Despite the worsening crime rate and deterioration of societal values, information minister Lai Mohammed says Nigerians have better values than people in the Western world.

He claimed the Western nations recorded more rapes, incest and other crimes.

“It is those core values that will make the difference between a brute and decent man. That explains why you find that when we talk about rape, incest, and all kinds of crime, it is (sic) even more prevalent in the Western world because, here, there are certain values that are important to us that we must not let go of,” Mr Mohammed counselled. “You must bring up your children every time to understand that there are values which they must keep.”

The Nigerian minister stated this at the cast of ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, produced by Bolanle Austen-Peters, on Monday in Lagos.

Mr Mohammed added that “we probably cannot” go back to living in caves.

Though acknowledging the role of technology, he stated that “we must take it together with our core values,” insisting “those core values that are very important.”

He also urged organisations and individuals to support the creative industry through donations to create job opportunities.

“So, we need to support through donations, sponsorships because this production would not have been possible without the sponsors,” the minister stated.

According to him, the creative industry employs the largest number of people, especially youths and women, apart from the agricultural sector.

“You can imagine when they were introducing the cast and the crew and staff, imagine how many people earn their livelihoods from Austen-Peters productions,” Mr Mohammed pointed out. “That is why we must continue to encourage creative industry, the arts the film industry, music industry, fashion, makeup, whatever makes up the craziness because after agriculture today, it employs the largest number of people and especially the young and women.”

(NAN)