NCAC to Adapt Iheanacho’s FA Cup Flag Celebration into Art Contest

Olawale Ajimotokanin

The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) will immortalise Kelechi Iheanacho’s uncommonly display of patriotism after Leicester City’s FA Cup victory over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium last Sunday by instituting an art contest to represent the Super Eagles striker’s standout celebration where he was fully wrapped with the Nigerian flag.

Iheanacho scored his 12th goal of the Premier League this season last night as Leicester fell 1-2 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Director General of NCAC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, yesterday unveiled the plan to produce the artistic impression in collaboration with the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Abuja and Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) as a show of extreme love and indivisibility of Nigeria.

He said the contest is open within the next one month to traditional 2D artists, who specialise in areas of painting, printmaking and drawing.

Runsewe, who addressed the press with the Acting President of FTAN, Nkereuwem Onung and Chairman SNA, Chike Emembo, said apart from financial awards, the best three entries will be presented to the Ministers of Information and Culture and Youth and Sports.

The NCAC DG, who assured the journalists that he will present a copy of the artistic impression to Leicester City for posterity said that the winning entries will also be fully exhibited at a stand in Ekiti State during the 2021 National Festival of Arts and Culture and kept in NCAC’s Hall of Fame and art gallery as a living memory of Iheanacho’s metaphor of the merger between culture and sports.

“We will drop this artistic impression at every Nigerian Embassy where ever we travel to. If we start promoting our country and if everybody realizes that if you do a good thing, you will be recognised, the number of people doing bad things will reduce. We also need to reawaken of our stars. Culture is one of the platforms that can unite us and for us to network as Nigerians,” Runsewe stressed.

He said NCAC’s is determined to use culture to unite, institute peace and make relationships better in the country.

He also applauded the ingenuity of Iheanacho for glamourising the FA Cup celebration by wrapping himself with the national flag while also carrying a basket.

“When you are watching football, you don’t discuss religion and tribe. Sports is not about violence. Rather, it is a platform of bringing people together and a unique platform for us to celebrate the best among us,” Runsewe concluded.

Interestingly, music from top Nigerian stars dominated Leicester City’s dressing room celebration, with both Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi leading other players in rocking to the tunes.