By Douglas Anele

It is not gainsaid that the advent of both Euro-Christian and Arab-Islamic civilisations into indigenous communities that constitute Nigeria has negatively affected the cultural heritage of these communities.

Europeans imperialists, Christian missionaries and Arab Jihadists believed, falsely of course, that the cultural achievements of sub-Saharan societies were definitely inferior in every respect to the ones they intended to impose, mainly through irrational means, on the local population.

After more than two centuries of cultural colonisation, and particularly since independence in 1960, concerted efforts have been made by different federal administrations to revive the rich cultural legacies of Nigerian peoples. The rationale behind these efforts is unassailable. A people without a cultural identity of their own would be lost in the forward march of world history, and their contributions to human civilisation forgotten very easily.

Moreover, a sense of cultural identity is one of the characteristics that define our very humanity, which is why culturally conscious leaders all over the world try very hard to preserve and promote the cultures of their peoples. As already indicated, efforts have been to achieve cultural rebirth in Nigeria.

One of such efforts is the establishment of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (hereafter referred to as NICO) by Decree 93 of 1993. Some objectives and functions of the Institute, as articulated in the enabling decree,are to:

(1) serve as a focus for orientation in cultural matters for Nigerian policy makers
(2) promote, revive, develop and encourage Nigerian culture and history
(3) promote public enlightenment of the various facets of Nigeria’s culture and
(4) promote Nigeria’s cultural image. I have been privileged to participate in several programmes organised by NICO targeted towards actualisation of its mandate, and there is no doubt that the Institute is evolving into a dynamic change-agent and game-changer in the quest for cultural reawakening.

Furthermore, considering the harsh operating circumstances in Nigeria, the leadership and staff of NICO deserve plaudits for their perseverance, diligence and professionalism. To actualise its mandate NICO, aside from its annual Roundtable, also organises workshops, seminars and conferences where important and relevant topics pertaining to cultural re-orientation and positive values for peaceful and harmonious relations between people of different ethnic, religious and political affiliations are clinically dissected by experts and culture practitioners, leading to the pragmatic recommendations for societal transformation.

Indeed, the Institute just concluded a pulsating 2-Day National Conference on Culture, Peace and National Security: The Role of Traditional Rulers and Local Government Chairmen which was well attended – it was the largest collection of traditional rulers I had seen in my life. The paper I presented at the eventwas entitled “Religious Tolerance as an Essential Ingredient for Social Harmony and Peace in Nigeria.”

The core thesis of that paper is that, given the fundamentally intolerant nature of Christian and Islamic doctrines, both formal and informal education which stresses tolerance and peaceful co-existence must be actively encouraged by parents, teachers and traditional rulers in our various communities. Emirs that attendedthe conference were not comfortable with my arguments, which cast aspersions on the notion that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance.But generally the conference was successful.

Those who were present, I am sure, went away with improved understanding and appreciation of how traditional rulers and chairmen of local governments can contribute to the enhancement of peace and social harmony in their areas of authority.

One of the flagship programmes of NICO is the diploma and post-graduate diploma course in Cultural Administration, aimed at producing knowledgeable men and women that can harness the immense potentials of Nigerian cultural heritage for personal and national development.

The course content of the programme is rich, for it covers core dimensions of culture and tourism, as well as specialised topics such as religious beliefs, traditional medicine etc. NICO also runs a 1-Month training programme on Nigerian indigenous languages, which aims to teach participants selected indigenous Nigerian languages. The importance of the language programme cannot be overemphasised.

Language is the most basic carrier of culture. Now, given the fact that some of our local languages might be extinct soon if we continue with business as usual by neglecting them, NICO must be commended and encouraged for its futuristic endeavour to preserve some of these languages for posterity.

In this connection,John Bernard Yusuff (or ES), former Executive Secretary of the Institute, deserves some plaudits for his remarkable contributions to the organisation. An experienced and versatile civil servant, Yusuff repositioned NICO through capacity-building programmes for his staff and other stakeholders in the cultural sector to bolster efficiency.

During his tenure, there was noticeable improvement in the Institute’s logistics and infrastructure. He launched the Indigenous Language Programme and Cultural Studies at NICO’s training school in Iganmu, Lagos. He also worked hard to ensure that NICO relocated to its present, more befitting, office headquarters at Wuse Zone 7, Abuja. Yusuff’s successor, Barclays F. Ayakoroma, is a seasoned administrator and academic.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Ayakoroma has brought his academic and administrative experience to bear on the leadership of NICO. As a team player, the incumbent Executive Secretary is building on the achievements of his predecessors with the assistance of veteran NICO staff such as Mrs. Yerima, Mr. Ihenetu, Alex Omijie and others.

Right from the start, Ayakoroma decided to reengineer all aspects of NICO’s operations. Consequently, he restructured the administrative architectonic of the Institute formerly comprising Administration and Finance, Research and Documentation as well as Training and Orientation into five departments, namely, Administration and Human Resources, Finance and Accounts, Research and Documentation, Orientation and Cultural Affairs, and Training School.

In addition, he has consolidated operations of NICO’s affiliate offices in the six geo-political zones of the country. Ayakoromahas worked tirelessly to strengthen collaboration between NICO and other corporate organisations, state governments, and international bodies.

If NICO, as the numerouno cultural arm of federal government, continues to march forward the way it is doing now it would become a formidable catalyst of unprecedented cultural renaissance in Nigeria. In that regard, I wish to celebrate staff of NICO,past and present, who contributed to the growth of the Institute. Without their indefatigable efforts, the organisation would not have made any tangible impact on the cultural landscape of Nigeria.

However, like every human endeavour, there is room for improvement in NICO, especially in terms of facilities at the Training School, students’ accommodation and better incentives to attract and retain competent teaching staff. All said and done, I am convinced that with wise leadership, NICO will continuously grow from strength to strength in years to come. Thus, Nigerians and corporate organisations should give NICO all the necessary support it needs to make Nigeria the cultural Mecca of Black people across the world.