By Frank Meke.
Hannatu Musa Musawa, Nigeria’s minister of culture, arts, and creative economy, is certainly a beautiful woman. However, there may be some people who disagree, but it’s a proven fact that the lady is so beautiful to add spice to any discussion on the culture of beauty, African beauty.
Madam minister’s beauty could be described as a mathematical theorem, which sums 2+ 2 as 4. Q.E.D., latin, translated as that ” which was to be demonstrated or shown.
Though in Nigeria,
same mathematical expression could amount to some strange conclusions, like 2+2 as 6, Quod erat faciendum( Q. E. F) , Latin, meaning which was to be done and was not proved of theorems.
I do not intend to confuse you, my good readers, on the exigencies of QED OR QEF, but to help us interrogate the eight points agenda of Hannatu Musa Musawa on Culture and the creative sector.
This is the fourth week in office, admittedly fractured and distracted by her NYSC saga. Such indeed happens to beautiful people, yes, those specially made by God, celebral and gustful. That’s the immorality of politics. There’s are no go areas in Nigerian politics, some so mundane as to knock down anyone on any issue, immoral or moral.
Sometimes, I wonder at those who close their eyes to many embellished certifications provided by many politicians while at the same time being at the behest of the theorems of pulling others down.
Anyway, I believe Hannatu Musa Musawa case is simplistic and distractive even though it needs to be demonstrated.
Let me at this point demonstrate that her eight points action plans for the culture sector should by now be given wings. In the hit of that bullish introspection on her NYSC issue, Hannatu Musa Musawa held herself high, came up with her ideas , and later smouldered the tempo.
She has her office cut out for her and in shooting range position to quickly process the keys on Culture deliveries, QED? Hannatu took a deliberate appreance in front of the cameras and gave a face and voice to her culture development nuggets, and gave some of us something to think about and admire, qoud erat faciendum(QEF) !
Three weeks later, her voice still rings bell in my ears, and I am beginning to drap from excitement to anxiety. Is it too early to launch out, fish, and feed the hungry Nigerian cultural tourism community? I can still hear that sweet voice, bold and beautiful, even though many people said her idea is not born of collaborative effort.
She had said, ” I believe a strong creative and cultural economy is a key driver to growth and presents an opportunity to accelerate Nigeria’s development on a local and international stage. To this end, ( we) ( her team) have created a comprehensive eight point plan that will deliver our collective vision to this sector.”
I will try and again sum those theorem of ideas, no doubt some of us and actually peculiar to us as a people, do quickly throw overboard ideas which does not demonstrate immediate pecuniary gains.
Leading the eight game plan is Destination 2030, a focal intent citizen mobilization initiative to grow the arts, culture, and creative economy under one vision.
Others are skill acquisition and upscaling ecosystems for the young persons and players, fast tracking the improvement, creation, and implementation of policy frameworks that could stimulate feverish increase in revenue growth, job creation, and sustainable growth across the entire sector.
Tailing is collaboration with the private sector and innovative partnership, getting Nigeria arts and crafts as top 20 GDP flyers, to thrive the sector on tech growth environment, and the preservations of Nigeria cultural tourism Heritage.
Beautiful ideas, no doubt, Hannatu indeed wish to share as ” a collective vision,” and I believe it’s not the end in itself. Yes, culture is an economy of ideas, but throwing up ideas and going to bed are simplistic and confounding.
Leadership is about deliveries, not mere recitation of words. There are no make-believe movies in leadership expectations. Hannatu is yet to demonstrate passion and desire to change the industry narratives. In other words, it’s not QED. The mere shove on the public space of the eight points agenda, as good as it sounds, can only gain traction with verifiable deliveries.
And she is lucky? I mean, with some of the best brains and human resource managers at most the agencies, like NCAC, NICO, and NTN under her watch, Hannatu should have polled significant gains from harnessing the fruits beneficial to putting food on the table of industry players, and indeed creating more jobs.
Yes, she is debriefing agencies under her watch, this however should be followed up with physical and unannonced visits to these parastatals. National Gallery of Arts, National Museum and Monuments, and Centre for Black and African civilization are cesspool of shame and disgrace. National film and Censors Board, oh dear, what a place, what a piggery!
The business of culture, arts, and crafts is on the field, and to put to test her policy frameworks, the open field of play rightly deserves her attention and presence.
I honestly find it disturbing and distasteful the status and physical state of our national museums. These bowels of our history, tradition, arts, and crafts are a sad story of utter and deliberate neglect by its handlers. Our museums will make Hannatu weep, and she can only come to terms with stark realities of our poor preservation ecosystem if she hurries out of office and catch the lazy minders sleeping away on their rat infested tables.
I visited one in Aba, not too recently, and cried for our country. At least, you can buy roasted corn, plantain, eat isi ewu, and make photocopies of forged certificates at the place and not bother getting to learn about the history and essentially craft economy of the ancient igbo people.
A colleague recently went to calabar and came out puffing dust on the Shame of what had become of the museum in calabar. Certainly, whatever policy ideas the minister may propose will have to be guided by the reality of preservation drawbacks on the ground.
It will amount to a grandiour, a side stepping show, and smouldering entertainment to roll out policies, which will not advantage our disadvantages in the sector.
I want to see Hannatu run, initiate quick win deliveries, encourage agencies leaving up their billings, and reprimand those drinking tea of failure. The president has been up and doing , showing the way. Some ministers had left the comfort of their office and are on the field gathering Intel and asking questions. It would soon be dawn to evaluate the dream agendas and benefits of whatever she has in mind, and may it not earn a sack. When you have plenty of enemies following your bumper to bumper and praying for your failings, you must cleverly side step their landmines and cost to victory, leaving a legacy.
There’s no excuse for failure, and as it often said, to whom much is given, much is expected. Hannatu, please run with one of your main points of action and see others fall into place. I will repeat it again, go to your DGs, NCAC, Nico, and NTN. These guys won’t deceive you because they are high flyers.
When next we meet here, it must be a successful story, testimony, and verifiable deliveries. That is leadership. QED. Abi, my readers, how una see am? Bye!
