The Executive Secretary of National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, in setting the 2014 Agenda for the Institute, met with management and staff at the Institute’s headquarters in Abuja, to evaluate the activities of the previous year (2013) and to strategise for the year running.
Evaluating the activities of NICO in 2013, Ayakoroma commended the effort of staffers for the tremendous success recorded by the Institute as an organisation in the culture sector in the previous year.
The NICO boss informed that an office space to open NICO Sokoto State office (bringing the Institute’s state offices to five), had been made available by the Sokoto State Government, and that the sixth state office, proposed for Akwa-Ibom or Cross River State, was also being pursued, adding that National Conference on Culture, Peace and National Security for Traditional Rulers, Training School Matriculation, 5th Public Lecture and the Convocation ceremony, were among other programmes lined up for the year.
The ES further enumerated the institute’s activities for the first quarter of the year, thus: The Training School Matriculation ceremony for the 21st of February in Lagos, the second NICO Governing Board meeting to be held in Lagos, the NICO Annual Retreat scheduled to hold in March, and urged all staff to come up with programme ideas for the Institute in 2014.
Earlier, staffers were given the opportunity to set the agenda for the meeting which were later discussed and gray areas like NICO Cooperative Society, the Training School complex in Kuje, the Affiliation of the Training School with Nasarawa State University (NSUK), Staff Promotion, further studies for staff and improved staff welfare in the Training School, were clarified by the appropriate directors and management staff directly involved.
Meaningful contributions and suggestions were made on how best the Institute could be publicised through the electronic media, billboards and street ads, and at the end of the deliberations, the ES directed the Director of Finance and Accounts, Mr. Godson Ordu, to make available quarterly Statements of Account of the NICO Cooperative Society to staff for accountability and transparency, as he promised that the NICO Assembly would be more regular, on quarterly basis.
Directors in the headquarters present at the meeting included, Barr. Abayomi Oyelola, mni (Admin & Human Resources), Prince Bamidele Olusa (Research & Documentation), Mr. Godson Ordu (Finance & Accounts), Mr. Nelson Campbell (Office of the Executive Secretary), and Mr. Alex Omijie (Orientation & Cultural Affairs).
Njideka J. Dimgba
Corporate Affairs
NICO HQ, Abuja