Oyo Government Advocates Partnership With National Museum On Tourism, Culture.

The Oyo State Government has stressed the need for expanded partnership between its Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan, in order to promote tourism and sustain cultural heritage.

The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, disclosed this in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during a meeting with the new Curator, National Museum of Unity, Mrs Oriyomi Otuka.

Olatubosun affirmed that the Oyo State Government had done its best in creating partnerships with relevant bodies to help sustain awareness of the Yoruba heritage, noting that the Ministry would work with the National Museum to retrieve artefacts that were taken from the state, as such would also attract investors to the state.

He stated: “If the artefacts are well managed, it will help increase our tourism potentials and it will be a good source of revenue generation for the state.”

Speaking earlier, the Curator, National Museum of Unity, Aleshinloye, Ibadan, Mrs Oriyomi Otuka, urged Nigerians to visit the museum to foster peace in the country, explaining that the museum was put in place in 1976 to foster the Nigerian diverse culture and to help Nigerians identify their origin.

Otuka stated that the museum had the power to change people’s mindset, especially during the present period when the Nigerian culture needed to be salvaged, revealing that the gallery was the first Museum of Unity in the country and a specialised museum that tells the story of the rich Nigerian history.

She said: “The museum primarily is used to foster peace among Nigerians, knowing that we have different cultures and backgrounds. It also gives us a platform to relate our past with our present. We invite people to visit this place, so that we can learn from our past and for us to maintain peace in the country.”

The Curator therefore urged people to visit the museum and learn because the museum is a store for Nigerian artefacts, where valuables are kept for posterity’s sake, adding that the staff members had committed themselves to research.

Similarly, the Oyo State Government has reiterated its resolve to invest hugely in tourism, affirming that revenue accruable from tourism would be committed to enhancing other infrastructure in the state.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Oyesola Oyedele, stated this during a visit of the Body of Permanent Secretaries in the state to the Ikere Gorge Dam, one of the tourist sites in the state.

Oyedele noted that the Oyo State Government had promised to drive the economy of the state through tourism.

Earlier on, the Body of Permanent Secretaries had visited the Ikere Gorge Dam, located at Iseyin, in the Iseyin Local Government Area and the Kunle Afolayan Film Village, located at Komu, in the Itesiwaju Local Government Area of the state.

Olusola Akintonde