THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, has expressed his administration’s readiness to partner with the National Council for Arts and Culture to host the 10th edition of the African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo, scheduled for August 2017 in Abuja.
He also endorsed plan by the council to host the first ever meeting of cultural attachés of foreign embassies in Nigeria, as a fore runner to the cultural expo, whose theme is, “Nigerian Crafts: Untapped Treasure”.
Bello, who made the commitment while receiving the Director-General of the council, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, said supporting such steps would help in the effort to market made-in-Nigeria goods and also serve as a promotional tool for the cultural expo.
The minister also used the occasion to convey the intention of FCT administration to complete all ongoing projects in the city, and thereafter, move to the satellite towns and suburbs.
This step, according to the minister, had started, with the recent approval of N2.6 billion by the Federal Executive Council for the upgrade of township roads in Karu town.
Earlier, Runsewe disclosed that more than 29 African countries and four Asian countries had expressed interest to attend the event. He appealed to the minister to help the council to help secure the venue for the event which he described as under contention.
Otunba Runsewe, lauded the efforts of the FCT administration, especially in the areas of prudent management of resources and commitment to improving the welfare of the FCT residents.
He made references to the quick liberation of the 10 persons kidnapped in FCT some months ago and the FCT minister’s directive for the reopening of the Karu General Hospital, which the Director General said, had positively impacted on the lives of residents of Karu and its environs.
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