The National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) and the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) are collaborating on efforts to curb public nudity among females in Nigeria. The two organisation made the decision on Friday during a courtesy visit of the NCWS’s executive members to Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, Director General of NCAC in Abuja. Mrs Gloria Shoda, National President of NCWS, who led the delegation, said the visit was to seek a common ground with the NCAC in preserving Nigeria’s age-long culture and values, especially on decent dressing. According to her, the cultural values and morals which defined the Nigerian woman were being perverted by ‘Civilisation’ and moral decadence among young people. She commended Runsewe and the NCAC for condemning the recent video clip of musician Tekno dancing with half naked in a display van in Lagos, which had gone viral on social media.
“We thank the NCAC for taking a stand against such public display of nudity by our females, and we are set to work with it in fighting the increasing rate of such immoral tendencies. “The identity and pride of the Nigerian woman is being demean by those who feel they have right to behave as they want. “Most of these people deceive us by saying it is civilization, and if we do not work against this, they future of our children will be in danger.
“When we were growing up, our mothers prided themselves as women and dressed decently, a value they passed to us, which must be sustained,” she said. Shoda therefore declared Runsewe as ‘Honorary Member’ of the NCWS. In his remark, Runsewe, NCAC DG, commended the women body for the visit and pledged its commitment to defending the pride and value of womanhood. According to him, NCAC under his watch was set to speak against any artiste, celebrity and screen programmes that will derail young Nigerians, especially youths from age-long values and decency. He therefore express willingness to work with the NCWS and vowed to do anything within the ambit of law to safeguard the culture and values that define the Nigeria people.
“Having sexual affairs on screen and dressing half-naked is not our culture, and we must stop it. “NCAC as a custodian of our cultural heritage has come out in strong term against nudity. “If we did not address it now, in few years to come it will cost us more than terrorism is costing us now,” he said. NAN reports that the two organisations also agreed to work together in the fight against half-naked dressing among women. They also agreed to engage in advocacy initiative and engage religious leaders, parents and other stakeholders in the campaign for values preservation. High point of the event was the decoration of the visiting women as “Cultural Ambassadors “of NCAC Runsewe. NAN
