As the 2013/2014 Academic Session of the NICO Training School, Lagos winds gradually to an end, the Executive Secretary/CEO of National Institute for Cultural Orientation, NICO, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, has restated the commitment of the Management of the Institute to actualise the commencement of the Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma in Cultural Administration programmes at the Abuja Study Centre of the Training School, come January 2015.

The Executive Secretary, who disclosed this during the Staff General Assembly, which took place on Tuesday, 23rd September, 2014, at the Institute’s Head Office in Abuja, said admission to the Abuja Study Centre will be restricted to external candidates and senior officers from Grade Level 13 and above, and that some other staffers of the Institute will still be sent to Lagos for the programme.

While throwing more light on the matter, Dr. Ayakoroma said the Abuja Study Centre will commence lectures for the next academic session at the NICO Corporate Headquarters and not the Permanent Site at Kuje, adding that the Institute was currently working on the Faculty, disclosing that Academic Staff would be sourced mostly from graduates of the Training School, Directors of the Institute, and Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

According to him, the Director, Admin & Human Resources, Barr. Abayomi Oyelola, mni, will teach Administrative Processes, Principles & Practice for the Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) class, while the Diploma Class will be handled predominantly by outstanding graduates of the Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) as their individual performances were being evaluated to ascertain their level of competence.

Ayakoroma informed that due to lack of space at the Head Office, where the pilot programme will commence, Management had considered the need to limit the number each Cultural Parastatal and the Ministry would sponsor for the programme to a maximum of two (2) nominees each, and that two classes, which had been hitherto used for the Nigerian Indigenous Language Programme (NILP), have been designated for a smooth take-off of academic activities.

He informed that the commencement of the Study Centre in Abuja will further facilitate the affiliation process of the Training School with Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), disclosing that NSUK will admit the Institute’s PGD in Cultural Administration programme graduands into related Masters Degree Programmes, provided such candidates had credit passes in English and Mathematics at the O’level.

The ES also stated that, in line with modern trends in information management technology, the NICO Training School portal on its website, www.nico.gov.ng, would be opened for candidates to apply on-line, assess and process their application/admission forms, and also for students to check their results whenever they are released.

While answering questions on the state of the Institute’s Permanent Site, Dr. Ayakoroma assured staff that concerted efforts were being made to address the challenges for the full take-off of the school, informing that, plans were underway for Management and the Governing Board Chairman to pay a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), and other relevant MDAs, to solicit infrastructure assistance, furnishing the lecture halls, the library as well as constructing the access road, adding that if the issues were taken care of, he will be the happiest person to conduct the 2015 Convocation Ceremony of the Training School in Abuja.

Philemon Udeh

NICO HQTS 

Abuja-FCT