The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode,
on Monday toured the National Museum at Onikan in Lagos, preparatory
to the redesign and modernization of the edifice
into a world-class historical hub and tourist site.
The visit is a follow-up to the promise by Gov. Ambode, during a
courtesy visit to him two weeks ago by the Minister, to
collaborate with the Federal Government in the modernization of the
National Museum.
Mr. Ambode said the partnership would entail the utilization of the
fallow land around the museum to erect new structures
while the old building remains intact.
He said a multi-layer car park, which the state government is
constructing near the museum, would complement the proposed
modern museum.
“You will recall that two weeks back, the Honourable Minister of
Information and Culture was in my office and we did speak
about establishing a new museum here and as a follow up, he decided to
invite me again today to see things for myself.
''So what we have done today is to find out what is required to
collaborate and I am happy the DG has been able to take us
round. We have seen what we have here and we believe that with this
new partnership, Nigeria will be better for it. What I have
seen is that we have enough space to actually create a new museum – a
modern one - while the old one is still also in place,”
Mr. Ambode said.
The Governor said this is the kind of collaboration the Lagos State
Government required with the Federal Government to create
more jobs through culture and tourism and also to conserve the
nation’s cultural heritage.
He described the project as a legacy for the APC government in the
country,which goes beyond showcasing it as part of the
activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of Lagos State.
“Even in the course of my campaign, I actually said that there is a
programme called THEAS and this stands for Tourism, Hospitality,
Entertainment, Arts and Sports, but it’s not about revenue generation
but about job creation. My emphasis is about creating jobs for
the lower strata,” the Governor said.
In his remarks, the Minister said the project is like a dream come
true and described it as one of the biggest collaboration so far
between the Federal Government and a State Government in the area of
culture and tourism.
“That the Governor has been able to come here today is an eloquent
confirmation that he is ready to walk his talk. The issue goes
beyond Lagos State.I think it’s about Nigeria,” he said.
The Minister stressed the need to utilize tourism and culture to
create jobs and also bring out the best in people in terms of talents
and creativity.
He said the Federal Government is aiming to turn the museum into
another hub for culture, tourism and entertainment, thanked
the Governor for his generosity and vision and gave the assurance that
the project will be accelerated.
“That the Governor is here less than two week after his promise speaks
volumes about his intention. On our side, we would spare
nothing to ensure that this project is realized,” he said.
The Director General of the National Museum and Monuments, Mr. Yusuf
Abdallah Usman, who guided the Minister and the Governor
on the tour, said culture is on the concurrent list, which envisages
collaboration of all tiers of government to develop culture and
tourism.
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