Visit Bayelsa Council for Arts and Culture online !

Whatever might have been the faults of Diepriye Alamieseigha, his credits as a culture loving and culture-supporting Governor can never be denied or wished away. He it was that gave that establishment a young, dynamic and field-active Chief Executive in the person of Barclays Ayakoroma. The result has been an Art Council that is not only active on ground, but one of the very few that have any internet presence, making it a leader in the community of State Art Councils inspite of belonging to one of the youngest states. I have the honour of inviting you to visit Bayelsa State Council for Arts and Culture online.

NCAC Board Chairman goes visiting !

Chairman of the new Board of the National Council for Arts and Culture(NCAC) paid a visit to the head office of that organisation on Friday this week.He is no less than Chief Ebenezer Babatope.

Government realigns the Cultural Sector.

The Nigerian Cultural Sector which until recently was paired with the Tourism Sector to form the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism has once again been realigned. This time it goes into a Ministry of Culture and National Orientation.

NAFEST moves to Mina !

This information is tentative, but it is about the most reliable you can get anywhere as at today viz- this year's edition of the prestigious National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) is scheduled to hold in Niger State in the first week of October.

If there is any change and we get hold of it, we will endeavour to be the first to get it to you .

NCAC concludes a Management Retreat !

The management of the National Council for Arts and Culture ( NCAC ) just rose from a retreat held at the National Teachers Institute, Kaduna, with a resolve to achieve more in 2009.

Durbar Research Centre Website goes live !

The National Council for Arts and Culture(NCAC),in its efforts to promote culture and tourism, had earlier established a Naional Research Centre on Durbar Traditions, based in Kaduna, Nigeria. The sole aim was to research, document and promote the durbar traditions in Nigeria.

As part of that centre's attempts to reach out to the world, it recently launched its official website and you can be sure that it holds a lot of information for you !

Durbar Nigeria Website

Nigerian Art Council :where it all began !

Many great things start small. It is hardly different with the formal sector of the Nigerian Cultural Administration.

Many of those now milking the sector hardly know or remember that the seeds of what is today known as the National Council for Arts and Culture and, arguably, one of the biggest parastatals in the sector started as a Non-Governmental organisation by the name Nigerian Art Council.

Can one then reasonably expect them to remember the deservings of people like Maitama Sule,Chief Dr Kola Balogun , Chief Dappa Biriye etc, ? In the early 80s, the NCAC issued a book on the history of the organisation. One name I eagerly looked forward to seeing was Frank Abiodun Aig-Imoukhuede.He was a member of the Nigerian Art Council team .When the transformation occurred it went through stages. First , the government was convinved to give the NAC subvention and later it was accepted as the official non-ministerial arm of the government's cultural administration efforts.
Mr Aig-imoukhuede was there through all that and became the first administrative head of the National Council for Arts and Culture in the capacity of Executive Secretary. As at the time the booklet was being issued, he was the immediate past head of the NCAC. Alas, I did not find his name on any page of that document ! I did not not know whether to laugh or cry !