Former Executive Governor of Yobe State, His Excellency, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, has commended the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), for its conscientious efforts towards exploring the cultural dimensions to the socio-economic development of the nation.
Senator Ibrahim stated this in Abuja on Monday, October 8, 2012, while delivering an address as chairman of the opening ceremony of the Two-Day National Workshop on Culture in the Transformation Agenda, organized by NICO, in collaboration with Leading Edge Academy (LEA), at the Yar’Adua Centre.
The lawmaker, who was represented by his Special Assistant, Dr. Emmanuel Iwueke, said if culture, as the totality of the way of life of a people, is accorded priority attention, it will enhance development at the national level, as well as the grassroots to enhance the progress of the people at the community level.
Buttressing the importance of culture in the economic transformation of a people, Senator Ibrahim said the workshop with the theme, “Culture and the Socio-Economic Transformation of Local Governments in Nigeria: Setting an Agenda for Development,” is timely, stressing that culture and economic transformation create certain cultural traits that promote economic development.
While expressing optimism that Nigeria’s rich culture can be properly harnessed to offer lasting solutions to the nation’s developmental challenges, Senator Ibrahim regretted th
at the local government system in Nigeria, which is directly responsible for boosting development at the grassroots, has continued to be evaded by development.
He therefore stressed that a lot needs to be done to sensitize local government administrators to appreciate the place of cultural industries, pointing out that NICO’s identification of the cultural dimension in development initiatives and the provision of an enabling platform, to interface with experts in the field of culture and development towards exploring the cultural perspective as an alternative, is a welcome development.
Caleb Nor
Corporate Affairs