The Federal Government has established the Nigerian Academy for Cultural Studies (NACUS), a specialized institution dedicated to training individuals in innovative studies and the development of Nigeria’s culture and history.
The academy will also ensure certificates are accepted in the civil service and beyond.
The Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Otunba Biodun Ajiboye stated this.
He disclosed that according to Hannatu Musawa, the Honourable Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, the institution shall have campuses in four geographical zones of North, South and East and the FCT.
Ajiboye stated that this academy, approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), would function as the premier institution for cultural training in the nation.
Originally a training school within NICO, it now offers a programme leading to a National Diploma in Cultural Administration & Management (NDCAM).
Additionally, its Postgraduate Diploma programme is affiliated with Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK). The accreditations and affiliations allow those who have earned the Diploma to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma and eventually a Master’s degree.
Otunba Ajiboye pointed out that the rebranding and elevation of what was formerly the Training School of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) into a full-fledged higher institution for cultural education and training underscores the critical importance of culture and the necessity for a cultural renaissance to be a central focus in policy-making processes.
He emphasized that this transformation clearly signifies the emphasis placed on culture within these processes.
He also posits that the nation has recognized the importance of incorporating sufficient cultural content into the school curriculum at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, which means shedding the foreign cultural influences that have been inadvertently adopted over the years. Now, there will be a realization of the importance of our inherent cultural essentials, which will endow the people with a great sense of originality and pave the way for establishing a strong cultural identity.
Otunba Ajiboye explained that this institution will enable society to shed the foreign cultural influences that have been inadvertently adopted over the years and recognize the importance of its inherent cultural essentials.
This recognition will endow the people with a strong sense of originality, thereby paving the way for establishing a robust cultural identity.
He stressed further that no nation can attain a state of National identity without cultural identity.