FCTA partners Arts Council to host Mega Expo

Otunba Runsewe with Malam Bello during a courtesy visit

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT Administration has expressed readiness to partner with the National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC to host the 10^th edition of the African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo scheduled for Abuja this August. 

Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello gave this assurance when the Director General of NCAC, to the Director-General (DG), National Councils for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Tuesday.

The Minister also endorsed plan by the Arts Council to host the first ever meeting of cultural attachées of the country embassies in Nigeria, as a forerunner to the cultural expo, which theme is, “Nigerian Crafts: Untapped Treasure.”

According to Malam Bello, “This will help in the effort to market Made-in- Nigeria goods as well as serve as a promotional tool for the cultural expo.”

Bello used the occasion to convey the intention of FCT Administration to complete all ongoing projects in the city and thereafter move to the satellite towns and suburbs. This, the Minister noted, has started with the recent approval of N2.6 Billion by the Federal Executive Council for the upgrade of township roads in Karu town.

Earlier in his address, the DG, NCAC, indicated that more than 29 African Countries have expressed interest to attend the event as well as four Asian countries namely: China, Korea, India and Taiwan. He appealed to the FCT Minister to help the Council to take secure the venue for the event which he described as under contention.

Runsewe decorating Bello with NCAC emblem

Runsewe lauded the efforts of the FCTA especially in the areas of prudent management of resources and commitment to improving the welfare of the FCT residents. He made references to the quick recapture of the 10 persons kidnapped in FCT some months ago and the FCT Minister’s directive for the reopening of the Karu General Hospital, which the DG said, has positively impacted on the lives of residents of Karu and its environs.

Similarly, Runsewe commended the FCT Minister for the discipline he has displayed in the area of land allocation, which the DG noted, has resulted in the drastic reduction of number of litigations on land issues in the FCT courts while calling on the Minister to keep up the good works.