“If we don’t produce our own content that will drive home the culture we want to preserve, it is the content we are consuming from outside that will shape our culture, while we provide the pipe that delivers the content, those producing the content have a major stake in influencing the type of content to be shared.”
Dr. Maida
By Abdulrahman Aliagan, Abuja
In a decisive move to preserve and promote Nigerian cultural heritage, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, has reaffirmed its commitment to cultural re-orientation. The NCC has pledged to support the integration of cultural content into the telecommunications sector, ensuring that Nigerian culture remains vibrant in the face of growing global influences.
Dr. Maida made this declaration during a courtesy visit by the Executive Secretary and CEO of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Chief Biodun Ajiboye, at the NCC headquarters in Abuja. The meeting marked a significant step in fostering collaboration between the two organizations to safeguard Nigeria’s cultural values.
Addressing the need for increased domestic content production, Dr. Maida highlighted the risks posed by an overreliance on foreign content. He emphasized that the lack of culturally reflective local media could lead to the erosion of Nigeria’s heritage.
“If we don’t produce our own content that will drive home the culture we want to preserve, it is the content we are consuming from outside that will shape our culture,” Dr. Maida noted. “While we provide the pipe that delivers the content, those producing the content have a major stake in influencing the type of content to be shared.”
Dr. Maida also pointed out the disconnect between modern Nigerian media and its cultural roots. He expressed concern that accents, attire, and themes in Nigerian movies and media often fail to reflect authentic Nigerian culture, underscoring the urgency for change.
During the meeting, NICO proposed innovative ideas to use telecommunications platforms for promoting cultural awareness. These include incorporating cultural content into caller tunes, short codes, and robo-calls to disseminate information about Nigeria’s rich heritage. Dr. Maida assured NICO of the NCC’s full support in this initiative, signaling a strong partnership between technology and culture.
Chief Ajiboye also unveiled NICO’s ambitious plans to launch a Global Cultural Digital Platform called DuduPlugs. The platform aims to bridge the gap between culture and technology, showcasing Nigeria’s diverse arts, language, and creative industries to a global audience.
“Our Global Cultural Digital Platform is an attempt to bridge the gap between culture and info-tech. This has the capacity to showcase our e-commerce, language, and other elements that can ride on the back of our communication platforms, reaching the world robustly and exuding the pride of our culture,” Ajiboye explained.
Under Dr. Aminu Maida’s leadership, the NCC has demonstrated a clear commitment to fostering cultural identity through the integration of technology. The partnership with NICO represents a strategic step towards embedding cultural values in Nigeria’s digital landscape, ensuring that future generations inherit a robust and authentic cultural heritage.
By promoting cultural content through telecommunications platforms, the NCC is not only preserving Nigeria’s past but also setting the stage for a culturally enriched digital future. Dr. Maida’s leadership continues to position the NCC as a pivotal player in the intersection of technology and cultural preservation, championing a renewed sense of identity for all Nigerians.
