Post by SSA.NEWMEDIA.ABIA (@SSANEWMEDIAABIA)
OTTI AND THE UNFOLDING SILENT REVOLUTION
In most developing nations like ours, the assessment of governments is usually fixated around certain tangible areas like infrastructure and welfare of the citizens.
However, beyond these, there are other critical aspects that define a people. This is where Arts and Culture come in.
In Abia, for several years, this important aspect hasn't received the level of government attention it requires to elevate it to its pride of place.
Under Otti, that has changed. Or rather, it is changing. We have always had a Ministry in charge of Arts and Culture, but when Otti tweaked the name to include the words CREATIVE ECONOMY, I knew that something was in the offing - a deliberate policy of using our history, our arts, our culture as a critical enabler for development. It was a clear paradigm shift. It was disruptive.
To drive this policy disruption, Otti hired a guy I call the SMILING COMMISSIONER who has proven to be a perfect fit.
Doc Matt Ekwuribe is the Honorable Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy in Abia State.
If you speak with him for the very first time, two things will stand out. His passion in discussing Otti's vision for our creative side as a State and of course, his smile. You won't miss that.
With him in charge, our creative components are coming back. We now see policy moves to rebuild and rejig our historical sites and monuments across the state. We now see strategic collaborations between our state government and federal government agencies like the National Commission for Museums and Monuments to rebuild historical sites like the Ojukwu Bunker and the National War Museums. Most of these moves are still at the teething stages and the results will show soon. It's an unfolding revolution. It's silent for now but it won't be for too long.
But the greatest move, in my view, is the policy of planting the seeds of "arts and culture resurgimento" in the minds of young Abians.
Last week, something happened in Umuahia, the Ministry, in collaboration with a private sector organization held an event that, amongst others, created a platform for secondary school children to compete in an Arts Competition.
The event also brought together lecturers and students from all state owned tertiary institutions in Abia State in the area of creative arts to speak on Arts as, not just some fancy topic but a leeway to a productive life. Until that day, I didn't know that ABSU had a Department of Arts. There was an exhibition of the creative works of our people and I saw first hand, that there are people who have this deep passion for arts.
Governor Otti was represented at the event by the Deputy Governor and his wife, who led the way in displaying their rtistic sides.
At that event, something was achieved. A fresh chord was struck. Arts and culture are no longer what in law is called OBITER DICTA or side talks. They have become key development enablers.
In Abia today, we don't just talk Arts and Culture. We talk Creative Economy.
Otti hired the best hand for the job and he keeps delivering, with his signature smile.
Better days lie ahead.
Ururu Aja .
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