By Perekeme Odon

Chief Obi Asika, the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), paid a visit to the NCAC Zonal Directorate, Lagos, on March 4, 2024, as part of his endeavour to rebrand the NCAC brand. Mr. Francis Oshomegie, the Director and Head of the Lagos Zonal Directorate, and the delighted personnel of the Lagos Zonal Directorate warmly received him.

During his briefing, the Director General appreciated the staff of the Lagos Zonal Directorate for their patience since his appointment on Friday, January 12, 2024, and stated that his visit was part of his facilities tour since being appointed by the president. He used the special day to communicate to the staff his aim to improve the quality of the council's content and activities, as well as to promote employee well-being.

Chief Asika urged the Lagos Zonal Directorate staff to be steadfast and committed to the National Council for Arts and Culture's mandate, describing the agency as Nigeria's "crude oil." “I can feel the NCAC has been almost disconnected from the setup. I can imagine there are a lot of challenges. Your work environment is very important to enable you to deliver on your mandate. I can’t expect anybody to deliver at a world-class level if they’re not given the tools and opportunities to do so.” He stated.

The convener of the just concluded inaugural Omniverse summit requested that his staff see him more as their representative, as he will do his best to tell them the truth and cannot guarantee things he does not have, but he did assure them that any issue they are concerned about would be heard at the appropriate level.

He challenged them to take advantage of the position of Lagos as the epicentre of Nigeria and Africa and the mandate and authority given to them to be part of the unlimited Nigerian IP and soft power value chain. He also stated that there are too many major life events taking place in Lagos to keep the staff busy with great content to depict the country favourably and attract foreign direct investment, and they have to look good and on point.

“For you at the Lagos Zonal Directorate, I want to urge you. Please don’t be laid back. Be proactive. Let me tell you what you have. You have the mandate and the authority to push and promote arts, crafts, and culture to create some inspiration and direction by providing leadership into the Nigerian soft power and IP value chain which NCAC is not part of."

After a one-on-one discussion with the staff, the DG assured the Lagos Zonal Directorate staff of his commitment to touching people, space, and staff welfare, given the challenges hampering their operations. “I mean the entire value chain in terms of welfare, even your office environment and working conditions. We have to understand that we are on the same team, working together. We will touch people and space, not just be seen and heard in the media spaces. For me to be successful, you have to be successful. If I leave here after my stay and there is no real change, then it means to me that I failed. We have to change the situation, but to do that; I need all of your support and help, which means I need you to be informed about your issues and your challenges. I’m not here to chase any person or any history lessons." He assured.

He identified training, and retraining as critical, and a priority in advancing staff’s professional know-how. “You need to get the requisite training. You need to network and understand the global best practices for how this job is done because there are new technologies and opportunities every day.”

He pledged to run an inclusive and open-door administration that would espouse the regulatory and mandatory oversight functions of the Council so we can win together and also expand partnerships with the local and international private sectors to elevate the Council to where it ought to be. "We will bring the private and public sectors closer together and build partnerships, as we may not find all the results we need from governance, but from the private sector and donor organizations who are interested in these works."

The Director and Head of the Lagos Zonal Directorate, Mr Francis Oshomegie, took the DG on a tour of different sections of the Lagos Directorate, where he met with the various private cultural and artistic groups and troupes on their rehearsal grounds. He acknowledged the challenges noticed and promised to come to their aid. He promised to visit all the zonal offices within the next two months.