By Paul Odenyi, Head, Press Unit, NOA.
As part of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the National Theatre and National Troupe of Nigeria (NT/NTN) partnership for national development, the NT/NTN will soon be decentralized from Lagos to enable local communities across the country take ownership of the nation’s artistic groups.
The Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer, NT/NTN, Comrade Tar Uko made this disclosures when he led members of the NT/NTN on a courtesy visit to the NOA Director General, Dr. Garba Abari.
Abari, while committing NOA to the partnership, was optimistic that the collaboration, which will see NOA training about 3000 NT/NTN members in the operation of community theatre, would in turn sharpen the skills of Agency’s Community Theatre group and deepen citizens’ involvement in national orientation at the community level.
Comrade Uko had said Nigeria would benefit from a decentralized national theatre and troupe and their partnership with NOA by their involvement in the artistic explanation of government policies to ensure their wide acceptance during implementation. Citing the recent manifestations of public misinformation and distrust toward the Nigerian Army medical outreaches around the country, the NT/NTN CEO said the deployment of community theatre to enlighten the people in advance about the outreaches would have helped the laudable gesture from the military gain public acceptance.
He also disclosed that the NT/NTN would soon intervene in the disturbing herdsmen-farmers conflicts in 26 States of the Federation through its Sharing the Green Grass community theatre programme as a take-off for other similar interventions across the country, towards peace building and national reorientation.
Stressing the importance of culture to national development, Comrade Uko called on Nigerians, especially women, to take pride in wearing and showcasing Nigerian cultural dresses and hairstyles thus promoting the nation’s native attires and the beauty of Nigerian womanhood. In addition, he said the NT/NTN will soon embark on a programme to project Nigerian royalties and huge cultural industries to the world as a way of telling our own stories to avoid other nations hijacking and telling distorted stories about Nigeria.