Culture

Gov Bala restates commitment to promote cultural heritage

Published

2 years ago

May 23, 2024

Bauchi Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir has affirmed that developing human resources and infrastructure is part of his commitment to making Bauchi’s cultural heritage and amenities more appealing.

The Governor spoke to Journalists when he visited the famous Yankari Games Reserve and Resort to do an on the spot assessment of the ongoing rehabilitation of facilities at the Reserve on Tuesday.

Bala Mohammed expressed gratitude and appreciation to all of his predecessors for their respective services and contributions to ensuring that Yankari Games Reserve remain the property of the state government.

He specifically thanked former Governor, Alh. Ahmed Adamu Muazu for the foresight and political will to retrieve it from the Federal Government and revitalising it.

The Governor expressed deep concern over the level of dilapidation as a result of the neglect of the place by the previous administrations, and he issued a stern warning to intruders and killers of the animals in the Yankari Game Reserves to steer clear of the area.

He said that his administration will ensure that the security of the whole area is enhanced, in addition to protecting the rights of the species.

The Governor said that after implementing development projects in the areas of roads, health, education, and other infrastructure throughout the state, he must now transform the well-known Yankari Game Reserve and turn it into one of Nigeria’s top tourists destinations, drawing visitors from around the world and boosting revenue generation in the process.

He stressed that as a son of the area, he will ensure that the place was transformed declaring that there is the need for him to make the famous Reserve more conducive and attractive by making it functional.

According to him, the target is to make it one of the world best class of tourists attractions in Nigeria thereby attracting tourists from across the globe and improve internally generating venture.

Bala Mohammed was assured by Ruben Okoya of Architect Tronix that the project would be of high quality and that Yankari would be competitive when it is finished, which would add value not only to Bauchi but to the region and Nigeria at large.

Governor Bala was accompanied by his Wife, Haj. Dr. Alisha Bala Mohammed and other top personalities of his administration.

Recall that the famous Yankari Games Reserve was retrieved from the Federal Government by the Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu led administration in 2003 for proper management.

It was however redesigned and transformed to the present situation it is by the Isah Yuguda led administration which renamed it Yankari Reserve and Safari thereby making it a center of attraction which hosted many national and international events.

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”