Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General of National Council for Arts and Culture, is not in the business of pretending that there is a full-fledged and bankable culture and arts sector in Nigeria. Runsewe, however, agrees that Nigeria is a fruitful destination where the world may be thrilled by discoveries of unique cultural endowments, creative artistic skills and historical relics, a dream which he intends to transform into Nigeria’s new oil sector.
Is the dream a mission impossible? The answer is an emphatically positive, a yes mantra that builds up frustration in the minds of those who once held forth in NCAC and could not deliver but a positive apostolic trend in the minds of many Nigerians, including the culture community who have always prayed for a moses to lead them to the promised land.
Indeed, in less than three months in office, Runsewe has elevated the cultural message beyond the walls and frontiers of community engagement, treating the desire for its new rebirth on reach, content and acceptability as an enduring investment project. Day by day fresh and new windows of the culture and artistic processes emerge and the worry lies not in discoveries and exposure but the possible failed ambition of the Nigerian people, the culture community to pursue the leads and create jobs.
Since he came on bound, Runsewe has made clear that he was appointed to deliver on the democratic contract of President Muhammadu Buhari with Nigerian people to initiate and promote our cultural diversity to open flood gate of jobs and strengthen its value chain to advance the rekindling of our lost love for Nigerian made goods and services, not excluding the full restoration of languages and traditional ethics.
Towards this end, Runsewe initiated broad activities that are a platform for Nigerian traditional rulers to champion all positive and strategic elements of our cultural support with hope to develop the rural people and promote democratic gains in their entire ramifications.
The NCAC N300 million gesture from Bank of Industry (BOI) stands as a testimony to the call for spirited and determined efforts by government to provide assistance to the culture community that has lived in the orphanage of despair until Runsewe happened on the scene.
Apart from what has become a regular feature at NCAC since Runsewe assumed office, I was thrilled when the Chinese cultural counselor, Mr. Li Xudu and the secretary, Ms Wang Gimengm, visited Runsewe to forge a bilateral cultural relationship.
Globally, the Chinese trend the most effective cultural administrative and promotion template, a vehicle that has championed its culinary and lately economics offerings to the world.
Indeed, of all visitors to Runsewe, cutting across sports, child education ethics, tourism trade and marketing, the Chinese with their well-oiled hold on international cultural marketing will be an added value to Runsewe’s aggressive push to organise and build a veritable culture sector for Nigeria.
This weekend in Lagos, Runsewe and his NCAC will engage the emerging culture and arts community in Nigeria on a robust discussion to change the narratives of the sector once seen as mere drumming and dancing pastime to a viable industry that can create jobs and advance the new dream of promoting Nigerian products, goods and services.