The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe has disclosed that the Council under his leadership would contribute significantly to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), henceforth .
Runsewe made the promise recently in Abuja while addressing a world Press Conference on the forthcoming African Arts and Craft (AFAC), Expo holding in Abuja later this year.
He stated that the council had already made a firm commitment to all Nigerians to reposition the Arts and Craft sector as a key player in the nation’s economy in an effort to generate wealth and to create employment opportunities.
The NCAC boss maintained that the council would unbundle the huge potential in the sector to strategically drive the process of economic diversification in line with the policy direction of the President Mohammodu Buhari’s administration.
He disclosed that the 10th edition of AFAC would hold from August 27th to September 17th 2017 and that the council was ready to accommodate as many countries willing to participate in the Expo.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in making this year’s exposition a unique one, featuring unprecedented and memorable events and richer both in packaging and in delivery
“We have embarked on a very wide and extensive consultation with stakeholders and key players in the industry with a view to aggregating, harmonizing and mainstreaming all shades of opinions in our efforts to rebrand the expo “We have dislodged miscreants from the village and have taken full ownership and control of it “We now have a police post within the premises of the village for 24 hours security cover, for the first time we have illuminated the entire village with flood lights and have also constructed and renovated environment-friendly public utilities to make the arena a conducive social environment for our exhibitors, delegates and clients.”
The DG explained that the National Association of Nigeria Chefs had been invited to mount a stand to teach Nigerians and non Nigerians the rudiments of Nigerian cuisines such as amala, tuwo, banga soup and edikangikon soup among others.
“The exper ts will also be available to teach interested participants the simple way of communicating in our major indigenous languages like Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba among others.”
Runsewel enjoined all Nigerians to continue to build diplomatic bridges across international frontiers in line with global trends, for there was no nation in the world that is an island unto itself.
“We see African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) as a critical tool forstering cultural diplomacy and engendering international friendship and goodwill. It is for this reason that we would be hosting cultural attaches in Nigeria to a pre-AFAC dinner,” he said.
