The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) Training School, on Tuesday, 25th October, 2016, formally inaugurated an Interim EXCO for the newly-constituted Culture Institute Alumni Association for Graduates of the Diploma, Advanced and Postgraduate Diploma programmes in Cultural Administration.
The inauguration, which was performed at the Institute’s Headquarters in Abuja, also marked an informal passing out ceremony for Set 2015/2016 of Postgraduate Students, popularly known as, Class Diplomats, at the Abuja Study Centre of the Institute, with the Executive 
Secretary, Associate Professor Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, calling on the newly inaugurated EXCO members to justify the confidence reposed in them by bringing their experience to bear in their new appointments; as it is expected of any alumni of an organisation to serve as pillar of support to that organisation.
His words: “We believe that you are going to use your positions to move the course of NICO forward. It is all about the value that you will bring to the organisation and we pray that this inauguration will add value to the corporate image and daily running of NICO as the training arm in the culture sector”.
He expressed satisfaction that the Training School was gradually gaining visibility to the level it has always been expected, saying the current set of postgraduate students have been exemplary, largely because of the conglomeration of people from various establishments, which had made it not to be strictly a NICO affair.
Prof. Ayakoroma disclosed that when the NICO Training School was made an independent department of its own, instead of an appendage of the Institute’s Lagos Liaison Office, as it were, many staffers resisted their nomination to attend the school; but that the idea had always been that if one is working in the culture sector, one must know the product one is marketing, to tell anybody what culture is all about, which is the whole essence of the Training School.
The NICO Boss, however, said that with the level of increased interest in participation in the Training School programme by external candidates, there may soon be little or no room for participation by a large number of NICO staffers, stressing that the programme is becoming more competitive by the day.
Speaking earlier on behalf of Class 2016 of the postgraduate diploma programme, the Class Governor, Akparawa Michael Bush, disclosed that the event was organized as a brief ceremony to mark the fact that they had come to the school, seen and conquered and most especially to inaugurate the alumni as a way of drawing national attention to an excellent Institute.
Michael Bush used the occasion to call on NICO staffers to work alongside the Interim EXCO of the alumni, especially in spreading the NICO Training School gospel for Nigerians to come and also benefit from the programme.
His words: “You all know that before now, I didn’t belong to NICO or any other cultural agency of the Federal Government but I just took interest in coming here for the last 10 months to study culture and I think I have been so developed and even more of a cultural expert”.”
Continuing, Michael Bush (popularly called, The Boss), the producer of “Bush House Nigeria”, a live phone-in programme on Kapital 92.9FM, Abuja, Nigeria, said: “Next academic year, I already have three very distinguished Nigerians, who will be attending the programme and I believe that before the programme starts, I would have brought two more to make the number to five”.
Those appointed as members of the Interim EXCO of the Culture Institute Alumni Association (CIAA) are: Mr. Segun Iroko (Acting President), Mrs. Sherifat Abdulrazaq (Acting Vice President), Mr. Thomas Anongu (Acting Secretary-General), Mr. Saidu Abdullahi (Acting Assistant Secretary-General), Mrs. Maryam Banta (Acting Director of Finance), Mr. David Bassey (Acting Director, Publicity, Contact & Mobilisation), Mr. Shuaibu Shuaibu (Acting Director, Socials & Welfare), Mrs. Ihuoma Nzeaka (Acting Director of Culture & Programmes), Mr. Kenneth Okpete (Acting Director of Research), Barrister Musa Kakamba (Acting Legal Adviser), as well as Mr. Patrick Nwagbo Obi (Staff Adviser).
Management Staff present at the event with the ES NICO were Mr. Alex Omijie (Director, Orientation and Cultural Affairs), Alhaji Ibrahim Husseini (Acting Director, Admin & Human Resources), Mr. Law Ezeh (Deputy Director/SA-ES), Mr. Herbert Ogbeh (Head, Finance & Accounts), and Dr. (Mrs.) Regina Onuoha (Coordinator, NICO Training School, Abuja Study Centre).
Caleb Nor
Corporate Affairs Unit
NICO HQ, Abuja