School Proprietor Hails Promotion of Nigeria-UK Arts and Culture Relations
The Proprietor and Director of Higher Everyday British School, Agbor, Delta State, Dr. Raymond Imafidon, has praised two United Kingdom-based organisations—Johnson Community Support Initiative (JCSI) and The Leap Bradford CIC—for advancing cultural ties between Nigeria and the UK through the maiden edition of the Arts, Culture and Heritage (ACH) Creatives Workshop 2025.
This was disclosed in statement by Mr. Frederick Apeji, Country Event Partner, JCSI ACH Creatives Program.
Speaking during the school’s Cultural Day held on Tuesday, April 8, Dr. Imafidon expressed his appreciation to JCSI for selecting Higher Everyday British School as the pioneer partner institution for the ACH Creatives initiative in Nigeria. He also commended The Leap Bradford CIC and its collaborators—Creative People and Places, Arts Council England, and the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council—for their support in implementing the program.
“We are elated that our school was chosen to launch this impactful initiative,” Dr. Imafidon said. “This workshop has shown our students the vast opportunities in the Nigerian arts and culture sector—not just as a form of expression or entertainment, but as a viable career path.”
He highlighted the significance of the keynote address by Pastor Mike Okoh, an acclaimed arts and culture expert and university lecturer, who urged students to leverage their creativity to produce artworks with global relevance. According to Dr. Imafidon, the school is now poised to establish an ACH Creatives Club as part of its commitment to sustaining the initiative.
In a virtual goodwill message during the event, Mr. Akinwale Johnson Ogundipe, Executive/Creative Director of JCSI, stated that the goal of the workshop is to reorient Nigerian youths to see the creative sector as a credible and fulfilling professional space.
“We want students to view the arts, culture, and heritage space—now globally recognised as the creative industry—as a career avenue,” Ogundipe said. “Each participating school is encouraged to establish a student-led and student-managed ACH Creatives Club.”
The ACH Creatives Program, according to its promoters, seeks to instill cultural appreciation among secondary school students, provide a platform for artistic expression and exchange, and support the formation of ACH Creatives Clubs in schools nationwide.
Following its successful rollout at Higher Everyday British School in Agbor, JCSI plans to scale the program to other secondary schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The organisation is calling for collaboration with relevant federal agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, and the National Council for Arts and Culture to ensure nationwide reach and sustainability.
