The Vice Chancellor and Chairman of Senate, Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), Prof. Muhammad Mainoma, has approved the request of National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) to affiliate its Training School for the award of nationally and internationally recognised Postgraduate Diploma in Cultural Administration certificates.
According to a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary/CEO of NICO, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, who is also a Visiting Associate Professor with the Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies at NSUK, dated 17th August, 2017 and signed by the University Registrar, Alhaji Bala Ahmed II, the approval is subject to the provisions of the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which the Institute signed with the University.
The letter reads in part: “I am pleased to inform you that the Vice-Chancellor, acting as Chairman of Senate has approved your application for the affiliation of the Training School of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation to Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
“This approval is subject to the provisions of the 2012 Memorandum of Association between Nasarawa State University and the National Institute for Cultural Orientation Training School and all other regulations of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi and National Universities Commission (NUC) governing affiliation”.
The University Management has already directed the Institute to liaise with the Academic Office of the Registry and the Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies accordingly.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of NICO, Assoc. Prof. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, has expressed satisfaction with the development, saying that the approval is a step towards mainstreaming the Training School in the culture sector, especially now that Nasarawa State University, Keffi has also approved the running of Masters Degree and PhD in Cultural Policy and Management among other postgraduate programmes at the University’s Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies.
It will be recalled that on the 18th April, 2012, NICO signed an MoU with Nasarawa State University, Keffi, requesting for collaboration and affiliation of its Training School to NSUK for the purpose of awarding certificates as appropriate and approved by the University Senate.
The decision was informed by the fact that Nasarawa State University, Keffi is the only tertiary institution in the country offering a degree programme in Theatre and Cultural Studies and the Institute is optimistic that with the approval, the quality of graduands of the NICO Training School will be strengthened through improved standards.
Caleb Nor
Media Assistant-ES
NICO HQ, Abuja-FCT