By Prisca Sam-Duru & Vera Anyagafu

Upon entering the Agip  Recital Hall of Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos, penultimate week, guests were greeted by a bold art work of the map of Nigeria which stood at the centre of the stage. The amazing piece was protected with beautiful alluring material with rainbow colours. Both the art work and the clothe material were more than stage accessories; they symbolised unity and peace which were the main thrust of the 2nd edition of the Macmillan Youth Cultural Day competition. The culture event was tagged, My Country, My Pride.

Also, seeing the organising committee members clad in various native attires representing one ethnic group or the other, told guests that the ocassion was indeed  a cultural fiesta. The invited schools which formed part of the audience, arrived early and waited with much enthusiasm for the commencement of the event as they hoped their schools would triumph.

The show kicked off in time and Baptist Academy, though not among the competing schools, set the stage alive with a most brilliant teaser that got the audience wishing they had competed. Their act was a breath-taking theatrical portrayal of challenges of the country as well as the need for Nigeria to remain united. They harped on the importance of honesty and forgiveness in antion building.

Ifako International Private School, the defending champion; Focus Secondary School, Ebute Meta; Edidot College, Badore Ajah; Jubril Martins Memorial Grammar School, Iponri; Methodist Boys High School, V/I and Yaba College of Technology Staff School, Lagos, were the 6 schools that competed. They performed based on sub themes such as; Governance, Culture, Religion, Education, Attitude and Security, respectively.

Edidot College, Ajah set the ball rolling with their presentation that covered the area of religion.

In an attempt to interpret their sub themes, a whole lot of issues ranging from cultism, kidnapping, Chibok abduction, poverty, gambling, corruption, lack of quality education, water, light, etc, were highlighted.

The children’s performances exposed how knowledgeable they are about happenings in the country, which is an indication that Nigeria Leaders should see beyond politics and put things in order.
At the end of the day, the judges; Dr Felix Emoruwa and Mr Steve James, who judged the competitors based on their originality, expression, dexterity, interpretation, creativity and understanding of the theme, adjudged Focus Sec School, the winner. The Second position was taken by Edidot College while Methodist Boys came 3rd.

All participating schools got certificates while special prizes – Punctuality and Best Actor Prizes were presented to Focus Sec School and Gerald Oghenekaro from Methodist Boys, respectively.  The Managing Director, Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Ltd, Dr. A. Adelekan explained that the theme of the cultural event was chosen to encourage “the youths that while we have been run down, hated, roughed up, discriminated against, neglected and discouraged, we can still stand strong and tall as a country…In truth, Nigeria is still work in progress.”

Dr Adelekan who noted that “We are challenged to keep building in spite of the various obstacles the nation faces…Our strength lies in our diversity.”, added that the fact that “Nigerians have been known to have strong mental aptitude, creative, adaptive and strong-willed,” are enough reason we should be proud of ourselves and the country.

He regretted that while resourceful Nigerians are unheard, only scoundrels and terrorists make headline news. Nigeria’s foremost filmmaker Chief Tunde Kelani who was guest of honour at the competition, described the country as an exciting place to be due to its cultural diversity, stressing that “ I value Nigeria’s cultural values because they are the greatest gift God has given to Nigerians.”