Runsewe unfolds culture as wanderlust, urges NANTA to brace for change

It is shaped and fronted as an exclusive Nigerian product. From food, fashion, dances, musical and cultural festivals and not excluding all national historical and heritage sites, the 36 states plus Abuja municipality will be deliberately encouraged to present one significant enduring, marketable culture product that will form the brace and new revenue base for the Nigerian people and government.

The culture map will project one state, one culture product icon that would not only drive the creation and sustenance of culture as “soul and spirit” of the Nigerian nation, the ultimate bridge is to create a destination of cultural and artistic wanderlust at our airports, public spaces and a refreshing orientation of the importance of the culture and creative arts value chain husbanded for centuries by custodians of our culture – the traditional rulers.

If the Chinese and other old traditions of the world can measure their tangible and intangible influence in the world through their food and fashion, Nigeria should not be an exception in all ramifications’. The race has just begun.

Welcome to Runsewe’s new call and new world of Nigeria’s cultural revival and repositioning as a strong veritable revenue and jobs creation bank. Though yet to be officially unfolded as the Nigerian peoples project, Runsewe believes that National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has no business foot dragging on creating culture and artistic jobs and enthroning the simple spiritual narratives embedded in Nigeria’s unbelievable national cultural potentials.

Last week during a visit to his office in Abuja, Runsewe who made veriable marks and history as DG NTDC, told the leadership of National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (Nanta) that culture will be driven to give a boost to the economy and also help unlock the full potentials of the creative arts in Nigeria.

He praised Nanta for effectively occupying the private sector tourism and culture space and urged the group to brace for the Cultural Revolution and emergence of Nigeria as signature wanderlust culture destination.

To give vent to the dream partnership, Runsewe appointed the President of Nanta, Bankole Bernard and his visiting executive council members in the persons of Susan Akporiaye, Mallam Zackary Abudallahie, Slyvester Olobor, Malik Hassan and Rabe Salah as NCAC culture ambassadors’ and agents of change.

The significance of the gesture lies in changing the perception of Nigerians who before now believes that culture is a mere item on public events gathering and only a good “dance” for the eyes, without appreciating the full measure of its financial and political muscle in the world market place of culture and tourism.

Bankole Bernard, Nanta President told Runsewe that his association did not come with basket of requests because he (Runsewe) is a notable game changer. The Nanta leader who is also a frontline driver of tourism disclosed that his association will equally mobilize the private sector and Nanta members to jumpstart and harness the windows of culture tourism economy. He further assured the NCAC DG of Nanta’s commitment to be the forefront of the expected cultural revolution and promised to be at all NCAC events even without formal invitation.