By Henry Akubuiro
The new, substantive Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed, has assumed office. Ahmed, who succeeded Comrade Tar Ukoh, whose tenure as Artistic Director ended on March 31, 2021, promised to revitalise the National Troupe and reposition the troupe for effective service delivery and the demonstration of Nigeria’s advancing cultures.
The new Artistic Director stated this while addressing management and staff of the NTN at the troupe’s temporary office space at the National Theatre Annex in Lagos, recently. He had earlier held a similar meeting with staff of the Abuja Liaison Office of the NTN.
Ahmed, whose appointment took effect from April 30, 2021, holds a Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Jos, with a certified Project Management certificate (PMD Pro 1). He served Bauchi State Government until his retirement in 2020 as a Director in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. While serving with Bauchi State Ministry of Information and Culture, and later Ministry of tourism and Culture, Ahmed facilitated many productions and demonstrated skills in presenting cultural practices of Bauchi State through performing arts medium (drama, dance and dance-drama), especially towards packaging for Bauchi State Festival of Arts and Culture (BAFEST), National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), Abuja Carnivals, and host of other independent productions.
As a UNICEF trained “Theatre for Development” practitioner, Ahmed has built capacities of over 40 local theatre groups across northern states of Nigeria, including Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Adamawa and Kano. The Hausa film industry, popularly known as Kannywood, also benefitted from his artistic expertise.
Ahmed contributed to many cultural journals, including African Women Drama and Performances published in 2011.
Ahmed is also multi-disciplined as he ventured into public health, with skills in Communication for Development where he contributed immensely to addressing maternal, newborn, child health and reproductive health in northern Nigeria when he was seconded to work with funded projects of USAID, DFID and UNICEF.
In appreciation of his contribution to the health sector, Ahmed was nominated by his ministry to serve in the Governing Board of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Authority (2017 to June 2019), while the Governor also appointed him to serve in the Standing Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility for the Bauchi State Health Sector (May 2016 to June 2019). Ahmed also made a presentation at the APHA Annual Pre-Conference CBPHC Workshop in Boston, Massachusetts, USA in November, 2013 titled: Targeting Vulnerable Women and Children in Communities of Bauchi and Sokoto States, Nigeria for improved MNCH/RH/FP Delivery.
He has written series of unpublished plays including The Royal Ring, Sins of the Fathers, One with a Difference, A Drama of Life, and published articles in Nigeria’s newspapers, such as Quest for a New Vision, Man’s Endless Journey, UNICEF for World Posterity, and a number of poems (Dying Ember, A Simple Dance, Wilted, et al).
His specific areas of expertise include community engagement, theatre for development, social behaviour change communication, project management, human resource management, and evidence-based advocacy. His skills cuts across building capacities of various professionals (programme managers and officers) of theatre practitioners, civil society organisations and media in evidence-based advocacy, community action cycle, theatre for development, behaviour change and media design in line with Communication for Development strategy, resource mobilisation, strategic and team building, social and community mobilisation.