By Ifeanyichukwu Ibe
The Imo State Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Hospitality, Barrister Jerry Egemba, has called on the people of the state to embrace healthy living and appropriate eating habits in order to stay healthy as well as to promote longevity like the people of early days.The Commissioner regretted that the lifestyles of Nigerians are responsible for the decreased lifespan, stressing the need for a change in attitude.
Egemba, gave the admonition recently at the 3rd Edition of the Festival of Food and Culture (FESTFAC) organized by GELDYN Resources in collaboration with Global Health Pageant and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality in Owerri. He noted that the event had become necessary with the troubling and prevalent health challenges in the society with the attendant high mortality rates, regretting that people had abandoned their natural inheritance for imported culture that is harmful to them.
The Commissioner, disclosed how his team visited Israel in 2019 to discover that their longevity was anchored on preventative approach to healthcare delivery as consisted in their appropriate eating habits and lifestyles. He acknowledged that forbearers in the southeastern part of the country also lived long because they embraced natural foods which served as their drugs, regretting how the present generation had abandoned the parts that lead to life, while embracing unhealthy and imported foods that are dangerous to the indigenous situations.
Barrister Egemba, while hailing the organizers of the food fair for drawing participants back to the roots which is good, assured of his ministry’s support and collaboration as part of the policies of the present government. He used the opportunity and encouraged the participants to embrace preventative approach to medicine than curative approach, adding that such could largely be achieved by changing their negative eating habits and lifestyles like drunkenness among other careless behaviours for them to live long.
Earlier in her address, the FESTFAC Coordinator, Mrs. Geraldine, pointed out that the event was designed beyond exhibition of delicacies to promoting healthy living through recourse to natural foods that ensure good health. She added that other values that the ceremony would promote was communal living and bonding through common sharing of meals.
Mrs. Geraldine, further said that the gathering would expose the secrets of living healthier and happy through foods, informing her audience that one cannot talk about health without looking at various consumables. She regretted that many are sick without knowing that simple dietary plans would solve their problems. She, therefore, pleaded with the participants to jettison junk foods that are harmful to their health, but to embrace natural foods and good lifestyles to prolong their lives.
The Coordinator who promised to deepen the advocacies for a change of unhealthy attitudes towards diet and lifestyles, appreciated Green Health Services Ltd, Power Oil Ltd. Zenith Bank, Full Moon Hotels, Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood as well as Marvico Foods for their support and partnership.
The event was attended by Prof. Apakama Lucy of the Department of Igbo, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Directors in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality, including Ekeh Jude Chijioke and Mrs. Beatrice Amaefu. It also witnessed exhibition and inspection of local delicacies, including the popular Ofe Owerri as well as cultural displays.
