The Nigerian Communications Commission has announced its commitment to support cultural re-orientation by mandating telecommunication companies to ensure subscribers have access to content.
The Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, made the commitment during a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Biodun Ajiboye, according to a statement on Friday.
Maida emphasised the need for cooperation among stakeholders to re-orient Nigerians towards their cultural values, warning that foreign content poses a risk to the country’s cultural heritage if domestic content production doesn’t increase.
The collaboration between NCC and NICO aims to ensure that cultural content becomes an integral part of Nigeria’s digital landscape, fostering a stronger cultural identity for future generations.
“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 delivers the content, those producing the content have a major stake in influencing the type of content to be shared,” Maida stated.
He further stressed the need for deliberate steps to address the lack of cultural identity in Nigerian media. “Today, if you watch Nigerian movies, the accent they speak with as well as their dressing does not totally reflect Nigeria; even the topics are not rooted in our culture,” he added.
In response to NICO’s proposal for telecommunication operators in Nigeria to include cultural content on caller tunes, as well as through shortcodes and robo-calls for cultural information, Maida assured the commission’s support.
Ajiboye, during the meeting, emphasised 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 Westernisation.
“Our Global Cultural Digital Platform is an attempt to bridge the gap between culture and information technology.
“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 stated.
