THE Director-General, National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has commended the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi for his keen interest at the promotion of culture and arts in the state.
He described Governor Fayemi as “one of the greatest cultural assets in Nigeria who is stoking the arts and cultural sector for the overall development of Ekiti State and its wonderful homogenous indigenous.”
Otunba Runsewe made this observation about Governor Fayemi after the Director-General, Ekiti – State Council for Arts and Culture, Ambassador Wale Ojo Lanre highlighted the cultural strides in Ekiti State at the 49th National Stakeholders Meeting on the National Festival of Arts and Culture ( NAFEST) held in Benin, Edo State last week.
Ambassador Ojo-Lanre who attended the meeting with two directors of the Council, Messer Banji Adelusi, Culture and Adeoye Adewuyi, Arts, has briefed the body of the cultural strides being made by Governor Fayemi at enhancing the cultural potentialities of the state
“I am bold to tell this distinguished gathering of cultural administrators of 36 states of the Federation that Governor Kayode Fayemi has brought to life the hitherto lifeless, moribund, sterile and dead Arts and Cultural sector thus empowering it as one of the essential agents of value restoration and reorientation.”
Ojo-Lanre informed that Ekiti State now has commenced the implementation of the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture 2012 Law which was enacted by Governor Fayemi during his first tenure and which was relegated and put into the cooler by the previous government.
He revealed that Ekiti State also, via the Law has legally established Council for Arts and Culture which has been mobilized and reinforced to promote, enhance and market the cultural ingredients, values, arts, crafts and heritage sites from being sources of entertainment but of empowerment, revenue generation and employment creation.
Ojo-Lanre revealed that within the last two months of inaugurating the Council, Governor Fayemi has empowered it to attend the 2019 Drum Festival in Abeokuta, rebranded the State Standing Cultural Troupe, accelerating the work on the Cultural and The civic centre, approved the hosting of Stakeholder Forum and Creative workshop, stoking of indigenous industry clusters, ensured the harmonisation, the unification of the various hitherto disorganised sectoral association players and rejuvenation of cultural festivals like Ogun, Oladunwo in Okemesi, Ekiti Parapo War Festival and institutionalization of culture and arts as the fulcrum of value reorientation.
He pointed out that one of the signs that Governor Fayemi is doing well in the state was the presence and attendance of the Ekiti delegate at the Pre NAFEST Technical Forum being held in Edo State.
Otunba Runsewe declared “I am not surprised about the stories of good news emanating from Ekiti State because Governor Fayemi is not only a brilliant and cosmopolitan personality who understands the import of culture as the base for value restoration, moral rectification and attitude shaping but an exceptional human being who is determined to employ arts and culture to drive commerce, investment and investors to the state. And going by the testimonies and reports from Ekiti State one is convinced that Ekiti State which has come back to take its front-row position in the cultural agenda of Nigeria.”
