Mrs Memunat Idu-Lah, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu (M) and Mr Louis Eriomala, ES NICO
Commendation
By Collins Yakubu-Hammer
Abuja, March 13, 2018 (NAN) Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture has commended the National Institute of Cultural Orientation (NICO), for its continuous quest to nurture social interface and communication between people as an important means of stimulating creativity and innovation.
Mohammed gave the commendation during his address at the NICO’s quarterly Public Lecture on Tuesday in Abuja.
The theme of the lecture is “Culture, Economy and good Governance: The Nigerian Experience,’’ delivered by the guest lecturer, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, one-time Governor of Abia state.
The minister’s speech was read by Mrs Memunat Idu-Lah, the Deputy Director of Festival and Carnival in the ministry.
Mohammed said that the lecture was conceptualised by the institute as a medium through which scholars and distinguished Nigerians could bear their minds on matters of national development and critical issues in culture sector.
“This is good for the nation’s quest to make culture the mainstay of the nation’s economy and boost the sector,” he said.
“The idea is to give them the opportunity to make the nation and indeed Africa and the whole world at large to benefit from their immense knowledge and experience.
Mohammed said that the theme of the lecture could not have come at a better time than now that the government was repositioning the sector and make it viable for foreign exchange.
He noted that the lecture was also to sensitise the citizenry on the importance of culture in national development.
“It is common knowledge that other countries use their culture to propel the development of their economy.
The Haiti experience is a good one; the Haitians have used their ‘Carnival of Flowers’ to earn money to pay huge sums of debt.
“There is no doubt that using culture to harness economic development is a focal point of the economy diversification agenda of this administration.
“I therefore called on Nigerians to be committed and dedicated to the actualisation of this vision,” Mohammed said.
Earlier, Mr Louis Eriomala, NICO’s acting Executive Secretary, said that a better understanding of the intricate relationship between culture, economy and good governance will engender sociopolitical and economic development of the nation.
“Until we make culture the bedrock of our development aspirations and socio-political lifestyles as regulated by our cherished cultural values, our dream of a better Nigeria would be a mirage.
“A significant source of the economy of the Asian Tigers is attributable to their strong cultural foundation; they have made culture the cornerstone of their development agenda,’’ Eriomala said.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that high point of the event was the presentation of ‘Award of Excellence in Promoting Culture in Nigeria’ to Kalu.
Dignitaries at the event include representatives from the Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration services and diplomatic corps, royal fathers and stakeholders in the culture sector. (NAN)
CMY/EAL/EAL
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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi