The leadership of National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) has been commended for their laudable programmes, which are geared towards reviving, teaching, and promoting the culture of the country for national development.
The South-East Zonal Coordinator of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. E. I. Ohuakanwa, gave the commendation in his office, while receiving a delegation from the Enugu State Office of NICO, led by the State Head, Mr. Nnaemeka Nwajagu.
Dr. Ohuakanwa described culture as the only avenue that can bring foreigners to Nigeria, because, as he put it, variety is the spice of life, adding: “we are grateful to the Federal Government for bringing NICO to assist us in propagating this scheme, which has been hindered by some cultural misrepresentations and disbeliefs.”
Earlier, the State Head, NICO Enugu State Office, Mr. Nnaemeka Nwajagu, had told the NHIS management that the aim of the visit was to intimate them on NICO programmes and seek ways of collaboration with NHIS, to ensure the proper re-orientation on the belief that culture is fetish.
He decried the situation where people have thrown away their culture in ignorance, warning that if care is not taken, the Europeans will be the ones teaching Nigerians the indigenous culture.
Continuing, Nwajagu identified inferiority complex as one of the major problems militating against the successful implementation of the NHIS in the country, and advised the management of the Scheme to take cognizance of the cultural dimension in their campaign to the rural people, noting that only cultural, grassroots-based action will convince the masses to properly enrol in the scheme.
While reeling out the programmes of the Institute to the NHIS management, he observed the wrong interpretations and spellings in Igbo translations, and solicited for partnership in the training of NHIS staffers at the NICO Training School, Lagos, so that they will be well-grounded in Nigerian culture, so as to function effectively among the people.
More importantly, Nwajagu requested for officers of the Scheme to register for the NICO One-month Nigerian Indigenous Language Programme (NILP), which comes up in August, to learn some Nigerian languages like Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and Izon.
In her vote of thanks, the Head, Planning, Research and Monitoring Department, Mrs. Ossy Gertrude Nma, on behalf of the management of NHIS, appreciated NICO Enugu for coming at this moment in time, to rescue people from the ignorance and shame that the Igbo language might go into extinction in future, and promised that the Scheme will give maximum support to counter this trend.
Kingsley Ngoka
Enugu State Office