The Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, has admonished NICO staffers to put their work first before any other thing, saying that there was no hiding place for ineptitude and laxity, adding that everyone should avail him/herself the opportunity to be assigned a job, as the worst punishment that could be meted out to a worker is not being assigned a duty.

Ayakoroma, who gave this admonition, Friday, 8 November, 2013, when he paid an unscheduled visit to the South-West Zonal office of the Institute in Akure, Ondo State, encouraged staff who were always writing not to be discouraged, but rather keep the tempo as their write-ups would be published one day, and also charged them to avail themselves the opportunity of the NICO Social Network platform in promoting and disseminating the Institute’s programmes and activities to the general public to sustain the interest of the people at home and in the Diaspora.

He commended the ingenuity, dexterity, high working spirit, and neatness of the working environment, which makes the zone one of the leading ones, and therefore urged them to always put in their best in promoting the Institute’s laudable programmes, saying: “South-West is not doing badly; I must appreciate the enthusiasm staff are putting on the job; and the neat environment, keep it up.”

Dr. Ayakoroma also used the opportunity to advise staffers to always put aside sentiments and not being parochial in transfer requests, saying whichever NICO office anyone found him/herself was basically for service to the Institute and the nation, warning that such frivolous letters for transfer from particular zones would mean closure of such offices.

While encouraging staffers to attend NICO Training School, which now attracts automatic promotion to the next salary grade in the Institute, the ES implored them to be inspired by the exemplarily character exhibited by their Zonal Head, Mr. Ohi Ojo, who personally requested to attend despite having a Master’s degree, positing that attending the programme had positioned him (Ojo) to talk authoritatively on cultural administration in Nigeria.

He then commended the Mr. Ojo, for his diligence and hard work, and urged members of staff to make the zone exemplary by engaging in programmes and partnerships that will promote NICO, announcing, on a happy note, that the results for the 2013 junior and senior staff promotions had been released and that successful officers would soon get their letters of promotion.

Earlier, the South-West Zonal Head, Mr. Ohi Ojo, in his welcome address, reeled out the zone’s activities in Year 2013, saying that while many organizations were winding down activities for the year, the zone, in line with the sterling leadership style of the ES, was still ‘revving its engine.’

According to him, the zone had carried out research assignments including attending the Osun Osogbo festival and Igogo festival, among others, making it possible for the zone to forward seven feature articles, more than the minimum three requested recently by the SA-ES, Mr. Nelson Ebi Campbell, for publication.

He also informed that the zone had inaugurated NICO Cultural Clubs in 17 secondary schools, adding that with the collaboration going on between the zone and the Ministry of Education, there was the likelihood of a very successful 2013 Children’s Cultural Fiesta, billed for 10th December, 2013.

Ojo also intimated that based on Dr. Ayakoroma’s admonition at the recent national workshop on repositioning culture workers for effective cultural administration in Abuja, for zonal offices to domesticate training and sensitization programmes carried out in the headquarters, the zone had gone ahead to send a proposal to the Ondo State government, which, if implemented, would keep the zone busy throughout 2014.

The ES, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, was in Akure, the Ondo State capital, to attend the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) International Convention 2013, with the theme, “Nigeria Centenary: Literary Imagination and National Development;” and he was accompanied on the visit by the Acting Director, Office of ES/SA to the ES, Mr. Nelson Ebi Campbell.

Ogaga Anakpoha & Balogun Adebiyi
Corporate affairs
NICO SWZ