National Museum concludes 3-day heritage workshop in Calabar

National Museum concludes 3-day heritage workshop in Calabar

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) recently concluded a three-day workshop in Calabar, Cross River State. The tripartite exercise, which was organised by the NCMM’s Department of Monuments, Heritage and Sites; ran from July 18 to the 20^th within the National Museum (Old Residency) Calabar complex.

Group photograph of participants in front of the Old Residency Calabar, on the closing day of the 3-day workshop for NCMM Heritage Staff.

PHOTO: National Museum Calabar.

The review of the nomination dossiers for Oke-Idanre Cultural Landscape, Ondo State; Kano City Wall, Kano State; and, Surame Cultural Landscape in Sokoto State as well as evaluation of Oban Hills in Cross Rivers State, were among issues thrashed during the exercise, where seven papers were presented.

Moreover, the three-day event also included a training workshop for NCMM Heritage Officers from across the country as well as the relaunch and election of Officers into executive positions of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Nigeria National Committee. The expert meeting/workshop was declared open by the Director General of the Commission, Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman, who was represented by Director of Monuments, Heritage and Sites, Mr. Adedayo Oluremi Funsho. 

The NCMM helmsman called on the experts to bring their expertise to bear on the review of the three sites and evaluation of Oban Hills as time is of the essence in ensuring that Nigeria presented another site for nomination into the World Heritage List by September, 2013 in Paris. Speaking further on Mr. Usman’s behalf, Mr. Adedayo added that “since the country is at liberty to present one site every year for possible enlistment, the experts should produce perfect dossiers of the sites”, in order to scale through the screening panel at UNESCO (United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) forthcoming meeting in September, this year; and subsequent ones due to follow.

On Friday, July 19, 2013; the NCMM DG called on the participants to take that day’s exercise very seriously and be attentive to all the papers by seasoned resource persons. He challenged them to be productive at their respective stations so as to project the Commission to greater heights. He further charged them to organise in-house training at their respective stations for their other colleagues as a way of sharing their knowledge.

The climax of that day was the inauguration and election into executive positions of ICOMOS Nigeria National Committee. The Director, Monuments, Heritage & Sites Mr. Adedayo set the stage rolling with his paper entitled ICOMOS: National Committee. Adedayo’s presentation dealt extensively on the duties and functions of what is expected of the ICOMOS National Committee as well as its laws, membership, election, tenureship and so on.

After voting, the following persons: Mr. Adedayo Oluremi Funsho, Chief Charles Akinde, Mr. Alafiatayo Dipo, Ms Victoria Osuagwu and Mr. Friday Awonusi were elected to the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Public Relations Officer respectively; and, consequently tasked to run the affairs of the ICOMOS Nigeria National Committee.