The Acting Head, Department of Theatre Arts, Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, Bayelsa State, Dr. Christine Odi, has stated that the Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma has made her department to be in academic heaven.
The university don stated this on Monday, 15th September, 2014 in her office at the University Campus, when she received some books and publications presented to her by the NICO Boss to stock the departmental library.
Receiving the books, Dr. Odi recalled that Dr. Ayakoroma, who was her lecturer some 20 years ago at the University of Port Harcourt and her boss at the Bayelsa State Council for Arts & Culture, subsequently, had imparted so much on her as an individual, noting that the NICO ES was a prolific writer and had professionally made significant contributions in the academic sector as well as the culture industry in Nigeria both in writing and practice.
The HoD expressed her joy and appreciation to NICO and Ayakoroma’s kind gesture, praying that God will increase and reward him abundantly for supplying the department with the relevant books and publications needed to develop the departmental library for students’ use, and concluding: “With all these, Ayakoroma has made us to be in academic heaven.”
Earlier, the South-South Zonal Coordinator of NICO, Mr. James Imohiosen, who presented the books on behalf of the Executive Secretary, had explained that Dr. Ayakoroma had been donating books to organizations and institutions both nationally and internationally and that it wa
s the turn of Niger Delta University, Amassoma.
He classified the books and publications donated by the ES into three sets: books written by the ES, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma himself; books authored by Culture Administrators and intellectuals, like the Honourable Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, Professors Shamsudeen Amali, Emeka Nwabueze, Austin Asagba, Ayo Akinwale, Abdalla Uba Adamu, Effiong Etim Johnson, ABC Duruaku, and Olusegun Ojewuyi; and recent National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) published text books, edited mostly by Olu Obafemi, Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, and Ojo Bakare Rasaki.
He further explained that NICO was a Parastatal in the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and that the South-South Zonal Office of the Institute was borne out of the desire of the Federal Government to take NICO programmes and activities to the grassroots for the promotion of culture for national development.
He highlighted some of NICO’s programmes, including the just concluded one-month Nigerian Indigenous Language Programme, the Weekend Indigenous Language Programme, NICO Children’s Cultural Extravaganza, and the NICO Training School, where culture workers are trained to become professionals and Nigeria’s future culture ambassadors.
According to him, every human development was embedded in the culture of the people and as a lover of culture who is widely celebrated as a culture icon, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma had donated the books and publications to Niger Delta University as part of his continued efforts at promoting and propagating culture in Nigeria.
Present at the occasion were the Ag. Head, Department of Fine & Applied Art, Niger Delta University, Dr. Neto Emiemokumo, Head, Admin & Human Resources, NICO South-South Zone, Mr. Ebi Asene, and staffers from NICO and the Department of Theatre Arts, Niger Delta University.
Clifford Ugwu
Corporate Affairs Unit
NICO SSZ