HISTORY

The Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism came into being in June 1999, following the harmonization of the Culture and Tourism as a Ministry by the present Administration. Its creation by a democratic Administrations represent an important contribution of the President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration towards the growth of the Culture and Tourism sub-sector. It was carved out of Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and Federal Ministry of Commerce and Tourism. Consequent upon its creation in June, 1999, the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism was saddled with the overall promotion of our nation’s immense and rich cultural heritage.

VISION

The vision of the Ministry is to position Culture and Tourism as a leverage for economic growth and development.

To promote the upliftment and preservation of the rich culture of the people using tourism to advance the development of a diversified, balanced and strong economy thereby generating wealth creating employment and alleviating poverty and also making it a major foreign exchange earner.

MISSION

The Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism shall promote the nation’s rich cultural heritage through identification, development, marketing of the diverse cultural and tourism potentials. It shall formulate and implement policies aimed at diversifying the economy and placing it on the path of sustainable growth and development.

OBJECTIVES / CORE MANDATE OF THE MINISTRY

The aims and objectives of our Ministry were designed to stimulate Government actions and interventions in the areas of Tourism and Culture and are basically encapsulated in the following Schedule of Duties:

1. To increase inflow of foreign exchange through the promotion of international tourism.
2. To encourage even development of tourism based enterprises.
3. To accelerate rural / urban integration
4. To foster socio-cultural unity among the various groups in the country through the promotion of domestic tourism.
5. To restore Culture and human values from the periphery to the core of national planning, economic and technological development.
6. To promote cultural industries and their viability.
7. To use culture as a tool for the promotion of inter-national relations and diplomacy
8. To use culture to promote national unity, harmony and pride
9. The promote the accessibility of the arts to all Nigerians.
10. To promote and encourage active participation of the private sector in the promotion and development of Culture and Tourism.

STRUCTURE OF THE MINISTRY

In order to ensure the efficient implementation of its mandate, the Ministry’s vision, mission and goal are shared out to its Departments and Parastatals. The Ministry is presently structured into six (6) Departments, three (3) Units and eight (8) Parastatals.

The Departments are as follows:

1. Finance and Administration
2. Planning, Research and Statistics
3. Domestic Cultural Operations
4. External Cultural Relations
5. Domestic Tourism Services and Control
6. International Tourism Promotion and Cooperation

Parastatals
The Parastatals formerly ten in number have been reduced to eight and these are:-

1. National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM)
2. National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC)
3. Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) - www.nigeriatourism.net
4. National Gallery of Art (NGA) - www.nga.gov.ng
5. National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO)
6. Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC)
7. National Troupe /National Theatre of Nigeria (NT / NTN)
8. National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) - www.nihotour.org

The major functions and responsibilities of the Departments, Units and Parastatals are highlighted in the subsequent paragraphs in the Ministry.

FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENTS AND UNITS

The Finance and Administration Department:

• Is responsible for all matters relating to staff appointment, promotion, discipline, welfare and training.
• Deals with establishment matters with regards to pension administration, records and registry.
• Advises the management on personnel matters while providing a cordial working relationship between the various Departments /Agencies of the Ministry.
• It also coordinates the activities of the Parastatals.
• Takes charge of receipts of funds and keeps records of all financial transactions of the Ministry.
• Is responsible for the payment of staff salaries, allowances and other entitlements, and payment of contractors and other members of the public is done by the Finance and Administration Department.
• Co-ordinates the preparation of the Ministry’s budget, prepares all sub-allocations of quarterly releases to the various sub-heads and serves as the Secretariat of the Ministry’s Budget and Funds Allocation Committee.
• Is responsible for supplies and purchases, and deals with maintenance of office building, furniture and equipment.
  

Department of Planning, Research and Statistics:

• Is charged with the responsibility of formulating policies for the Cultural and Tourism Sector through the Organization of National Council on Culture and Tourism in conjunction with all thirty-six (36) States Commissioners of Culture and Tourism, including State Tourism Boards, stakeholders and the Federal Capital Territory.
• Co-ordinates the Council’s decisions and notifies all the thirty-six States, States Tourism Boards, Federal Capital Territory and various NGOs.
• Monitors the Ministry’s capital projects.
• Co-ordinates the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the production and implementation of Tourism Satellite Account and the National Tourism Master Plan.
• Co-ordinates the preparation of the Ministry’s development plan and programmes in collaboration with the Operational Departments.
• Is responsible for data collation and management, development and policy analysis into relevant proposal of the operational departments.
• Is the Secretariat of the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB) for the collation and processing of all contracts awards within the thresholds of N1m – N50m for the Ministry and above N20 million for FMCT’s Parastatals.
  

Department of Domestic Cultural Operations:

• Packaging and promotion of major cultural and tourism industries and events.
• Providing services to domestic and international tourists.
• Developing and promoting the propagation of Nigerian Cultural diversities, preservation of indigenous and traditional herbal systems, and tangible heritage such as festivals, crafts production, etc.
• Encouraging the production of Arts and Crafts as a means for poverty reduction among the people.
• The publication of cultural magazines, books, pamphlets and flyers as information materials for schools and tertiary institutions for the promotion of Nigerian culture.
  

Department of External Cultural Relations:

• Negotiation and implementation of Cultural Cooperation Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with friendly countries and local / fare multinational organizations.

Department of Domestic Tourism Services and Control:

• The coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the Tourism Sector in the country.
• Development and promotion of tourism products and domestic tourism while building tourism information and its documentation.
• The coordination and supervision of the activities of Domestic Tourism matters as it affects the Ministry and its Parastatals.
• The maintenance of a reservoir of travel related data.

Department of International Tourism Promotion and Cooperation:

• Policy initiation and formulation.
• Monitoring of the country’s tourism industry through international cooperation.
• Handling of matters relating to bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Nigeria and foreign countries and various international organizations.
• Research and review of the country’s tourism industry.
• Co-ordination of matters on Africa Travel Association, World Travel Market (WTM) in Nigeria.

FUNCTIONS OF THE MINISTRY’S PARASTATALS

National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM)

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments is responsible for:

• the administration of National Museums antiquities and monuments throughout the country.
• Construction, maintenance and management of National Museums / Outlets for or in connection with: Antiquities, Science and Technology, Warfare, Africa and Black Arts and antiquities, Architecture, National History and Educational Services.
• The preservation of antiquities and monuments and their declaration as national ones.
• Granting approvals for establishment of private museums.
  

National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC)

The functions of the National Council for Arts and Culture include: -

• Promotion and fostering the appreciation, revival and development of Nigerian Arts, Crafts and Culture.
• Registering artists and artiste group for effective business relationship.
• Co-ordination of inter-state cultural exchange activities.
• Organization of exhibitions in visual, performing and literary arts.
• Promoting the development of traditional dance, drama, opera, photography, folklore, oral tradition, literature, poetry, painting and general arts, woodworks, embroidery, weaving and similar crafts.
• Establishment of Cultural Centres, theatre arts galleries and craft centers for the promotion of arts and culture.
• Preservation of all materials on culture that contribute to the image of personality of Nigeria.

Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)

The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has the mandate for: -

• Standardizing and sensitizing the tourism industry through registration, inspection, classification and grading of the Hospitality and Tourism Enterprises (HTEs).
• Identifying, assessing and documenting tourism sites and attractions for development / investment and promotion purposes.
• Providing technical and advisory services to the public.
• Publicizing and promoting Nigeria’s tourism endowments.
• Providing reliable and up to date tourism statistical data through establishment of Tourism Data Bank and the implementation of the Tourism Satellite Account.
• Liaison with relevant government ministries and agencies to ensure and facilitate the provision of infrastructural facilities at tourism sites.

National Gallery of Art (NGA)

The major function of the National Gallery of Art is centred on building different kinds of galleries, e.g: Portrait Galleries, Galleries of Modern Arts, The National Hall of Fame, Galleries of Contemporary Islamic Arts, Galleries of Contemporary Christian Arts, National Photographic Gallery, National Gallery of Architecture and Designs, and Special Workshop / Studios Project.

The NGA accepts and stores gifts of works of contemporary art, property, money or other assets from individuals and organizations, provided these gifts are not inconsistent with the objectives of the Gallery.

National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO)

The National Institute for Cultural Orientation is responsible for:

• building up of personnel and materials for innovative study and development of Nigeria’s history.
• Promotion of the nation’s cultural heritage and the continuous movement of Nigeria’s cultural policy in line with globalization.
• Conduct of an in-depth research and documentation into Nigerian culture and history.

Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC)

Similarly, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) deals with preserving the legacies arising from Festac ’77 through public lectures, discussions, symposia and performances. In rendering these quality services, CBAAC has embarked on providing indexes, guides, catalogues, and bibliographies to facilitate the utilization of our resources.

National Theatre / National Troupe of Nigeria (NT / NTN)

The National Theatre / National Troupe of Nigeria:

• Encourages the discovery and development of talents in the arts.
• Promotes healthy cultural activities and habits in the society.
• Is responsible for the efficient management of the National Theatre.
• Manages and provides venue and facilities for exhibition of arts, paintings, furniture, building materials, science equipment, computers, etc.

Nigerian Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR)

The Nigerian Institute for Hospitality and Tourism has the responsibility for:-

• Providing supervisory management courses for middle and managerial cadres as well as upgrading courses for junior and middle level cadre personnel.
• Management of tourism statistics courses for planners, research officers and statisticians.
• Organizing certificate courses on Tourism Journalism for Journalists in the Tourism Sector.
• Organizing specialized Diplomas and Postgraduate programmes in Hospitality and Tourism Management for Senior functionaries and trainers.
• Providing short term managerial training for Senior Managers and Principal Grade Officers in both public and private sectors.

PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE MINISTRY

Programmes

The present Administration since its inception in May, 1999 has demonstrated a strong commitment to the development of the country’s cultural and tourism industry. As a first step in this regard, His Excellency, Mr. President created a Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a means of strengthening the country’s cultural tourism. In addition, efforts are being made through the implementation of various programmes and policy initiatives to promote culture and tourism as one of important revenue earner for the nation.

INITIATIVES / ACHIEVEMENTS

Policy Initiatives

During the period of this Administration, Culture and Tourism was given a pride of place and was selected as one of the six priority sectors of the Federal Government. This led to the introduction of policy initiatives geared towards increasing the contribution of the sector to the GDP. These include the review of the existing Cultural Policy of 1988 and the introduction of a National Tourism Policy.

One of the notable achievements towards implementing the Policy Initiatives, is the establishment of the Presidential Council on Tourism which is chaired by His Excellency, Mr. President. Also important, is the establishment of the National Committee on Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage headed by the Honourable Minister of Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism. There is also the introduction of a stakeholder Forum, namely; the National Council on Culture and Tourism, in year 2000 for articulating policies aimed at boosting the contribution of the sector to the national economy. The National Council on Culture and Tourism, which is the highest policy-generating forum, is made of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism, its Parastatals, State Commissioners in charge of Culture and Tourism and Stakeholders in the Private sector.

The National Council on Culture and Tourism, which is held annually, had its first meeting in November 2000 in Jos, Plateau State. Some of the notable achievements of the Council include:

• introduction and hosting of Abuja Carnival in 2005;
• the introduction of a National Tourism Policy;
• production of the final draft copy of the Tourism Development Master Plan;
• the introduction of the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA);
• a review of the 1988 Cultural Policy for Nigeria (80% completed);
• the enlistment of Sukur World Heritage site at Adamawa and Osun Oshogbo Sacred Grove into the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage list.

The National Tourism Development Master Plan has poverty alleviation as its primary focus. Similarly, the main objective of the “Abuja Carnival” 2005 is centred on promoting and marketing the rich and robust cultural heritage of Nigeria and her artistic expressions. The carnival is to be held annually to serve as an essential tourism product.

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Some of the physical infrastructures embarked upon by the present administration include:

• Refurbishment of the National Museum in Owo, Ondo State
• Refurbishment of National Museum, Enugu
• Wall fencing of Jos Zoo / Museum
• Completion of School of Archeological Museum Studies, Jos
• Construction of an Office Building Complex at National Museum, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
• Establishment of nine herbal Gardens at Getso and Abina in Ebonyi State.
• Construction of two round Maiduguri Crafts Centres
• Block fencing and construction of workshop for Crafts Centre, Bauchi
• Construction of NICO permanent site at Kuje Area Council, Abuja (15% completed).
• Refurbishment of National Theatre’s roof and electrical / air-conditioning system
• Construction of 3 Nos. Classrooms, one borehole with overhead tank, 35 room office complex, generator house, all at NICO Office in Lagos.
• Construction of NTDC Zonal Office in Lagos
• Construction of Oguta Lake Resort
• Fencing of CBAAC Annex Office Building in Lagos
• The conversion of inter-centre Ikoyi, into a National Museum of Human Rights violation.
• Construction of the Nigeria Cultural Centre and Millennium Tower in Central Area, Abuja.