The Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, has called on the Federal Government to pay attention to the NICO Training School project in Kuje, stating that the more the already completed buildings are left unused, the more they will depreciate.

Making this plea when Members of the House Committee on Culture and Tourism visited the site, in fulfillment of their Oversight function, Dr. Ayakoroma stressed the need for the access road to be constructed by the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority, disclosing that a survey had been done by the Authority since 2010.

Explaining the need to speed up the project, he said: “Our worry is the access road. We still come here through people’s land. We take motor bikes to reach here, as you have experienced yourselves. We appeal that the road be put in order. We have plans for an auditorium here, because people can come here and have workshops, conferences or retreats. So, when people come for such, there should be a good road for them to pass through.”

The Team Leader of Hon. Ben Nwankwo-led Committee, Hon. Muniru Hakeem Abiodun, in agreeing with the ES, said that the House will do something about it, adding that it would be baseless for people to visit an Institute of this nature in Nigeria, when it has no access road.

He said: “Such a Cultural Institute like this is very important to Nigeria. It is to serve the 36 States in this country. The truth is that a citadel of learning anywhere should have a very good access road. There is no way people coming to the Institute should not be provided with good access road. All these projects being put in place are useless if there is no access road for the students, lecturers and visitors to come to the school.  We will report to the House what we have seen.”   

Those present were Hon. Muniru Abiodun Hakeem, Hon. Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi and Hon. Idris Mohammed, the Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality & Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Munzali Dantata, and Management staff of both NICO and NIHOTOUR.

Nwagbo Nnenyelike
Corporate Affairs