Ekiti State, Nigeria, the land of honour, the fountain of knowledge. I have always thought these two slogans connote different meanings until I realized that; they only differ in words but not in meaning. The Yorubas say "Odò tí ó bá gbàgbé orísun rè yóò gbe" i.e a river that forgets its fountain will dry off, this explains the potency of a fountain, a fountain can't be done without, an inevitable thing is an honorary thing. Ekiti State being the fountain of knowledge is a land of honour.
Ekiti State is a state embedded with good values, but the situations now depict we have lost them. The core values of the Ekiti people are education, farming, and respect. I can write from the little experience I have, our educational sector was stunning, people from other states come down to Ekiti to seek education, this amazes me, states like Lagos, Abuja, Oyo, etc are more civilized than we do, they have more standard schools than us, but they still come down here to seek education, but with the view of things, that has reduced. Ekiti is known for producing crops like; cocoa, coffee, kola nut, cashew, oil palm, citrus fruits, coconut, mango, sugar-cane, guava, and pineapple, even if Ekiti State is not a grand producer of farm outputs, we farm for the feeding of ourselves, but everyone absconds from the stress. A respected man is a respectful man, Ekiti people love to be respected, they took it as a value to respect people, "respect is reciprocal". Ekiti's respect has reduced, our lost values reduced our respect.
Education, farming, and respect are our core values are attributes every Ekiti generation should possess, the now and generations to come. It is expected of this generation to pass to the next generation for the betterment of the Ekiti image and the long existence of our values, you can never lose what you pass, it is expected of every generation to pass to the next generation and that should not cease in any stage. We all know the family is the smallest unit of society, being the smallest makes it the strongest. The family is the cell, if anything goes wrong with the cell it affects the tissue, the organ, and the system, if anything happens to the family it will showcase in the state at large. For every change to be implemented the family cannot be neglected.
The family is in the best position to pass down our values to the next generation, if that's not done, our values might become exhaled. All families should ensure that every child acquires education to the apex, education is the best legacy and it is the most powerful weapon to change the world, no family should make any of their children devoid of education, education is a meal every child must eat. Farming looks onerous to pass because the next generation shows little or no interest in it. The family should make the next generation understand, accept and appreciate the fact that farming is part of Ekiti values, they should also make it expedient for them, make us understand that the three grains of corn can yield thousands of corn. Finally, respect is beyond greetings, but one's relationship with other people, the family should teach the next generation good human values, by so doing they will showcase it.
It is expected of a leader to be oriented with the core values of a society he leads, a leader can't be elected if he shows no attribute of being a breed of that society. Nothing is new, everything is the renovation of the existing things, the next generation will certainly live a life of imitation, that way the family acted is what they will imitate and act synonymously. Every family should showcase leadership skills worth being imitated by the next generation. Families should cease to live a life of "if the government doesn't do it, who are we to do it?" every family should assume the office a leader to produce a leader. Every family that has taken it on to give to their offspring the orientation of Ekiti values should as well showcase leadership skills to them. If every family can do that, imagine the number of leaders we shall have from Ekiti.
Ekiti values are unique among others in the country, that is why it is expected of us to preserve and horn our values, the consistency of a football team is determined by the players and the manager, the preservation and the horning of Ekiti values are in the hands of Ekiti government and the people. We should not loquaciously horn our values, "actions speak louder than voice" we should let our actions do that. It is demanded from every Ekiti indigene to preserve and horn Ekiti Values, because every individual from Ekiti State determines the fame and shame of Ekiti anywhere they find themselves. Anything that brings "fame" and not "shame" can only make us stand out. Everyone, not excluding those holding a political position and public appointments should showcase the glory of Ekiti State anywhere in the country and outside the country they find themselves. The government is in the best position to make everyone Ekiti's glory by providing things to facilitate the understanding of our values. Seminars and conferences should be held, public talks, and more, our educational system and farming system should be upgraded as well.
Ekiti indigenes outside the state should converge and be in accord to showcase the glory of Ekiti State, a star is beautiful but a galaxy is fascinating, our youths should not be left out as well. If all these are done we shall stand out in the comity of states in Nigeria and outside the nation.
In conclusion, a lot of families have upheld our values at the state, national and international stage, likes of Aare Afe Babalola from Ado-Ekiti, Archbishop Adetiloye from odo owa Ekiti, Lady Deborah Jibowu of Ido Ile Ekiti, Dr kunle olasope from Efon Alaaye Ekiti, The family of late General Adeyinka Adebayo of Iyin Ekiti. These people have shown us what it implies to the horn and preserve Ekiti values, they have made us proud in numerous ways and showcased the Ekiti glory to the world. It is expected of every Ekiti Indigene to aspire to be like these people stated above, our values have to be restored, the responsibility is ours. Arise! All Ekiti Families and seek the restoration of your values. God bless Ekiti State.
This is a submission by one of my teen friends for an essay competition. The article didn't win any of the prizes, but I think it's a good one. We have decided to share it with you and the rest of the world. Let's hear your feedback on this.
