Kaduna – Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Tuesday challenged the National Museums and Monuments to use culture to enhance interaction among various ethnic groups in the country.
Mohammed, who gave the challenge in Kaduna at the opening of a retreat for staff of the commission, said it was important to highlight similarities in cultures so as to promote national unity.
The Minister said showcasing cultural similarities would strengthen existing cultural bounds among ethnic groups in the country.
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The Minister, who was represented by Yusuf Abdallah, the Director-General of the Commission, also tasked the organisation to work towards getting more sites in the country enlisted as World Heritage sites.
According to him, this would widen the spot, the nation occupies on the global cultural tourism map.
“ If achieved, it will encourage both local and international tourists with all their attendant benefits relating to non-oil revenue drive of the current administration.
“ One way of achieving this is by creating a working relationship between the federal ministries of Education and that of information and culture as well as state ministries of Education with the aim of integrating museum studies in our educational curriculum.
“This will enable students to have deep knowledge about their culture and give them sense of belonging.
“ It will also create avenue for them to know about indigenous arts and industries at their early ages.“
The minister added that exhibitions would help in making people self reliant and increase moral values.
Mohammed advised the commission to play more active role in areas of cultural rebirth, reawakening and re-orientation.
Also speaking, Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai of Kaduna State, pledged to assist the commission in the forthcoming exhibition of Nok artefacts carted away to Europe, which were retrieved back to the country.
He said the state is home to one of the earliest ancient arts, the NOK culture.
“ Nok arts was about 1,500 years (500BC-200AD) which is one of the evidences of early civilization in sub-saharan Africa.
“ Museum is one of the veritable channels through which the efforts of the federal government at pushing for an economy with less dependence on oil revenues can be achieved.“
The governor said that the state would partner with the commission to take inventories of the state heritage resources.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the retreat, with the theme `Repositioning National Commission for Museums and Monuments for change agenda and overall development of Nigeria, 2016 to 2019′, would end on Wednesday.(NAN)