniyi Abolarin, Monday, decried the neglect of cultural heritage and teaching of Nigerian history in schools.
He said history was supposed to be used as compass for to chart the way to the future while cultural heritage was one of the National endowment in Nigeria.
The monarch who delivered this message as a guest speaker at the 2018 law week of the Lead City University, Ibadan said it was the duty of lawyers to educate Nigerians on their fundamental human rights, rather than promoting mediocrity.
The Osun monarch who identified greediness and self-centeredness as one of the problems facing Nigerians, spoke on the topic: “law, customs, and tradition: melting pot for a sane society.”
The lawyer-turned-monarch further said “part of our National heritage was to care for the aged and the generality of our people but today, this is not what we have.
He encouraged the lawyers to bring out the best of Nigerians, adding that individuals need to contribute to national development.
“We have to promote our cultural heritage. White people appreciate and respect our culture while we are neglecting it here. Until we appreciate and respect our culture, we cannot move or achieve much”.
The Orangun said further that “we must consciously prepare the young ones for leadership, we can’t be there for long, whether we like it or not the young ones will take over one day”.
Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Professor Olu Ojedokun submitted that if Nigeria must be great again, tradition, customs and culture must not be disregarded.
The National President, Law Students Association, Wale Ojo Lanre said the
lecture was to further enlighten the students on the importance of law, customs and tradition and how it influences the growth of the society.
He said the choice of Oba Adedokun Abolarin as the guest speaker was because of his experience and patriotism as a traditional ruler and a legal luminary.
Packaged by Mayowa Owogbade
