It is therefore in the line of this reason that we decide to take a curious look at the Arts and Culture sub-sector in the last

Artistes...showcasing the rich cultures of the nation.

The arts and culture sub-sector since the inception of the present democratic regime can be said to have taken the desired leap despite the initial hurdles it faced at inception. Before the return of the country to civil rule, the sector was like a shadow of its old self; a proverbial orphan without a home. Culture workers, artists and stakeholders alike were exposed to discriminatory treatment by the same government that gave birth to their professional calling.

No thanks to the dark days of the military regime. In fact, it was like a taboo then, to identify oneself as one whose source of survive was derived from the profession of  dance, painting or stage performances. But today, the story has rather changed as the arts and culture community in the country are singing songs of new dawn and triumph over the marginalization of the past years.

In the last few years of democracy, the image of an average Nigerian artist have been enhanced with great enthusiasm and hopes.

Apart from crossing borders to market the cultures of the country, Nigerian artists and writers are doing the country proud with the winning of laurels at both the local and international front.

Culture sector Watchers have expressed the feelings that, with Prince Kayode Adetokunbo, SAN, piloting the affairs of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, that a moment of renaissance for the arts and culture sub-sector has come.

Artistes...showcasing the rich cultures of the nation.

During one of his interactive sessions with the media, the Minister sounded more like the awaited messiah that has come to salvage the culture sub-sector. Unlike many of his predecessors, who had pioneered the affairs of the Ministry since its creation in 1999, Adetokunko has accomplished in less than two years of his sojourn as the helmsman of the ministry more than baffles the mind. Over the years, while the arts and culture sector has been relegated to the background, even after nine years of its creation, successive ministers that piloted the affairs of the ministry did not, in any way help matters for culture parastatal. Most of them, namely; Chief Ojo Madukwe, Alabo Graham Douglas, Chief Boma Bromillow-Jack, and Chief Fani-Kayode left the same way they came to office, without making any significant mark in the ministry.

Madukwe's tenure as the Culture Ministry was crippled because of lack of fund to execute projects, while Graham-Douglas and Bromillow-Jack's dreams of supervising the launching of the much-awaited National Endowment for the Arts was marred by wide speculations and misplacement of priorities.

It is however important to acknowledge here such other pitfalls that hampered progress in the ministry, which were evident in the area of frequent change of ministers, a situation that negatively impacted on the sector, thus, endangering lack of focus coupled with inadequate funding to execute projects by the handicapped ministers.

Beside these, there was also the problem of the government non-recognition of the newly acquired status of the culture and tourism ministry. It was not until the assumption of office by Prince Adetokunbo Kayode that the arts and culture industry began to see rays of hope. Culture workers and artists, are all alive today to the turn-around that has taken place in the industry since the enthronement of democracy to the country.

One of the achievements of the President Umar Musa Yar'Adua's administration remains the gradual and systematic transformation of all sectors of the economy, all tied to his seven-points agenda developmental programs. And today, this approach already has started yielding results, especially in the culture sector.

Recent developments and programs that have been launched in some States, and in some parastatals in the ministry are no doubt programmes carefully thought out by the new revolutionary spirits managing some of States of the Federation and some  parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Culture... to enable the previously under-estimated culture cum tourism sector key into the nation's development plans as are conceptualized in the President Yar'dua's seven-point agenda.   

Earlier at the inception of  Yar'Adua's led democratic government, the President had promised to tackle the nation's diverse problems with a tool couched in his own thought out programme described as, a seven point agenda. These agenda, which he itemized as: Power and Energy, Food security and Agriculture, Wealth Creation and Employment, Mass Transportation, Land Reform, Security and Qualitative and Functional Education, he argued, if adequately addressed will jump-start an economy capable of making Nigeria become one of the world's 20 developed economies in 2020.

With this kind of lofty dream, and going by the stereotyped attitude of Nigeria and its leadership towards the arts, culture and tourism, no sane man would have bet his nickel that the culture sector came into the configuration of those sectors of the national economy capable of leading the nation to this expected dream land.

Kayode's gospel of change at the culture and tourism sector in line with the government's dream of transformation of all sectors of the economy is quite overwhelming. Part of the achievements of this administration is the establishment of the Tourism Master plan, which had taken many years of preparation, and which was launched in October, 2007.

With the launch of the Master plan, described as the compass of Tourism Practice in Nigeria, stakeholder now have a common direction, as there is a clear vision for Tourism practitioners. Also, the designing of a twelve calendar month cultural festivals for implementation, where twelve traditional festivals across the country will be endorsed and celebrated on a national scale every year is a giant stride on the part of the administration.   

Kayode's first official assignment was the conduct of the "Abuja Carnival 2007", which held barely a month after the Honourable Minister assumed office. Determined to implement the Public-Private Partnership policy of government and his objective position that the carnival should be self-sustaining, Kayode came up with strategies that attracted significant sponsorship for the carnival.

And today, Abuja Carnival is envisioned as the biggest cultural carnival in the continent of Africa. Aside the carnival, there has been other culture events that have significantly impacted on the life of the industry in the last few years. The hosting of such international events as Art Expo, African Arts and Crafts Expo(AFAC ), NAFEST, and ARESUVA projects all added boost to the tempo that culture sector witnessed in the last few years.

The appointment of the likes of Governor Donald Duke former Governor of Cross River State , Professor Tunde Babawale, Ahmed Yerima, and Joe Musa  have not only added vibrancy to the management of the sector, but have also shown the mileage  which culture and tourism potentials can go in re-drawing the foreign exchange map of the nation.

At the State level, former youthful looking Governor Donald Duke transformed the economic fortunes of Cross Rivers State with the singular program of Calabar festival. Today in Nigeria and all over the world, the clean city of Calabar is looked up to every December as a place to go essentially because of the city's cultural tourism that brings the best of Africa's cultural performances as in dance, fashion, cuisines and movies.

Besides this culture fair, which has brilliantly entered into notable world culture cum tourism calendar, the State too , under the able leadership of Duke took advantage of the beautiful terrain of the area and therefore invested in the rich nature's own tapestry of the region for the development of a meaningful eco-tourism business.

The transformations of Obudu Cattle Ranch to a place of Holiday and construction of TINAPA project, the best of its kind in the West Coast as an economic resort centre for business and holiday are respectively in their own terms, strong achievements for the Governor and the State.

However, economic return to the State and to the country deriving from these activities may not be easily quantified since there is lack of any established statistical recording of revenue earnings; but what cannot be denied the people and Government of Cross River State is the fact that developments in culture cum tourism sector is paying off.

At least, within the number of days that Calabar Festival takes place, the city automatically becomes a beehive of activities as it becomes moment of job creation for the people. Besides, a lot happens in the hospitality industries in the State as peasants find jobs as tour guides, crafts men and women have their artefacts sold.  And in return, the States and companies will  pay taxes and Vats to Federal Government; and at the same time, because, the youths are meaningfully engaged in economic activities, militancy in creeks will be reduced and security will be improved and ensured. Interestingly, this pattern of leadership vision has been borrowed and improved by another youthful and energetic leader, Joe Musa, who is appointed to head the National Gallery of Arts (NGA).

While it was possible for people to believe that something good can come out of the tourism sector, not many wanted to buy Musa's madness in thinking that a nation, where less than 20% of its entire population can afford three square meals a day would make anything out of visual arts. But Musa was convinced with his thinking. Since assumption of office, he has pulled through a lot of programs that signal to the fact that, after all there is a sense in what he is saying.

But the climax of that dream has come before our every eyes as Musa and the National Gallery has concluded plans to pull through a major and international art fair in a program aptly tagged 1st African Regional Summit on Visual Arts (ARESUVA) which held last month. ARESUVA project, which like Calabar festival drew participants from the 59 African countries that took place in the World Festival of Arts and Culture, FESTAC that took place in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977, is according to Joe Musa expected to earn well over $50 Million for the country. 

Going by these indices, one can comfortably argue that culture and tourism have a lot to offer in the realization of President Yar'Adua's agenda of wealth creation and employment as embedded in his Seven Point Agenda given that a lot more funding is made available to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and States. Again, the success of story of miraculous transformation of Cross River State through the exploration and investment in culture-eco-tourism is something that can be replicated in the other States of the Federation.

All that the States should do would be to identify that aspect of culture and tourism that they have  comparative advantage in, and invest in it. This done, believe you me, the nation will be laughing and dancing towards the path of developed economies, come 2020.

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