Bakut: Nigeria’s Cultural Diversities Key to National Development

Charles Ajunwa in Abuja

The Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr. Bakut Tswah Bakut, has said that the rich cultural diversities in Nigeria have the capacity to bring about the much needed national development in the country.                                                                        

Bakut, who disclosed this yesterday during the investment forum of the 15th International Arts and Crafts (INAC) Expo with theme: ‘Networking Nigerian Crafts To The World’ held at Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja, said Nigeria’s culture when properly harnessed has the capacity to end the present insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes ravaging most parts of the country.   

The Institute director general, who was the keynote speaker in his presentation titled ‘Culture, Peace and National Development’, said the timing and topic for the forum were both apt and relevant considering the current challenges bedeviling Nigeria and most parts of the world.       

  Baku, who was represented by the Director, Research and Policy Analysis, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, said “We need to be very conscious and deliberate in our programmatic designs as agencies of government in mainstreaming culture across our development efforts. We need to build a national culture which specifically targets our national peace and development. While violent actors are trying to create disorder in our midst using our diversities, we must through our works use our God-given diversities to promote peace and national development. This can be done by popularising several works of music, art and craft that directly speak to peace and national development in our society. Our cultural diversities should be harnessed for our common good for it to translate to national development.

“Building a culture of peace in our society is the most viable option and way to go. Peace is an investment; the peace of today not only allows for production and consumption today, but also creates expectations and culture of peace for tomorrow. As we strive to build a culture of peace, we must build a national culture that is derived from our Constitution, National Anthem and National Pledge ‘in order to ensure national development which benefits the rich and poor, rural and urban population, reverse the increasing inequality gaps and promotes equity, fairness and justice for all. 

The current rate of inequality in our society cannot promote a culture of peace that will promote national development, it can only incrementally lead to anarchy. We must reverse this ugly trend and build a society where peace and justice shall reign for all. 

Bakut, who praised the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe for patriotism especially in promoting Nigeria’s culture and crafts to the diplomatic community, said 

culture can enhance peaceful coexistence and create the enabling environment for the creative industry to contribute to the economic development of Nigeria.       According to him, “Aside from undertaking empirical research to inform nuisance understanding of the complex dynamics of conflict in our society, the Institute is directly involved in intervention practices across the country by providing peace guidance, negotiation, mediation and reconciliation to communities in fragile and conflict-affected areas. The Institute has been building resilience in local communities across the country especially in the insurgency-impacted North-east states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states and in other emerging conflict areas in the North-west, North-central, South-east and South-south. We partner with all relevant stakeholders on matters of peace, security and national development. My invitation here today, speaks to one ‘of such partnerships in the onerous quest to build peace and promote development in our society.”

According to him, the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution was established in the year 2000 by the federal government primarily as research centre, think-tank and, an agency to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for the promotion of peace, conflict prevention, management and resolution for sustainable peace and development.

“Peace can only be achieved through authentic justice, equity, and the honouring of our respective cultural differences of every one of us in the country. The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution has been involved in the business of Building a “Culture of Peace” in our society. At the global level, the United Nations system and other stakeholders have equally been working tirelessly towards entrenching a ‘Culture of Peacemaking’ in the world.

“Building a culture of peace has to be inclusive of all diverse cultures and peoples around the country and the entire world. The pathway to building a culture of peace includes: co-creative, integrative expressions of the basic paths of human creativity. Synthesis of humanity’s highest Soul expression and evolutionary development. Building life-enhancing cultures of peace for succeeding generations. Arts, media, communications, and cultural exchanges. Unity in Diversity. Culture is integrated into all the pathways. Like Nicholas Roerich asserts, “Positive creativeness is the fundamental quality of the human spirit. Let us welcome all those who, surmounting personal difficulties… propel their spirits to the task of peace building, culture, peace and national development,” he said.

Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Ado Yahuza and Joseph Ande of the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Abuja, in their presentations acknowledged that culture is a panacea for national development.