Insurgency: NCMM trains staff on protection of cultural heritage

The 5-day training programme held in Abuja is aimed at protecting heritage and cultural sites in areas affected by insurgency across the country and was held in conjunction with International partners:  Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, PCF, and International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property ICCROM.NCCM Director […]

The 5-day training programme held in Abuja is aimed at protecting heritage and cultural sites in areas affected by insurgency across the country and was held in conjunction with International partners:  Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, PCF, and International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property ICCROM.
NCCM Director General, Yusuf Abdallah Usman said that the workshop is bringing together, three officers each from the most affected states and the FCT drawn from ministries and agencies.
He said that the selected officers, upon completion of the training, will pass the knowledge acquired to village and community levels as well as train field officers.
Abdallah said that the Commission will extend the programme to other parts of the federation including military and paramilitary agencies.
“I would like to appeal to the federal government to ensure that in the government`s effort to resettle and rehabilitate affected people and communities, the heritage aspect should not be left out.  I would like all of us to bear in mind that a people resettled without restoration of their valuable ways of life cannot be said to have settled,” he said.
He commended PCF for partnering with the commission, saying since its establishment, it has been offering supports through grants for rehabilitation of affected heritage during crises around the world or for capacity building like it is doing with NCMM.
Earlier, Minister for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation  Chief Edem Duke commended the tripartite collaboration between NCMM, PCF and ICCROM to draw the attention of the world to the significance of heritage to human development.
He said, “ While conflict arises from people`s desperation to either exert their culture or resist such incursion from others, the same allusion to the good values in our heritage will still be the best approach to rehabilitation and reconciliation among  people.’’