We will work to export Nigerians’ culture abroad, generate revenue for the country – Hannatu Musa Musawa

The Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for carving out the new ministry from the old Federal Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, which she said has afforded opportunity for the full utilization of Nigeria’s diverse cultures.

The Minister who assumed office on Tuesday in Abuja said, Nigeria could realise her greatness by harnessing her diverse cultures and creative abilities, particularly the entertainment sector and export them abroad for revenue generation, lamenting that such opportunities were untapped for several decades past.

Addressing the press, the pioneer Minister in the new Ministry also stated that it was time, the nation’s diverse were used to re-fire the message of unity of the country which the forefathers bequeathed, but for which it has been abandoned for several decades.
She said: “Nigeria as a nation as this point, is really on the precipice of greatness. We are already a great nation and the whole world is looking up to us to see if Nigeria is able to export our culture, our arts and entertainment in the world’s stage. There is so much interest in what Nigeria will be able to offer.

“I think by giving us this ministry, it gives us opportunity to tap into that space in a way it will completely change the narrative of Nigeria in other to cultivate our culture and our heritage to show case who we really are as a people.

“Apart from the potential of generating revenue into the nation, revenue that will be put back into the system that will benefit Nigerians in all the sphere, we can use this ministry to nurture unity of the nation that our forefathers like Ahmadu Bello, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sardauna, Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe and the rest bequeath to us. Somehow, the message of unity in our diversity has several decades ago been lost and so there is great task ahead of us and we need all hands on deck to export ourselves to the international stage.

“Of Course, the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism was merged with the Ministry of Information becoming the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and in the wisdom of Mr President, it was divided into three to allow us each to be able to specialize in those areas.

“In the couple of years, I must say this particular space has been completely untapped, or has not been unutilized in a way that it gives us deliverable that we need as a nation.

“Let us rediscover who we are as a nation and let us reunite and the find the beauty of what make these 250 diverse cultures unique and we are going to do that by doing all the things necessary to be done by cultivating all policies that have already been put in place and the action plan of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This was the vision that he told us about during his campaign.

“He told us yesterday that we are not representing any region, we are representing the country and now that action plan that he has together with policy framework that we are going to put together are really robust that will take this ministry into the higher heights.”

The Minister was received by the Coordinating Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Ngozi Onwudiwe and staff, was told that heads of agencies under the Ministry would be available to brief her on their mandates at the appropriate time.