Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, says that no one culture in Nigeria can survive alone.
Mohammed stated this at the Cultural Centre, Calabar where he was treated to a night of cultural performance by the Cross River cultural troupe to herald the World Tourism Day.
The World Tourism Day is commemorated annually on Sept. 27 to foster awareness among international communities of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.
The theme of the 2022 celebration is “Rethinking Tourism.”
The Minister who was in Calabar to celebrate the day, said there were similarities among the cultures in Nigeria, meaning Nigerians were all one people.
He praised the Cross River Cultural Troupe for their world class performance, adding that they had been treated to a first class cultural artistry that would be applauded anywhere in the world.
“The drama on unity states it clearly that not one of us can do it alone, we are all one people.
“I wish that those who say Nigeria is at war and has no future are here today to witness the world class performance put together by this troupe.
“Anybody who has witnessed war will not wish for war or separation,” he advised.
Mohammed appealed to the younger generation to imbibe the performing arts, adding that very soon the nation’s culture would be extinct unless the next generation took over.
Mr. Eric Anderson, Cross River’s Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, thanked the minister for coming to Calabar to celebrate the World Tourism Day.
“The performance you have enjoyed this night is coming from a cultural troupe that has been to Egypt in 2016, to Bangkok in 2018 and to the carnival in Rio.
“We have also performed in the State House in Abuja, two years in a row, it is a product of hard work and we intend to keep it up.”