By Grace Udofia
The Chief Minister for Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Bulent Korkmas has announced plans to invite 46 students of Government Secondary School (GSS), Wuse Zone 3, Abuja to Turkey for a cultural exchange programme.
Korkomas disclosed this in Abuja after the students staged different cultural dances during the inauguration of a science complex, renovated by a TIKA, in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Secondary Education Board (SEB).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Korkmas told Mohammed Gummi, President, Association of Turkey Graduates Alumni in Nigeria, that he was impressed with the cultural dances put up by the students and would want them to stage a similar performance in Turkey.
According to him, he would like the students to travel to Turkey his home country and stage similar dance moves while also learning the cultural dance of the Turkish people.
In his remarks, Gummi said, “If the plan succeeded, the students would visit Ankara, noting that it would help expose them to Turkish cultural dances, among other things.
“The Chief Minister, who is also the coordinator of TIKA, whispered to me that he liked the Nigerian cultural dances.
“He was moved and asked about the possibility of staging a Nigerian Cultural Day in Ankara where the dancers could feature
“We are going to make the necessary arrangement for trip to Turkey.
“I commend the efforts by the Turkish government to improve the quality of education in Nigeria through the establishment of secondary and tertiary institutions in the country,” he said.
The students entertained guests with Niger Delta, Yoruba, Tiv, Nupe, Gbagyi, Igbo, Fulani and Hausa dances.
Also speaking at the event, the Ambassador of Turkey to Nigeria, Mr Hidayet Bayraktar, said that Turkish institutions and non-governmental organisations had been playing a leading role in the field of education on the African continent.
“My foundation schools are providing education to more than 17,500 students in 25 countries in Africa and last month alone, two Turkish NGOs opened new schools in Abuja.
“The renovation of this school by TIKA is also a solid display of these efforts and I am sure that with the opening of an office in Nigeria, TIKA will achieve much more in this country.
“Turkey is ready to work more closely with Nigeria in the field of education and development and the 21st century can be very different in Africa and the first step is education,” he said.
