Aisha Buhari, Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday urged children to embrace the cultural values of Nigeria and develop their creative minds.
Aisha said this during the Children Fiesta at the ongoing Abuja carnival, which began on Dec. 3.
Represented by her Senior Special Assistant, Dr Hajju Sani, Aisha said children were the leaders of the future and should uphold the rich culture of the nation.
She said that sustaining and promoting the countries rich cultural heritage required creativity.
“Nigeria is a culturally rich nation and children will not forget this culture when they are taught at their tender age.
“Children are the leaders of tomorrow and we love our children, we want them to be creative to do more than the present leaders.
“Creativity is not about doing something better than others, but a discovery of innovations.
“Children should endeavour to put their minds to work, advance more than what their teachers in school teach them,’’ Aisha said.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed said children were the hope of the nation.
Represented by Mrs Ayotunde Adesugba, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mohammed urged stakeholders in the creative industry to strive to join forces with the government to preserve the cultural heritage of the country.
According to him, if the culture goes into extinction, the children will not have the proper cultural background of their diverse tribes.
NAN reports that the Children Fiesta was a platform created to promote and develop the creative ability of children from ages five to 15 years.
NAN also reports that the aim of the programme was to promote cultural integration among children bearing in mind that they were of diverse socio-cultural, religious and economic background.
It was also designed to celebrate children’s positive attributes, creative ability through fun filled activities like traditional, modern dance, fashion parade, poetry, and drama, among other activities.
Children from different schools within the Federal Capital Territory and other states of the federation participated in the Children’s Fiesta.
The carnival continues on Monday with Masquerade Fiesta and Boat Regatta at the Eagle Square and Jabi Dam respectively.
