Institute, stakeholders mull reviving eroding Nigeria cultural orientation  

Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Ado Mohammed Yahuza, yesterday, said the neglect and non-recognition of culture as a roadmap to sustainable development has put many nations in dire straits.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day conference on Culture, Zonal Intervention Projects, and National Development, organised by the institute in Benin, Yahuza said a deeper understanding of the place of culture in national development was imperative in Nigeria’s quest for meaningful progress and sustainable socio-political and economic development.

He said it was in view of this, that the Zonal Intervention Fund, which was a product of the Executive-Legislative interface should be appreciated and commended.

He explained that the Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP) was a well thought out development strategy, designed to foster the equitable distribution of development projects nationwide in the constituencies of lawmakers by various ministries, departments, and agencies of government.

Yahuza further said through the zonal intervention fund, many MDAs have been able to execute several projects and programmes in furtherance of their statutory objectives, which would have been impossible due to funding.

Yahuza explained that the conference was designed to sensitise Nigerians on the need to appreciate the critical importance of culture to national development.

“Our institute, for instance, has made a significant impact in promoting culture consciousness and creativity in our secondary school students nationwide,” he said.

In his remarks, Mr. Friday Itula, Chairman of the occasion and former two-term member of the House of Representatives, said culture plays a significant role in national development.

Itula urged the institute’s management to leverage what was on the ground to move the country’s cultural heritage to greater heights.