ONYINYECHI NWANGWU, ABUJA

In an effort to revitalize the spirit of visual art amongst Nigerian students and professionals, the National Gallery of Art (NGA) last Thursday, drew the curtains on its inaugural National Visual Art competition.

Speaking at the award and prize giving ceremony in Abuja, Director General of the agency, Chief Joe Musa declared that the competition was aimed at discovering the artistic genius of Nigerian pupils, students and professional artists in expressing themselves in various art forms and also to assist them to develop their skills and creative abilities.

The competition according to him was also targeted at achieving the desired rapid economic development of the country as envisioned in the NEPAD and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiatives.

The event saw 9-year old Kizito Muoneto Okpoko coming first in the primary schools’ category bagging the sum of fifty thousand naira with Maduagwu O. Basil and Solomon Thomas settling for 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.

In secondary schools’ category, Henry Ibegbunam took the 1st position, while Oladosun Ibrahim and Nsikan Michael John took 2nd and 3rd respectively.

In tertiary schools’ category, Charles Achibi emerged 1st while Egwuonwu Chimezie and Kalin Hassan Dodo took 2nd and 3rd positions.

In professional category, Agonsi Uche came 1st while Afolabi Ayodele and Oswald Uruakpa emerged 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Congratulating the winners, Musa remarked that "this outstanding prize testifies to the academic excellence and the inspiration of your historic schools rooted in the past with its eyes on the future. Just as you and your schools have made a great transition to the future of this great nation, so also have the professional artists that have made such unique contributions to our great world of creativity".

He therefore tasked the winners to see their achievement as a stage, an opening of opportunity to greater triumphs and advancement in their career. "We should all be brave enough to grasp more of this opportunity and accept the challenge of future of the sub-sector for self-sufficiency".

"I envision a creative competition that goes as far as our capabilities can take us both at home and aboard. My goal is for a corporate Nigeria to support the visual art so that we can build a nation that gradually diversifies from oil-economy to one complimented by creative knowledge for an enduring growth and development", he said.