The Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Mohammed Kabir Adamu, has expressed the readiness of the Ministry to partner National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) Training School to provide innovative training to staffers of his ministry, in order to improve their productivity for effective service delivery.

Alhaji Adamu said this in his office at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Gombe, when members of staff of NICO, Gombe State Office, led by the State Head, Mr. Yahaya Mohammed Sanda visited to intimate him on the review of the Diploma in Cultural Administration (DCA) programme of NICO Training School to meet global standards and to further give the certificate more recognition and acceptability.

The Permanent Secretary acknowledged receipt of an earlier letter from NICO Gombe State Office requesting for nomination and sponsorship of culture workers to the Training School and that the Director (Culture) of the Ministry had been directed to nominate staffers, who have the requisite qualifications, so that their capacity building will benefit the Government of Gombe State.

According to him, Government was now seriously looking towards the Culture and Tourism sector to contribute meaningfully to improve the State’s internally generated revenue, as the era of relying solely on monthly allocations from the Federated Account was over in the face of dwindling oil revenues.

Earlier in his brief, the State Head, NICO Gombe Office, Mr. Yahaya Mohammed Sanda disclosed that the review of the diploma programme was necessitated by feedbacks from most state culture MDAs that they only had plans for two years’ study leave, and as such, it will be always difficult for them to sponsor their officers to the Training School, as this would be seen as going against the laid down rules.

It will be recalled that National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), as part of its training mandate, now runs a 2-year diploma and 1-year post graduate diploma in cultural administration programmes in Lagos and Abuja; and admissions are in progress as academic activities for the 2015/2016 session will start on Monday, 8th February, 2016.

Anongu Thomas

NICO, Gombe State Office