Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has described Nigeria’s culture as having the potential of becoming an alternative source of economic development, instead of total dependence on oil.
The Minister said that most countries without natural resources use natural artifacts to propel economic growth and making significant economic progress.
He expressed displeasure over the negligence of Nigeria cultural values particularly the fact that new generations cannot even speak their indigenous language fluently.
The Minister who spoke through the Director, Human Resource, Ewa Ulu, at a two-day workshop on “Repositioning Cultural Workers for Improved Productivity” organized by National Cultural Institute Orientation (NICO), in Abuja, commended the management for regular training of cultural workers.
“Culture is a major pillar of sustainable economic development. The economic impact of Arts and Culture to the global economy is so enormous that countries that continue to neglect culture as the driver and enabler of socio-economic growth do so at their own detriments.”
He stressed the importance of regular training of cultural officers so they could continually meet the demands and challenges of a modern economy with culture.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary, NICO, Louis Eriomala said culture is an inexhaustible crude oil.
He however, registered his displeasure on the attitude of Nigerians towards their culture and the wrong perception among policy-makers and top government officials.