From Tayo Ogunbiyi

 

It is not unusual in our clime to see big dudes throw big parties to celebrate a landmark attainment. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that if you have the means.

Since I could not afford the financial outlay of putting up the kind of party I believe he really deserves as he hits the golden epoch, I have opted to celebrate my friend and colleague, Abiodun Dina, through this medium.

Many complete their course in life without really discovering their purpose. They, therefore, live their lives befuddled and discouraged, but not Dina. He discovered his purpose very early in life.

He was very decisive on the career path to chart. He joined the Lagos State Civil Service without any qualms after graduation, when some of his peers were still groping in the dark, lingering for utopian professions.

His inclination for hard work and penchant for excellence remain the driving force in everything he does. It is, therefore, not surprising that he has, thus far, been able to enjoy a modest success in his chosen career, considering its highly competitive nature.

Soft spoken but articulate, before joining the Lagos State Civil Service as an Information Officer, Dina began his work career as an Administrative Officer at the Lagos State Polytechnic.

He was part of the team that initiated a rehabilitation programme that reintegrated over 500 “Area Boys” (street urchins) back to the society in 1997.

His altruism and capacity to stimulate social and communal engagements is amazing. He belongs to the class of bureaucrats with a burning desire for a change mindset in the system.

This is informed by his longing to be involved in efforts to eliminate ‘undue’ bureaucracy/redtapism in all facets of the public service.

It has always been his craving that public servants imbibe new thinking and attitude by doing away with excessive rigidity or stiff conformity to formal rules that are considered redundant or bureaucratic which the public service is synonymous with.

It is Dina’s conviction that ‘undue’ bureaucracy must be done away with (too much of everything is bad) for the system to thrive.

This, indeed, was what inspired him to write a book, ‘Evolving Competitive Public Sector in Nigeria’.  The book, which was first published in 2009, aptly summarises Dina’s view and perception of the public service of his dream.

In the book, Dina affirms that a major benefit of globalisation is its creation of alternatives and choices.

He goes further to submit that this scenario has brought about competition in the market place which has provided a huge boost for efficiency, creativity and quality service delivery.

While the book attempts to capture developments in contemporary work place, Dina’s main goal is to actually bring the public service up to speed with what is obtainable in the private sector.

His argument being that in a democratic dispensation, the people determine the performance of a government via the quality of service render by the public servants.

He, thus, asserts that the public service can make or mar a government. He, therefore, suggests means of evolving a competitive public sector that places huge emphasis on quality and timely service delivery.

It is to Dina’s credit that the book has, in no small measure, been assisting in putting the Lagos State Public Service on the path of excellence.

This is quite instructive because the vision of making Lagos a 21st Century Economy and global economic and financial hub cannot be achieved without a competent and visionary workforce.

As Abiodun Dina attains the golden age, it is important for to draw vital lessons from this gentle but focused personality. For one, his humility is quite striking.

In a clime where people suddenly become arrogant on the account of modest life’s accomplishments, Dina is humility is quite instructive. He is never one to look down on anyone, irrespective of social divides.

He is of the school of thought that people with first class brains, uncommon wealth, exceptional ideas and other outstanding endowments should not look down on others. This is fully reflected in his lifestyle and attitude to life.

Another striking thing about Dina is his penchant for coming up with arresting ideas.  He believes, and rightly so, that ideas rule the world.

He once said that ‘the quality of ideas available in a given society determines the quality of life and opportunities available in such society’.

Therefore, he is absolute in his conviction that what an individual, organization, society, or a nation needs to step up in the scale of progress is inspirational idea.

Read Also: God has been part of Lagos journey, says Sanwo-Olu

 

It is rather sad and quite pathetic, especially in our clime to observe that many people are yet to understand that the quality of our lives as human beings is substantially a reflection of the quality of ideas we generate.

Many still seem not to comprehend that the idea which we conceive, like kola in African culture, is life in itself. It is the kind of ideas that we give to our space that it gives back to us.

No more, no less.  As a university undergraduate, Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook in his twenties. Thanks to the strength and depth of his idea, today, he ranks among the world top billionaires.

The source of his kind of wealth is quite helpful for the average youth. It was founded and driven on the power of ideas.

Vision is another quality of Dina that deserves passable scrutiny.  Yes, it is good to have great ideas like the one that inspired the creation of Facebook.

But then, of what bearing is a great idea that cannot fly on the wing of a clear cut vision. It is vision that truly drives ideas. Vision motivates, directs and inspires.

The centrality of vision in all human endeavours is better illustrated with a declaration from the Holy Book to the effect that where there is no vision the people perish.

From the foregoing, two key elements have been clearly identified in Dina’s life story. The first is the power of idea, while the second is the strength of vision.

It is important to add a third element. This is character. While it is true that idea rules the world and vision lightens up a dark tunnel, it is equally important to stress that it is only character that could sustain an idea, and drive a vision.

Sadly, in our society, many individuals and organisations are grossly deficient in the sphere of character. This clearly manifests in flagrant betrayal of trust, slackness in following up on scheduled plans, procrastination, fraudulent practices and a host of other such dispositions unbecoming of people of honour.

Character can make or mar a person’s destiny. Men and women of strong character act consistently based on their perception of ethical principles and values.

The consequences of violating the expectation of the highest character can be swift and shattering when people’s trust in a particular individual or organisation is undermined.

Dina, it is in his character to stand firmly on values and ideals that he believes are essential for the image of the brand that he is building. To him, everything rises and falls on character.

According to Aristotle, excellence does not come by accident; it is achieved by habit and conscious commitment to one’s goals and objectives. As Dina joins the golden class, here is wishing him more years of goal driven attainments and blessings.

 

• Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of formation & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

 

 

From Oluchi Ogazi

 

Audience research, which could also be referred to as audience analysis, is a communication research that is conducted on specific audience segment to gather information about attitudes, knowledge, interests, preference or behaviours with respect to preventive issues regarding a particular work.

The museum on the other hand, according to the ICOM statutes adopted by the General Assembly in Austria 2007, is a non-profit permanent institution in the service of society and its development open to the public which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purpose of education, study and enjoyment.

Museums are for people, and so in order  to ensure that we provide meaningful and engaging visitor experience in a complex society like ours where we have different languages, religions, profession, socio cultural,  political and economic differences, a museum in any location of the country should make it easier for people to understand the similarities and differences in our cultures not living out activities for children entertainment, growth and development, public enlightment and relaxation.

In order to ensure an audience focused project in the museum, there is need to research through the need to research through the needs, wants and expectation of audience and advocating for these throughout the development of the Museum.

Exhibitions are the basic medium of the museum to communicate with its public. So in order to establish a means of measuring the quality of visitor services over time, ensure a good visitor experience, it is essential for museum to find out as much information as possible about the audience and communities the museum wishes to serve through audience research.

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Also question arising from audience participation and attendance, institutional and mission goals and factors behind both successful and unsuccessful exhibitions are addressed.

Day-to- today management of the museum, which involves the planning, maintenance and running of daily activities, identifying areas that needs improvement and long term strategic decision-making are all achievable using the audience analysis.

The benefits of audience research to the museum are so numerous that it helps to explore the effectiveness and impact of the exhibition to the general public, increase visitor number, improve their visitor experience, and as well helps in recognising and removing barriers to visitor comprehension and motivation.

Through research, staff and institution learn from their audiences, staffs are challenged to develop a deeper insight into what makes their visitors value the exhibition or the institution.

Experiment and innovations are tested before being put to use and also equipments that are designed are tested to improve their designs and content before they are fully installed.

Various materials are used to achieve quality audience analysis which includes the visitor’s book, publications (both published and unpublished) questionnaires, oral interviews, (either written or verbal), interactions/discussions.

In order not to waste time and money, loose the interest of the target audience, ensure a good visitor/audience experience and as well achieve the purpose of the museum, audience analysis should be given a special attention in the museum.

 

• Ogazi works with National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Abuja. Mrs

 

 

 

 

By Musa Odoshimokhe

 

President, Women Arise Dr. Joe Odumakin, has said it is wrong for couples to be in relationship with irreconcilable differences.

Speaking at the 10th Annual Widow Empowerment Luncheon by Oasis Women Organisation in Lagos, Odumakin said it had led to many deaths in families.

She added that it was better for couples to be separated instead of being killed while holding on to a relationship that had lost genuine love.

According to her, no fewer than 13 women and four men were killed in domestic violence this year, noting that the trend was on the rise.

She said there was need to create public awareness on the danger of domestic violence, adding that the society must curtail the trend.

Her words: “Domestic violence is on the rise and it is worrisome. Marriage is meant to complement each other and not competition. Nobody has the right to cheat the other.

“When you realise that you have irreconcilable differences, it is better to be separated from the relationship. But sometimes, the women folk hold on to the relationship because of their children and end up in grave danger.

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“Some  religions preach against separation or divorce, but I’m sure no society would prefer to bury its people, rather it would separate them instead of being killed. Women Arise is ready to reconcile couples who genuinely want to resolve their differences.”

President, Oasis Women Organisation, Erelu Mojisola Adams urged women not to shrink in their responsibility of building the home.

She said women were in the best position to create the kind of home they desired, noting that when they showed genuine love their spouses would complement them.

“I want to urge our women to devote their time towards improving on our natural roles as mothers of the home. It is our duty to build our homes by promoting peace and restoring hope within the family.

“They are the lord of the home and in playing their role; men need to give them the necessary support. Our home is our haven, depending on how we would want it to be,” she said.

 

 

By lanre amodu

 

Several years ago, two little boys, let’s call them Tom and Billy, were playing on a frozen pond. They were ages seven and six respectively.

In their excitement, Tom went farther than they should have and stepped on thin ice. Suddenly, the ice broke and he fell in. His younger friend rushed forward to help him but the more Tom struggled, the deeper he went.

In a brief moment, the surface of the water froze up and Billy could not break the ice. Quickly, he ran to a nearby tree, broke off a huge branch and dragged it to the spot where Tom fell in.

He used the branch to break the ice and managed to drag his friend out. Apparently, some people around had called the rescue line so help came soon after.

There was a mystery though; the rescue team could not figure out how a little boy like Billy could have broken such a huge branch and dragged it all the way to save his friend.

As they marveled saying, “How was he able to do that?” An old man standing nearby spoke up. He said, “I’ll tell you how he was able to do it. He did it because there was no adult around to tell him that he couldn’t do it”.

How right the old man was! The word “impossible” refers to something that cannot be done or something that can’t exist.

Have you ever asked yourself why some things are labeled ‘impossible’? Who exactly gave them the status of impossibility? While we ponder on these questions, here are my thoughts on impossibility:

• It refers to something that has never been done until it is done. Historically, we know of some medical conditions termed ‘incurable’ but are now curable.
  Once, it was considered impossible for man to fly or journey to the moon but we have long past that level now. All it takes is for someone to break the record then everyone agrees that it can be done.
• It is another way of saying, “I’ve run out of ideas”. When people reach the limit of their understanding, particularly when they are ‘authorities’ on the subject, they conclude that it can’t be done, whereas knowledge is progressive.
• It saves your feelings but hurts your future. Some people tell you things are impossible just to save you from eventual disappointment.
  

  Read Also: That’s a Mistake! (3)

  However, imagine how you will feel to give up on your dreams just to see someone else achieve it when you are old and cannot pursue it anymore. We play life too safe sometimes that we fail to maximize our potentials.

• It makes you less of a competition. The vehemence with which some people argue that something is impossible can make one wonder if they have vested interest.
  Could it be because they failed at it they are afraid someone else might succeed? It appears that the moment we decide to attempt the impossible, we begin to contend, not only with the problem but also with people.
• It is more mental than physical. If you can find a way around a problem in your mind, you will physically overcome it.
  However, the moment you’re convinced it is impossible, you won’t even try it. When you want to challenge the impossible, start with your mind.
• It is the norm but there are always exceptions. If there is something invaluable that science has taught us, it is that for every rule there is an exception.
  Simply because it is generally believed that something cannot be achieved doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It may be the norm but you are the exception.

Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. There is still plenty of time to change your year!

 

Promotion of cultural ties between the China and Nigeria facilitated by the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka attained another positive level when the Director of the institute, Prof. Job Yu Zhangbao, was honoured with a title from the Southeast, reports ALOYSIUS ATTAH.

 

China-Nigeria cultural ties were strengthened when the Director of the Chinese Confucius Institute, Prof. Job Yu Zhangbao,  a Chinese, was honoured with a  chieftaincy title from the Southeast.

Zhangbao was honoured with Ezi Oyi 1 (Reliable friend) title.  With the title, Zhangbao has been inducted into Igbo chief-taincy institution.

The title was given during the Oji-Ofor cultural festival in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK). The festival was organised by the university in conjunction with the Students’ Union Government (SUG).

The colourful carnival, which held at the Convocation Arena, had in attendance the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Frederick Odibo; the Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Stanley Udedi; the Managing Director of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Mr. Uche Nworah, and among others.

According to the UNZIK’s Director, Information and Public Relations Dr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, Prof. Zhangbao has set three records with his chieftaincy title.

Ojukwu stated: “Firstly, it is now on record that Prof. Yu is the first Chinese academic and cultural ambassador to become a chief in Nigeria.

In fact, the four Chinese residents in the country who have also received  chieftaincy titles are entrepreneurs, not academics. With this title, he now straddles two cultures – African and Asian.

“Secondly, he has gone down in history as the first Chinese to become a traditional title holder (chief) in Southeast Nigeria.

Those four Chinese chiefs received their titles from the North. Thirdly, he is overwhelmed by the rapidity of the recognition, because he has worked in Nigeria for just less than two years, whereas those four Chinese entrepreneurs who have also received chieftaincy titles have lived in the country for 10 years and more.”

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the title was recognition of the contribution of the Chinese staff of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University to the growth of the Nigeria-China relations.

The Chinese Confucius Institute has fostered cultural and knowledge synergy between both countries and their citizens so far, adding that it “has opened hitherto closed doors not only to UNIZIK but also to Nigeria as a country.

“Prof Zhangbao has excellent human relations. His efforts at rendering outstanding services to the university and Igbo people in general are commendable.

The Confucius Institute was established in June 2008 under a partnership between the university and Xiamen University, Fujian Province, China. Our Institute, under his direction, has made huge tremendous strides.

The institute has produced more than 15,000 alumni.More than 10,000 of the alumni are working as translators, interpreters, managers, public relations consultants, company supervisors, teachers, etc. in Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana,” he said.

Overwhelmed by the rare recognition, Zhangbao said: “I am so happy to become a red cap chief in Igbo land, Nigeria. The red cap is not for me; it is for all the Chinese teachers who are working at the Confucius Institute.

It is a testament to their modest contribution to the effort to foster intercultural harmony across the Indian Ocean.”

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While x-raying the beginning and gains made from the institute, he recalled its success story: “21 students from our CI sat for the advanced HSKK (oral examination).

Their pass rate was 100%. The pass rate and the total number of those who passed the examination were the highest in the world.  A total of 22 students from the 528 Confucius Institutes in 146 countries sat for the examination.

“Anthony Ekwensi, who at the time had studied Chinese for only 18 months, emerged the African champion and the number four in the world in the  2018, “Chinese Bridge” Competition that took place in China .

He disclosed that Ekwensi has been offered a master’s degree scholarship in China.  Also last year, another alumnus, Mr. Harford Michael, who is now pursuing a Ph.D  in  China, emerged the world champion at  the   ”Contest in China of Chinese Teaching for Candidates of Master Degree”.

He beat native speakers in that competition. Our CI has won the “Award for Excellent Confucius Institute in the World” two times, in 2015 and in 2017.”

Renowned Ekpili music minstrel, Prince Morocco Maduka; the Igbodiegwu cultural troupe; the Ijele masquerade performed at the festival. There was also traditional wrestling, but not leaving fashion competition and local dish preparations.

 

 

Mrs. Olunike Asaolu, a lecturer  at the Department of Mass Communication, Yaba College of Technology, is out with a new book titled“Pragmatic Approach to Feature Writing – An Indispensable tool for journalists”. In this chat with SUNDAY AKPAN and EBUBE OJUKWU, Asaolu, a former Education Correspondent with The Punch newspaper, speaks on her book, journalism, lecturing and other issues.

 

I decided to write the book after I realised that students don’t understand the techniques of writing feature stories. They don’t know the difference between a feature story and a news story. So I decided to assist them in a simple language that they would understand by putting something down.

But I would say the book was an inspiration from God because it wasn’t easy for me to write. Each time I was asleep or alone, I got the inspiration to write.

Right from my school days I have always loved feature writing and Photo journalism as a course. I was taught by Prof Innocent Okoye and Dr Soji Alabi.

The reason I love feature writing is that unlike news writing, the scope is wide; it gives you the opportunity to play with words. It is written in a relaxed manner.

In Punch, we could write feature every day or week. Some reports could take you months or years to write because you need to interview a lot of people to get different views and accurate facts and information to work with. This brought about the writing of my book.

 

On common mistakes students make

Like I’ve said, not being able to differentiate between a feature story and a news story is one of the reasons for writing the book. People don’t know that in feature story, you have to interview as much people as you can get.

Although you cannot put everyone views in your report, when you get as many people, it gives you opportunity to look at who is making valid and relevant points. And by that time you put your work together, it will be balanced.

In feature writing, you can’t just write 200 words and say you have done a feature story. When we talk about feature writing, we are also talking about investigative reporting. It’s not something you sit down at home and cook up story – you are not writing fiction. It is not a column.

You have an opportunity to dig up what is hidden: you need to give people more information and explanations based on what is trending and what was reported previously. That’s why people would want to read your feature writing.

Besides, it has to be very interesting, captivating from the beginning to the end and it is lengthier than a news story. So for feature writing, we are not following the format of news writing.

You could start with descriptive lead, direct quotation lead or punch lead to buttress your point, so that a reader would be interested and wouldn’t want to leave it half way.

My book ‘Pragmatic Approach to Feature Writing – An Indispensable tool for journalists’ is for students who desire to go into journalism, journalists, bloggers and anybody who desire to write feature stories.

 

Voyage into journalism

I have been a journalist and I am still a journalist. If you are a lecturer, especially a Journalism lecturer, there is no way you would not do some Journalistic activities and sometimes I write articles. I have been a journalist right from  my school days.

Then, I went for Internship in media organisations. So I went to sport media organisation where I did my Internship and started my career there.

Then during my service year, I was with The Guardian newspaper and has God will have it, I was posted on their Feature desk.

Then later I moved to The Punch newspaper as an Education Correspondent. So, I will say right from my service year till date. I came to Yaba College of Technology fully in 2014. I have been a Journalist even up to now.

Because sometimes I attend workshops, seminars, conferences, workshops for journalists organised by International Bodies, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). I have been into Journalism for more than five years.

The exposure one gets as a journalist is huge. People look up to you; you travel a lot and meet with those that matter in the society. if you are a professional journalist, your connection can never die.

 

Challenges of being a journalist

There are lots of challenges and difficulties; one of the challenges is getting people to talk, to give you information on especially when you have crucial issues to deal with.

People don’t want to open up to you or to give you information. So you have to find a way to get the information because you can’t go back to your editor empty handed.

Ensuring that you have truthful report is another challenge. As a journalist, you don’t limit yourself to one source alone; you have to go to more than one person to ask for information to confirm what the first source has stated, especially in political activities.

Read Also: Varsity withdraws 460 students over poor academic performance

 

Regarding investigative stories, getting people to unravel the secrets about an issue was a major challenge.

It’s not just about reporting it’s about educating letting them know the things that are happening around them. In summary, access to information was a big challenge.

 

My journey into the academic world

The passion has been there to teach people, to make impact in the lives of the young ones.

Even before I became a journalist, I had nursed the idea of lecturing. After gaining some experiences in journalism, I felt it was time to give back to the society and who is the society.

So far so good, I have enjoyed what I am doing. The experience that I gained in the industry is helping me till tomorrow – I still have affiliation with the media – with my bosses.

When I became a lecturer, I realised lecturers should not be blamed for poor academic performance.

Students should be blamed. It is one of the things that sadden my heart – we give them everything, theory, video clips, practical and references to trending issues,  yet they perform poorly.

They don’t meet up with the expectation of the lecturer then the lecturer begins to question his/ her self if they did not deliver well or they didn’t teach well. So I have realised that students have their own faults.

Secondly facilities to work with equipment, government should fund education so that we would be able to do our work. We need conducive environment for learning and for lecturers to carry out their work successfully.

No electricity so how would we cope? How would we do research? Even the students are not encouraging. Lecturing has been a peaceful journey.

 

My advice to students of journalism

What I do tell them in class is that, in journalism there is no barrier. Once you are good, you are good to go. Start your journalistic activities even right from class.

Send your information and articles to media organisation. There is no age barrier in practising journalism. I tell my students, what you are going to face is beyond the four walls of your classroom.

Just get yourself prepared for what lies ahead of you.

Get the basic and lay the foundation well because you can become anything in journalism and this is not limited to print or broadcast media only, they can become bloggers or public relations officers but the foundation must be laid well so that by the time they get there, the confident will be there to tackle issues that will bring about positive change in the society.

Lastly, they should get their act of writing well. If truly they want to become a professional journalist.

 

By Quadri Adegun

 

The Oluwo of Iwo Kingdom, Oba AbdulRasheed Adewale Akanbi, has charged the Yoruba to upgrade and update various aspects of their lives.

The monarch made the charge while speaking at a programme organised by the Arise and Impact Nigerian Youths Initiative in Iwo. Tagged: “A day employability and Entrepreneurship Summit”, the programme, which was youth centered, also had in attendance the presence of adults and secondary school students.

Oluwo, who doubled as the guest speaker and royal father of the day, after  addressing the sessions, announced his donation of N2 million  to the cause of Arise and Impact Nigerian Youths Initiative by the selection of 20 good business proposals that need financing by empowering them with N100,000 each.

While urging the youth to borrow a leaf from their Asian counterparts who have integrated their culture into  business, he stated that  more research needs to be done in that regard. He also observed that Nigeria and Africa are lagging behind  Western countries, especially in language research.

According to him, the absence of consistency in our language scholars’ research is the reason Yoruba do not have any word for one-million, mango, plot, acre, and other things.

He said: “In Yoruba, we do not have word for mango, plot, one million and other things. And if one does not update something, the thing will perish overtime”. “In western countries”, he believes “they upgrade their dictionaries every year in order to have room for new words.”

He chides the research professors to commence researches on how to make our language a step-up-to-the-place language, so it can encompass the recent developments we witness every day.

Consequently, Osun State Commissioner for Special Duties Mudashiru Toogun, in his own address, listed some key entrepreneurial activities youths can venture within Iwo and become financially independent.

Tie-dye, cap making, bone selling, roughages, and other works as what can be done in Iwo and have the person emerging successfully, he said.

He applauded of an Iwo born lady, Busari Aderonke, the founder of Idea Textile: an entrepreneurship venture that is into local batik making and selling.

Read Also: FirstBank educates youths on entrepreneurship

An invited speaker, Mr Dayo Nigeria, while giving his address, gave reasons why we should do things in rural environments in a global standard. Hesaid ‘’You can be in Iwo and expand your horizon because if you are not learning the international standard, you will be left behind’’.

On his part, the Chief Fxecutive Officer of Uniplan Integrated Services, Kunle Awotiku, highlighted potential and not certificates as the major determinant of success in this integrated world we are.

He said: “One of the problems of the youth is our inability to think deeper about something whenever we are told. Certificates are just what you are given in school for good academics performance, and it can render one useless if one’s potential is not maximised’.

Among other factors he listed were: self-discovery, self-development, potential packaging, and self-commercia-lisation for having a successful impacts in life.”

Managing Director of IBBDS Consulting Nigeria Limited, Dauda Oladele, noted knowledge as the key factor for a startup because, “if you have a good idea of what you are up to, other tools will emerge.”

He established loan as a no-go-area for a start-up. In accessing loan, he listed document assembling, character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions as the necessary aspects of consideration in writing business proposal to request loan.

 

From Okoro Onyinyechi

 

Since the inception of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments which is now an agency under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, one basic thing has been lacked by this agency and is still lacking in the Federal Capital and that is a befitting and purpose built museum.

Director-General after Director- General has made efforts to solve this quagmire to no avail. The best the agency came close to having was a rented apartment situated at plot  16  Cotonou Crescent Wuse Zone 6 Abuja.

The agency occupied this building for several years with its rent a regular occurrence in its budget since it had to come from the government purse.

So much for a museum accommodation.

From the day the commission got to its present location in the Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation, all the professional activities of the commission especially that of the Department of Educational Services and Training  and the Department of Research, Planning and Publication became skeletal. Efforts are still on to get the commission a befitting place in the Federal Capital Territory but does the agency need just a building to house it as a Museum Housing a gallery and offices? My idea says no!

 

What does the commission need in FCT?

A museum village: A museum village like I choose to call it is a compendium of different buildings situated in an area of massive land of not less than two hecters.

These buildings will be modern and native to Nigerian culture depending on what each of the building is meant to depict. Which should include the following:

• •A gallery: A large storey building of many floors in the middle of all the other buildings, housing the artefacts and depicting different cultures floor after floor. This same building will house the handing room where visitors and school children will be allowed to touch the replicas of the objects and also be involved in some creative works of art.
• Skills acquisition building: This building will be made up of many rooms each room will house resource materials used to teach a different skill from the one in the other room. It will be a compendium of cottage industries under the same roof.
• The restaurant:In this building which will also be separate from others different African dishes especially Nigerian cuisines will be prepared and sold to the public from where revenue will be generated. Staff who specialise in this field will be employed to handle this.
• A guest house: This will be another business established for revenue generation inside the same arena. This will be run or handled by staff of the commission who will be trained to professionalise in hospitality. It will house guests from far and near who wish to stay over after visiting the museum and also those who just wish to have hotel accommodation in Abuja, choosing the museum village for this purpose.
  

  Read Also: Why we are building Benin Royal Museum, by Obaseki

• Library/ research centre: A large building is to be built as a library to house museum books and publications for the purpose of study and research. This will be managed by the Department of Research and Publication and will also be opened to the public for research purposes for a fee.
• Entertainment arena: This is a large space which will be created with or without a tent for museum activities like the International Museum Day Celebration and other events which the museum takes part in and plays host. It will also be rented by the general public for hosting of their events and by extension generating revenue for the commission.
• • Office block (adminstration): A building which will house all the offices/department; from the Director General’s office to the office of the Director and the rest of the staff. This is from where staff who are on duty at the several locations of duty post in the village will resume at their places of work, while the non-professional staff remain there to do their duties.

With a museum village of this kind put together, the purpose of research, entertainment and enjoyment for which the museum is meant and income generation which the Federal Government preaches and has mandated all Ministries, Departments, and Agency to find a way to be self-sufficient will be achieved.  Job creation would also be achieved through skills acquisition.

There is no gainsaying that a city like Abuja the Federal Capital Territory of a country like Nigeria needs a one stop point of call like a museum with the above description.

 

• Okoro is Assistant Chief Museum Education Officer at the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM)