NCAC boss, core stakeholders, experts activate agenda for Nigeria’s cultural, economic rebirth

In its effort to mobilise Nigerians for a new cultural rebirth, the National Council Arts and Culture (NCAC) recently organised a day session for critical cultural industry players for sustainable economic agenda.

The session, which was centred on Culture, Peace and National Rebirth; an Agenda-Setting  forum, was conceptualised to create a strategic road map to reactivate a sustainable model for a new Nigeria where everything will work for the good of the masses Nigeria’s economy will be put on a springboard of development.

The full day session, held at the Kapital club and Apartment in Abuja, rallied critical stakeholders, participants and experts to deliberate on pressing issues.

Resource persons included Dr David Manya Dogo, Management Consultant and former Director, National Orientation Agency, the presented a paper on Engendering Religious Tolerance for National Unity’s; Dr James Komolafe, CEO-SABA Resources Intervention Hub, Creative Concept Creator who delivered a paper on Mobilizing Nigerians for National Rebirth.

Others are Mrs Rebecca Ede, Managing Consultant/CEO Hadid Consult & Events Management, who looked at the Undue Attraction of Our Youths to Foreign Lands for Greener Pasture (Japa Syndrome), and Bonat Joab Tagwai, a Researcher and Strategic Communicator: Development Analyst; Conflict Management Trainer and former Director, Planning Research and Strategy, Culture, National Orientation Agency, who moderated the panel.

Also Mr Babajide Kolade Otitoju, a seasoned and award-winning journalist, reviewed the presentation.

In his welcome speech, the convener and director-general of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Chief Olusegun Runsewe, explained that the programme was motivated by the need to put the issues of culture and peace in the front burner of national discourse as we seek to repositioning the nation for growth and development.

Runsewe said, “In line with the philosophy and objectives of the in-coming administration, it is noteworthy that our culture is firmly rooted in our national core values of discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance self-reliance and patriotism, entrenched in the 1999 constitution as amended

“These cultural values are the veritable building blocks for a united peaceful prosperous and greater Nigerian nation, strong enough to provide the required leadership for Africa and the black race all over the world.

“There has been no time since after the civil war that Nigeria has been so polarised along primordial and parochial lines than during the 2023 general elections The tension, bitterness, rancour and acrimony generated by the electioneering campaigns have tended to further fuel the embers of distrust and disunity among Nigerians.

“This disturbing development has also greatly impacted our youths who are the leaders of tomorrow There is the growing feeling of alienation among the vast majority of our youths, manifesting in various forms of restiveness and the internationalization and exhibition of vices that are at variance with our culture.

“Incidences of violent crimes, trans-genderism, the End SARS protest and the “Japa Syndrome” are clear indications of a youth population who harbour a sense of alienation, exclusion, disillusionment and despair. Many of our youths of today are a ta cultural crossroads with high propensity for anger and violence.

“May I therefore use this opportunity to appeal to our leaders at all levels to work as a team in providing the enabling social environment for the development of our nation by preaching peace, living in peace acting the peace and working together in peace.

“No nation can attain its developmental aspirations when its elites, are divided along sentimental cleavages of religion and ethnicity as played out in the 2023 general election. It is also unarguable that a nation can only be on the path of progress and prosperity when its youths espouse the right values and orientation that support national development.

“There is, therefore, the compelling need for our leaders, particularly our political elite, to set aside their ideological differences and work together in unity to rebuild our nation.

“Also, the youths, who are the engine room of national development, need to be carefully cultivated and nurtured to drive the development process

“It is in the light of the foregoing that the National Council for Arts and Culture is kick- starting this conversation that would set the agenda for the birth of the Nigeria of our dream.

“It is our conviction that there can be no better time for doing this than now that we are preparing for the inauguration of a new government on May 29, 2023.”

Also, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director-General, National Institute for hospitality and tourism (NIHOTOUR), said, “There is no greener pasture anywhere; the youths only need to be appropriately skilled to be self-employed.

“The observation is also that the youths are too proud to embrace the reality; wasting their future abroad; their choice of greener pasture can be created here in Nigeria as they embrace various skills.”

Earlier, Mrs Rebecca Ede, chief executive officer,  Hadid Consult, said government’s assistance and urgent intervention was needed to position the youths to know what they have to project for wealth creation.

She advised that internet fraudsters should also be harnessed for rehabilitation and reorientation.

She urged the youths to constantly upgrade themselves with some globally transferrable skills.

According to her, these skills refer to abilities or knowledge that extend beyond a specific role, function or profession.

“The youths can empower themselves with power skills, also known as transferable skills, like problem solving, critical thinking, project management, relationship building, communication skills and technology skills.

“All these can be developed and served from Nigeria as they dominate the universe from home.

“These skills have the potential to be applied in various contexts, industries, or job functions, making them highly sought-after by employers worldwide.

“Possessing these skills can be an invaluable asset and can help you succeed, no matter where your career takes you. The good news is that developing these skills is straightforward, and they can be applied to any career path,” she said

The president of FTAN, Mr Nkereuwem Onung, commended the NCAC boss for putting the rebirth session for agenda setting for a better Nigeria.

“I thank Otunba Runsewe for putting this together. It is important to always set agenda and we cannot deny the fact that our country has gone through so much in the past years, especially in the last electioneering campaigns.

“What Runsewe is doing has placed us in a template that shows us where we are today. And on the point of the private sector, I will like to say that we are not in denial of the problems of this country; we will need stronger institutions and women and men of stronger integrity to run them.

“The politician will always go after their personal interests and not necessary the interests of the country, and sometime before and after the elections. So it is important that as a country, we should allow men and women who understand their beats to take public offices.

Most of the federal agencies are here and some of them will say they have not collected allocation since the beginning of the year. So, where did Runsewe get his own from? There must be something in us that we do not know; This is a square peg in a square hole and a round peg in a round hole.

“Good governance will bring more goods than the problems we face now. If a person takes up an office without an agenda or a blueprint, he or she will definitely fumble. So, what we need as a country are people who will run our national economy with the interest of the masses, and it is on this note that I congratulate you for putting this platform together.”

Giving a recap at the one-day cultural rebirth for a new Nigeria, M r Babatunde Otitoju, who gave a review of the presentations, lauded the speakers for doing justice to all the topics delivered at the event.

According to Otitoju “all the beautiful things and models spoken about here are fantastic and I tell you that if we don’t have a good leadership that will put a round peg in a round whole, we will still remain in the same place.

“Everything we have said here to have a good system is good, but no matter how beautiful we coordinate and articulate our words to bring good result. If you don’t have a good government, nothing will happen.

“The decline in leadership style in Nigeria has made us to take giant steps backward, which has affected our economic growth.

“We must see ourselves first as Nigerians before talking about our ethnicity and language, state and religion. When we first see ourselves as a Nigerians, that is the time everything will make meaning on the verge of setting things right for a new Nigeria.”

Otitoju called for fervent prayers for the new regime so that God will help them to make a meaningful change for Nigeria. According to him, the government of Bola Tinubu must bring the desired change we need. He must put the right people in the right place to make things right.

He said the place of culture in nation building should not be over-empahasised because it plays a great role in the new Nigeria.

“We have everything in Nigeria to be great, but bad leadership is the problem. If we get our leadership right, Nigeria will find its rightful place in the comity.”

Communique

All critical Agencies of Government and Non-Governmental Organizations should work together to propagate and promote our core national values and behavioural orientation that can engender national development.

There is the need to encourage religious dialogue, emphasize our common humanity, uphold the constitutional provisions that seek to promote religious tolerance.

Sanction those who promote religious intolerance, hate and violence while cross-cultural awareness is promoted.

Social problems such as unemployment, high cost of living, drug abuse and addiction, which are key drivers of violence,should be addressed by relevant agencies of government.

Sustained Public awareness should be mounted to draw attention to the risk involved in JAPA Syndrome and enlighten our youths on the vast potentials for greatness in Nigeria.

The media should de-emphasize undue publicity about JAPA and dissuade our youths from embarking on this potentially dangerous search for unavailable greener pasture.

The need to pay closer attention to programmes that target the growth and development of our youths and step-up youth mentoring and modeling so that our youth can take advantage of such programmes to actualize their potentials.

While recognizing the critical relevance of this programme, it was recommended that it should be cascaded to the Local Government level to enable the rural populace benefit.

Good governance is of paramount importance to nation building. Accordingly, the incoming administration should appoint leaders with skills and capacities to positions of authority and not base appointments on political patronage or other identity factors.

Government should build strong Institutions manned with people imbued with the right values and strong characters such as honesty, personal integrity and patriotism.

Culture and Tourism should be a stand-alone Ministry different from the Ministry of Information so that adequate attention can be paid to the important issues of promoting our cultural values.

We should project Nigeria as a place to be, build confidence in our youths, promote small and medium scale enterprises, emphasize the dignity in labour and encourage patronage in made in Nigeria goods.