By Our correspondent
Anambra state government has said it would henceforth start testing palm wines being used at functions in the state to ensure they are truly palm-wine healthy for consumption.
The State’s Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Mr. Don Onyenji, disclosed this in Awka, the Anambra State capital during an interactive session with the youth wing of the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU Youth).
The Commissioner’s meeting with the youth centred on the preservation of the state’s cultural values.
He condemned the rate at which people adulterated palm-wine and some other natural foods being served at occasions , noting that such things were part of the reasons people suffer different kinds of unusual and inexplicable diseases.
He added that his Ministry would collaborate with the Ministry of Health to bring an end to such unhealthy concoction and save the people’s lives
While noting that upholding the Igbo culture and promoting the core Igbo values were top on the agenda of the state government, he stressed the need for Ndị Igbo to cherish Igbo delicacies because of their nutritional and health values.
He commended the Healthy Living initiative of the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, while urging Ndị Anambra to key into the initiative and prioritize their health.
The Commissioner also reminded the youths that money rituals activities, such as Okeite, Yahoo-Yahoo, making money through crimes and other get-rich-quick syndrome were not part of the core Igbo values, and wondered where the people learnt or borrowed such from.
The Commissioner advised the youth to always show patriotism, think home and identify with their villages and kinsmen, underscoring the indispensability of Ndị Anambra and the roles of the youth in propelling the Anambra Project.
