The Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba (Prof.) Saka Matemilola, has pledged his unwavering support and willingness to support the DigiCulture team in promoting and preserving Nigerian cultural heritage from going into extinction.

The Olowu gave the pledge when the DigiCulture team, led by its Principal Investigator, Prof. Olusegun Folorunso paid him a courtesy visit in his palace.

The monarch noted that Nigerians all over the world have to be conversant with their cultures and be proud of them everywhere they go. “Our language is completely different from others, and we must all work together to protect and promote it, as no one can do it alone”, he added.

Oba Matemilola noted that God created humans in different species in order to differentiate each other, but people have allowed language and race to divide them. He commended the team and assured members that he would relate their message to representatives of other kingdoms in Egba that would assist them to make the execution of the project smooth.

Meanwhile, the chiefs, in their separate comments, noted that culture is very important, and greetings is one of the things that differentiate one culture from another, urging people not to be too far from their homelands and should value their cultures.

Earlier, the Principal Investigator said the project focuses on how to use digital tools to preserve and promote Nigerian cultures, particularly the Remo, Ijebu, Yewa, and Egba peoples, who do not know their cultural backgrounds.

He added that the research would look into their dialect, food, language, and peculiarities of the kingdom, such as festivals and history, for people to identify their cultures.

Prof. Folorunso disclosed that they have met with the Ogun State government, and they are ready to support them.

Head, Humanities and Social Science Group, Dr. Temitope Olaifa said the research team wants more women to be involved during the interactions to know what the women are doing pertaining to culture.