The 36th Meeting of the Chief Executives of Culture of the Federation (CEC), which opened on Wednesday, 13th September 2011, at the Conference Hall, Jorany Hotel, Calabar, Cross River State, has ended on Friday 16th September, 2011,  after exhaustive deliberations.

The meeting, which was convened by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), and hosted by the Cross River State Government, issued a 9-point communiqué  and resolved  among other things, that the indigenous languages and development of the mother tongue by NICO, should be commended  and urged that  “this be sustained”.

Declaring the meeting open, the Executive Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, stressed the need to sustain our  tradition as the best vehicle for societal advancement and wealth creation.

The Governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Tourism Development, Mr. Gab Onah, further enjoined the Chief Executives of Culture to continue their various quests for the nation’s economic development through culture, but added that, “it could only be achieved through quality delivery”.

Mr. M.M. Maidugu, the Executive Director/CEO, NCAC, had earlier in his welcome address, urged all  stakeholders in the Culture sector to come up with innovative cultural programmes and projects that would contribute meaningfully towards tackling the problems of employment, youth restiveness, societal indiscipline, corruption and other vices.

The meeting deliberated on two memos/reports from the NCAC and other Federal Culture parastatals; Abuja National Carnival Management Committee, State Councils for Arts and Culture/History and Culture Bureaux and the FCT.

Rising from the meeting, the  CEC  expressed profound appreciation to the Executive Governor of Cross River State and the good people of the state, for accepting to host NAFEST 2011 and the wonderful reception accorded them at the 36th meeting. A special commendation was also extended to the Honourable Minister of  Tourism,  Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, who according to them, has worked hard within the short period he took over the leadership of the Ministry.

Present at the meeting were four culture  parastatals  of   the Federal Ministry: National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), National Theatre (NT), National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) and host, National Council for Arts and Culture(NCAC). Also in attendance were the Abuja Carnival Management Committee as well as twenty-two (22) states: Abia,  Anambra, Akwa-Ibom,  Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe,  and the FCT.

The NICO delegates who have since returned to Abuja were led  by the ES, Dr. Barclays Foubiri  Ayakoroma.

Enock Etimighan
Corporate Affairs