Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, has created the Nigerian Academy for Cultural Studies, NACUS. NACUS as a specialized institution, will train individuals for innovative studies and the development of Nigeria’s culture and history.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, NICO, Biodun Ajiboye on Monday, May 13.
According to the Executive Secretary, the specialized academy will serve as the nation’s citadel of cultural training.
Ajiboye said the institution, which was hitherto the training school of NICO, now has the approval of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
The Secretary added that NACUS has received accreditation to run a programme leading to the award of National Diploma in Cultural Administration & Management, NDCAM. He added that institution’s Postgraduate Diploma programme is affiliated with the Nasarawa State University.
According to Ajiboye, the establishment of the institution as a good development. He described it as a pointer to the fact that Nigeria under the present administration has seen the need to embrace culture at its highest level.
“We appreciate the Federal Government for the rebranding and elevation of the institution. Which hitherto, was the training school of NICO, to a full-fledged higher institution for cultural education and training.
“This is a clear indication that the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has come to fully recognize culture. And the need for cultural renaissance to take center stage in its policy making processes.
“The nation has seen the need to incorporate adequate cultural content in our school curriculum. Both in the primary, secondary and tertiary education systems.
“What this means is that we are able to shed off the foreign cultural antecedents that we have inadvertently imbibed over the years.
“We will now begin to realize the importance of our innate cultural essentialities. Which will confer on us as a people, a great dose of originality. Thereby, paving way for adequate cultural identity,” he said.
The Secretary noted that the accreditation and affiliation have provided an opportunity for certification of individuals who have obtained the Diploma. They can now proceed for the Postgraduate Diploma programme and eventually enroll for their Master’s degree.
He said efforts were already in place to involve the Head of Service of the Federation. This is to ensure that certificates from the academy are accepted in the civil service and beyond.
Ajiboye also added that the Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has confirmed the development. The Minister said the institution “shall have campuses in four geographical zones of North, South and East and in FCT”.
source: News Agency of Nigeria
