As predicted last week in a review of Culture and Tourism sectors under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there has been a deliberate hawkish agenda to mislead Nigerians and clearly mock the Nigerian press.
Fact checking information out there in public space takes more than mere diligence speck but requires more robust watchful interest to avoid being fooled.
In the latest news generously reported by both online and traditional media, the federal government was said to have announced the establishment of a Nigerian Academy of Culture Studies (NACUS) geared towards training individuals on culture studies.
I read it first in the cable and worried about the piece credited to the Executive Secretary National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Biodun Ajiboye, and penned by his media aide; I felt there was a mistake somewhere. I was sure Ajiboye was misquoted, but who can say with the way all manner of “achievements” are being bandied about as we approach the hour of proof of performance records.
I searched through the vanguard and noticed that the new “Academy” is merely a change of name of Nico training school and nothing fantastic. There were no new structures anywhere, bricks or mortars.
Unfortunately, the report was a press release from nico and not a fall out from a press conference where I am sure the media would have asked pertinent questions as to when this new Academy was built (established) by this administration.
For instance, there is a clear and misleading use of the word “establishment” and rebranding of the so-called new Academy.
The minister of culture, Hannatu Musa Musawa, was copiously quoted in another report by the News Agency of Nigeria that the new “established “Academy will be situated in the four geographical zones of Nigeria, South, North, South East, and South West.
Indeed, going through the published press release from NICO, the change of name (passed off as rebranding) does not in anyway suggest that a new Academy was built by this administration and not to talk about replicating same in the four geographical zones of Nigeria.
Now, before we share some historical background on the establishment of Nico training school, let us first fact check the meaning of the word *”establishment” used to pass off the new Nigerian Academy of culture studies (NACUS).
To ‘establish’ means to set up, it could also mean initiation, creation, inauguration, construction, installation, etc. If you are patient to follow my thoughts, it is apparent that setting up (establishment) of the Nigerian Academy of Culture studies is a dreamers game.
Now, to even use the word “rebranding” smacks of a clever gimmick to confound the wise. If rebranding is defined as a process to change the corporate image, vision, mission, symbol, and legal vehicles of an already established brand ( NICO training school), then all noise about the Nigerian Academy of Culture studies ( Nacus) falls short of being a rebranded entity.
Ajiboye is an advertising guru, so I was told and the minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa a lawyer, so we were also told, now I ask how could the newly established Academy of Culture studies still parade the same address with the old established Nico training school, still share same vision, mission statements and even same accreditation ecosystem by National Board for Technical education and affiliation history of the old Nico training school with Nassarawa State University?
NICO training school took off in 2008 in Lagos and the Abuja Centre in 2015, presently located in Jikowuyi, a suburb in Abuja and its Lagos centre in Iganmu, by National Theatre. Nico’s curriculums for its National Diploma and Post graduate diploma have not changed, and neither is it different from the curriculum of the Hannatu dream Nigerian Academy of Culture Studies.
A little bit more on the run-up of Nico training school can be gleaned from its old Nico special news publication of 2022. In 2015, the immediate past Executive Secretary of Nico, Mohammed Ado Yahuza resuscitated the efforts of professor Ayakoroma, who held forth before his coming and drove to fruition the affiliation of Nico certification by Nassarawa State University. Indeed, the memoranda of understanding with the university was pursued by Yahuza with a single-minded determination, same with a strenuous supervision of Nico accreditation by Nigeria Board of Technical Education in the year, 2022
It was indeed to the credit of Buhari administration and Ado Yahuza midas efforts that NICO’s students had their first ever convocation ceremony at the Nassarawa state University in 2023.
So if Hannatu, who must be aware that NICO runs through its affairs by the acts of the national assembly, how can she change the name of the school without first approaching the legislature to seek an amendment to change the name to the Nigerian Academy of culture studies? Is she desperate to harvest achievements or what?
If the new “ established” Academy still bears and shares the same DNA with nico training school and has no legislative amendment to such a new fanciful name, it then means someone somewhere wants to create problems between the president and the National Assembly.
As it is, Hannatu’s ambitious new name for NICO Training School is dead on arrival in the eyes of the law and cannot enjoy appropriation by the national assembly.
NICO training schools already have two campuses in Lagos and Abuja, so does it mean that the minister of culture will close them down and establish (build or construct new ones)? Plenty questions, faulty steps and Mr. President does not know about this castle in the air. More interesting times ahead. A food bazaar is up next in Abuja by the end of May, and we shall see how they want to pass it off as the biggest food festival in Nigeria. May God help us!