ANOTHER GIANT LEAP: FG's monothecnic's takeoff in Ogbomoso accelerated as NICO boss visits Soun

Image caption: Soun with Otunba Biodun Ajiboye Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Institute of Cultural Orientation (NICO) during his visit to the palace Monday October 13, 2025. Photo credit: 9japarrot

ANOTHER GIANT LEAP: FG’s monothecnic’s takeoff in Ogbomoso accelerated as NICO boss visits Soun

Yinka ADETUNJI

The Federal Government’s drive to establish four monothecnics of cultural studies in Nigeria lunged further forward Monday with the visit of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Institute of Cultural Studies (NICO), Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, to the Soun of Ogbomosoland His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III at his palace.

ogbomosoinsightonline.com recalls that the plan to establish the institution – Nigerian Academy for Cultural Studies (NACUS) – was announced in April this year, with a declaration of take-off in four pilot campuses across the country namely Ogbomoso, Lagos, Cross River State and Abuja. The disclosure made it known that academic programmes would take off in September this year.

Thus while agitation was growing as regards fulfilment, the Executive Secretary of the agency under whose purview the specialized institution is taking off, Otunba Ajiboye, stormed Ogbomoso for an engagement with the Soun to get reassurance of the support of the community and to assure the project is on course.

During the interaction Otunba Ajiboye informed among others that Departments like Cultural Pharmacology and Cultural Technology would be incorporated.

He explained the Department of Cultural Pharmacology would “look into how to turn some of our natural things into medicinal and tradomedicine in such a way we can appreciate what nature has given us.”

The Department of Cultural Technology according to him would look into how to turn natural resources into technological issues citing the great leap the Chinese made when they refused to further take western drugs. He said the academy would train Nigerians on culture and accelerate the nation’s development.

He thanked the Soun for the provision of land while assuring he would communicate the community’s readiness to President Bola Tinubu.

The Monotechnic, which is powered by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, is established to train Nigerian citizens on dynamics in cultural studies and instill in them, cultural education to boost cultural pride in Nigeria.

Speaking the Soun expressed appreciation and hope the academy would help unfold the true histories regarding our past.

“We’re believing this academy will also correct a lot of things going on amongst the kings, with historical facts greatly distorted, and I believe this academy will take care of all these misconceptions by giving us historical facts, not just about our own generation but about the future,” Oba Olaoye said.