NCAC Sets Agenda for National Rebirth

Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe, recently brought together participants from all walks of life to set an agenda for national rebirth that will put Nigeria on the path of development and make the country attractive globally, writes Charles Ajunwa  

The Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, has the passion for arts, culture and tourism sector and he dedicates his time and energy in making sure that Nigeria emerges as an enviable destination for tourists.

To further expand frontiers of the arts, culture and tourism sector which continues to attract foreign direct investments into the country, Runsewe last Tuesday, convened a one-day interactive forum with the theme: “Culture, Peace And National Rebirth: An Agenda Setting”, which brought together leaders of religious organisations, traditional rulers, youths and women organisations, critical stakeholders in arts and culture sector, media and key resource persons in the field of culture, value orientation and social engineering.

Kapital Klub, venue of the event was carefully chosen as it was tucked inside the serene parts of Asokoro, Abuja. To add cultural flavour, a staff of the agency popularly called Bulus intermittently sang melodious songs with Nigerian tunes, compelling guests to nod their heads and body around.

Convener’s Opening Remarks

Runsewe, who is President of the World Crafts Council, said in his welcoming address that the programme was motivated by the need to put the issues of culture and peace in the front burner of national discourse “as we seek to reposition our nation on the path of growth and development in line with philosophy and objectives of the in-coming administration.”

The NCAC boss, who was dressed in traditional white agbada with cap to match, said Nigeria’s culture is firmly rooted in national core values of discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self-reliance and patriotism entrenched in the 1991 constitution as amended.

According to Runsewe, “these cultural values are the veritable building blocks for a united, peaceful, prosperous and greater Nigerian nation, strong enough to provide the required leadership for Africa and the black race all over the world.

He espoused that the founding fathers of Nigeria and those who crafted the letters of the constitution believed in and shared these cultural values of the ideal Nigeria. But he was quick to tell his audience that developments in recent years are in clear contravention of these tenets of the country’s national ethics. Runsewe, who spoke passionately from his heart,  lamented that some leaders today, continue to play up the mundane things that separate Nigerians rather than emphasise the enduring elements of the country’s unity.

“There has been no time since after the Civil War that Nigeria has been so polarised along primordial and parochial lines than during the 2023 general election. The tension, bitterness, rancor and acrimonies generated by the electioneering campaigns have tended to further fuel embers of distrust and disunity among Nigerians.

“This disturbing development has also greatly impacted on our youths who are the leaders of tomorrow. There is the growing feeling of alienation among the vast majority of our youths, manifesting in various forms of restiveness and internationalisation and exhibition of vices that are at variance with our culture. Incidences of violent crimes, transgenderism, the endSARS protest and the Japa syndrome are clear indications of a youth population who harbour a sense of alienation, exclusion, disillusionment and despair. Many of our youths of today are at a cultural crossroads with high propensity for anger and violence.”

To contain this dangerous trend which negatively impacts on the image of Nigeria and Nigerians, Runsewe implored leaders to unite irrespective of their political and religious leanings to salvage the country, noting that was the only way Nigeria can make progress.

“No nation can attain its developmental aspirations when its elites are heavily divided along sentimental cleavages of religion and ethnicity as was played out in the 2023 general election. It is also unarguable that a nation can only be on the path of progress and prosperity when its youths espouse the right values and orientation that support national development. There is therefore the compelling need for our leaders, particularly our political elites, to set aside their ideological differences and work together in unity to rebuild our nation. Also, the youths, who are the engine room of national development, need to be carefully cultivated and nurtured to drive the development process.

“It is in the light of the foregoing that the National Council for Arts and Culture is kick-starting this conversation that would set the agenda for the birth of the Nigeria of our dreams. It is our conviction that there can be no better time for doing this than now that we are preparing for the inauguration of a new government on May 29, 2023.”

Religious Intolerance

One of the resource persons, Dr. David Manya Dogo, a development communicator and former director at National Orientation Agency (NOA), who presented a paper titled ‘Enhancing  Religious Tolerance for National Unity’ posited that  religion is a powerful tool that can be used to ensure peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.

Dogo, who identified religious intolerance as a human rights issue, said Nigeria with a population of over 200 million, 270 ethnic groups, 370 languages and 1150 dialects cannot afford to be plunged into another civil war.

He cited the example of Somalia, where despite being a homogeneous country have not had peace since 1919 due to religious intolerance.

The former NOA director enumerated the causes of religious intolerance to include religious bigotry, religious indoctrination, ignorance, factionalisation, manipulation of religion, hate speech, religious domination, competition and rivalry.

He noted that these tendencies manifest in religious conflicts, disputes, verbal attacks, suppression, domination, religion-based voting, polarised settlement patterns and many others.

Dogo, who condemned the use of religion during the campaigns of 2023 general election, submitted that the results of these anomalies are lack of unity, religious war, massive dislocation, loss of human capital and escalation of poverty.

To engender religious tolerance therefore, Dogo posited the need for religious dialogue, mutual interaction and respect, awareness on our common humanity, upholding constitutional provisions and adhering to religious injunctions relating to religious tolerance, promotion of core of our common national values, addressing social problems like poverty, unemployment, drug abuse which are key drivers of religious intolerance and violence in Nigeria.

Japa Syndrome

Mrs. Rebecca Ede, Managing Consultant/CEO Hadid Consult and Event Management, whose presentation centred on ‘Undue Attraction of Our Youths to Foreign Lands for Greener Pasture’, said 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population mostly youths are leaving in droves because of the economic situation in the country which she attributed to ignorance. She said that “there is no country in the world without conflicts,” of which Nigeria is no exception.

Ede, who gave instances of how young people with good jobs left the shores of Nigeria only to end up doing menial work abroad, said “They get rude shock when they travel abroad,” adding “many are stuck abroad.”

She called on youths in Nigeria to come together and channel their strengths doing meaningful things such as teaching to earn a decent living. “There is greatness in our youths and they are the building blocks of this country.”

Apart from advocating for examination of the mental health of youths, she called on relevant government and non-governmental organisations to work with the NCAC to mount sensitisation campaigns to enlighten the youths on the risk of Japa, and expose them to the abundant opportunities in Nigeria.

National Rebirth

Consultant Behaviourist/Chief Psychometrician, SABA Resources, Abuja, Dr. James Komolafe, who presented the topic ‘Mobilising Nigerians for National Rebirth’, said that forgiveness is key to achieving the desired national rebirth.

According to Komolafe, Nigeria of today is ravaged by the vices of ethnic and religious sentiments, tension, allegiance to personal and parochial identities, general feeling of apathy, insecurity, mistrust, suspicion and others.

He stressed the need for national unity, peace, reconciliation, saying they are necessary for harmonious co-existence and national development. According to him, cultural revival will engender the much needed national rebirth in the country.   

Journalist’s Intervention  

Seasoned journalist and award-winning journalist, Babajide Kolade Otitoju, who gave a compelling historical journey of Nigeria, said lack of visionary leadership remains bane of the country’s development, adding that only right leadership in place will rescue Nigeria from its present quagmire.

“We can hit our heads against the wall, we will never achieve the Nigeria of our dreams if we don’t have the right leadership because somebody has to stand in the front to lead.”

“If we couldn’t have a leader that is committed to changing our situation , if  we couldn’t have a leader that will stand his ground and say ‘enough is enough’ we are wasting our time.

“If Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will not make things happen, we are in trouble.  I’m not a doom’s day prophet, I’m just telling the truth,” Otitoju said.

The veteran journalist, who spoke without his prepared presentation, prayed that it must touch God’s heart to make things happen in Nigeria again.

He recalled when the defunct Nigeria Airways used to be the biggest airline in Africa, and was envious of the Western world due to its exponential growth. All those he lamented today had been consigned to the dustbin of history.

“Nigeria Airways once donated two aircraft to Emirates. It surprises you but that is the truth,” he said

He said that countries like Saudi Arabia, India and others used to come to University Teaching Hospital Ibadan, to receive good medicare.

According to Otitoju, Nigeria began to decline in all sectors it used to do well before because of the quality of leaders coupled with high levels of corruption in the system. He said that if Nigeria is able to produce the right leaders in three election circles, the country will be able to compete with other countries in every sphere of human endeavours because we have the potential and we are blessed as a country.”

Commendation/Goodwill Messages

Moderator of the proceedings, Bonat Joab Tagwai, a development analyst and other participants commended the NCAC boss, Runsewe and his management team for coming up with the idea to set an agenda for a new Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Alhaji Ado Yahuza, Director General of National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Mr. Nura Kangiwa, President of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), Mr. Onung Nkeum, President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), Mr. Israel Eboh, President of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Mr. Suleiman Muhammed, all praised the programme as a bold step in the right direction and stressed the need to sustain this and similar programmes so that the Nigeria of our dream can emerge.