•as stakeholders laud Youth Wing for cultural promotion
Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, on Saturday, August 9, expressed satisfaction to the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for his deliberate inclusion of Oro Nation in the scheme of the state’s development agenda.
Senator Eyakenyi who spoke during the 8th Oro Youth Summit at the Oron Civic Centre, thanked Pastor Eno, citing the Nsit Atai-Okobo Road, Oro Jetty reconstruction projects, among others, as examples of the governor’s commitment to the community.
Dr Eyakenyi noted that the 2025 Summit was particularly significant due to its innovative approach to preserving the Oro language.
Speaking through her Press Secretary, Barr Omen Bassey, Eyakenyi emphasized the importance of going beyond mere orthography to ensure the survival of the Oro language, challenging the mother Union to take decisive action.
She highlighted education as a crucial aspect of Oro heritage, stressing that it is essential for opening up opportunities and strengthening the community.
The Senator also noted that the Oro community must not lose sight of the tools needed to leverage their minority status, emphasizing the need for strategic action to promote their interests and development.
In his remarks, Senator Ekong Sampson who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, and represents Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, commended the leadership of the Oron Union Youth Wing for organising the Oron Youth Summit.
He praised the Oro people for their rich culture, highlighting their dignity, nobility, and preservation of cultural heritage.
According to him, the Oro culture, including their food, dressing, and other aspects, is exceptional and distinctive.
Represented by Engr Benedict Edenseting, Senator Sampson highlighted some of the projects he has carried out in Oro Nation during his two years in office.
He encouraged the Oro youths to take advantage of skills learning and investment opportunities in entrepreneurial activities, urging them to be proactive in developing skills and investing in the future so as to be strategically positioned for future opportunities.
In his welcome address, the President of Oron Union Youth Wing, Dr. Emmanuel Ating, emphasized the importance of preserving the heritage and identity of the Oro people. He urged the community to live out their heritage daily, not just during ceremonies, and to draw strength from their unity and communal values.
Dr. Ating warned that abandoning their heritage would leave them vulnerable, but that honouring it would make them strong and resilient.
Emmanuel Ating called on various sectors of the community, including government, faith leaders, traditional rulers, and youth, to work together to achieve greatness. He cited the Oro proverb, “When the hand washes the other, both become clean,” emphasizing the importance of collaboration and mutual support.
He also made several requests to government officials, including President Bola Tinubu and Governor Umo Eno, including a call for the commencement of construction on Section V of the East-West road from Oron to Calabar.
While thanking Gov Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State for completing certain projects in Oro, Ating’s led excos requested government’s attention to flooding issues in certain areas, as well as posting more teachers to Oro Nation to fill gaps in schools.
While delivering her keynote address on the title, “Celebrating Our Cultural Heritage”, the Vice President-General 1 (VPG 1) of Oron Union, Dr Arit Etim, reiterated the importance of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the Oron Nation in the face of Westernization and globalization.
She painstakingly highlighted the rich complexity of Oron culture, including its language, traditions, and values, noting that the Oro cultural heritage is being threatened by the influence of Western civilization.
She suggested that Oron people should take steps to “decolonise the mind” and promote their own cultural heritage, rather than adopting Western values and customs.
She also proposed the teaching and learning of Oron language in schools as a compulsory part of the curriculum and that Oron people should link up with people of Oron descent in other continents to preserve their cultural identity.
The paper however concluded that by celebrating and preserving their cultural heritage, the Oron Nation can promote collective consciousness, unity, and nationalism, and foster peaceful coexistence among its people.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Oron Local Government Council, Chief Asukwo Enweme, represented by his Chief of Staff, Ulap Victor Joe, expressed full support for the activities of the Oron Union Youth Wing, commending them for incorporating the Oro language in their affairs.
Others who also gave goodwill messages included the Member representing Oro Federal Constituency, Hon Martins Esin, represented by Mr Murphy Bassey; Member representing Urueoffong Oruko State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mrs Precious Selong; among others.
Highpoints of the event were presentation of prizes to winners of the maiden Oro Bible Quiz Competition, presentation of 50 banquet chairs to the Union by the Youth Wing, as well as choral ministrations by delegates of the Pentecostal Fellow of Nigeria (PFN), Oron chapter.
