The feeling amongst staff and students of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) in Lagos, was pure joy and momentous elation as news of a modest celebration to mark the February 13th Birthday Anniversary of the Institute’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, filtered through the work place, and the occasion turned out to be a welcome distraction, at least for the minutes it lasted, from the normal flurry of activities in NICO.
More than the mere marking of another birthday, the occasion actually was an opportunity to recognize a brilliant cultural administrator, an emergent icon at the helm of affairs in the apex Cultural Institute in Nigeria who, in just three years, has initiated many strategic policies and programmes in NICO that are transforming the cultural landscape in Nigeria.
Spontaneously, albeit, unofficially, NICO students and members of staff in the Lagos Liaison Office and the Training School, had cause to jubilate and celebrate their own cultural mastermind, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma.
Mr. Law Ikay Ezeh, Senior Lecturer and Students Affairs Officer of NICO Training School, noted that a man like Dr. Ayakoroma deserves to be celebrated for his immense contributions to NICO and society at large, and led the visibly elated students and staff present to cut and munch the cake on behalf of the unavoidably absent celebrant.
T
he Corporate Affairs Unit of NICO in Lagos was at hand to capture the occasion with vintage pictures provided free of charge by Wole Akanle, emergency cake serving stewards courtesy of beautiful NICO ladies, and the many ever ready but unrecognized club members of Free-eaters Association of NICO (FAN).
The club still hopes, as members of the ‘Barclays Force,’ that the cake served is only an appetizer to the main course meal expected from the celebrant.
There were no dull moments, at all, but only fun moments, during the remarkable occasion to wish our indefatigable Executive Secretary, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, happy birthday and prayers of many happy returns.
Anthony Okafor and Lanre Arepo
Corporate Affairs Unit
NICO Training School