Ancestral Pride Foundation, an NGO, has blamed the neglect of cultural values for the rising rate of corruption and crimes in the country.

The Founder of the NGO, Mr Fashola Faniyi, told newsmen in Ota, Ogun that the failure of some parents to inculcate cultural values in their children was affecting the nation’s development.

““We need to properly train our children in the right way so that when they grow up they will be able to say no to vices such as corruption, armed robbery and kidnapping,’’ he said.
He said that in the past, corruption and other crimes were minimal in society because parents had time to train their children.

Faniyi said that part of the foundation’s mandate was to visit schools in Ogun to educate pupils on cultural and traditional values of society, the News Aency of Nigeria, NAN, reports.

He decried the inability of some children to speak their mother tongue, saying that there was an urgent need to lay emphasis on the importance of indigenous languages.

“”There is a need to change people’s orientation about our traditional beliefs and practices. People believe that most of our traditional practices are fetish and this is not true,’’ he said.
He implored Nigerian film makers to also take urgent steps to portray indigenous culture in positive ways in their movies.

Faniyi, a biochemist, also advised the Federal Government to create an enabling environment for the promotion of culture in the country so as to attract tourists.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the foundation, which would be inaugurated on Nov. 24, was established to assist less privileged people in society and promote the African socio -cultural heritage.