By Tolúlopé Olátúnjí
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has committed to promoting the cultural re-orientation of Nigerians by mandating telecom companies to ensure subscribers have access to content that preserves and positively shapes Nigerian culture.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, made this announcement during a courtesy visit by the
Executive Secretary/CEO of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, on Friday, June 7, in Abuja. The visit was focused on exploring potential areas of collaboration between the two organisations.
Maida emphasised the importance of cooperation among key stakeholders in re-orienting Nigerians towards their cultural values. He noted the risk of foreign content influencing Nigerian culture if domestic content production does not increase.
“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. NICO has a much bigger part to play here.
“While we provide the pipe that is delivering the content, those producing the content have a major stake in influencing the type of content to be shared,” Maida stated.
Stressing the need for deliberate steps to address the lack of cultural identity in Nigerian media, the NCC principal offcial said: “Today, if you watch Nigerian movies, the accent they speak with as well as their dressing do not totally reflect Nigeria; even the topics are not rooted in our culture.”
In response to NICO’s proposal for telecommunication operators in Nigeria to include cultural content on caller tunes, as well as through short codes and robo-calls for cultural information, Maida assured the commission’s support.
Otunba Ajiboye, during the meeting, stated the need to integrate cultural content into the digital age. He highlighted the influence of information technology on daily life and the importance of leveraging digital infrastructure to enhance Nigeria’s arts, culture, and creative industries.
Ajiboye also revealed NICO’s plans to launch a Global Cultural Digital Platform called, “DuduPlugs,” to showcase Nigeria’s diverse cultural heritage and help keep Nigerian culture vibrant in the face of westernization.
“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 said.
Meanwhile, the collaboration between NCC and NICO aims to ensure that cultural content becomes an integral part of Nigeria’s digital landscape, and fostering a stronger cultural identity for future generations.
