Tony Okuyeme 
The Nigerian arts and culture sector received a boost penultimate Tues- day with the opening of a new ultra- modern art house, the Nike Art Gallery, in Abuja.
The new gallery, located in a 5.1 hectares of land in the heart of Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, an area that is home to major nation- al institutions such as the Defence College, is an initiative of the globally renowned Nigeria artist, batik and adire textile de- signer, art promoter and philanthropist, Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, popularly known and called “Mama Nike”.
As expected, the unveiling of the state of the art edifice, a cultural monument, brought together several dignitaries including diplomats, scholars, culture administrators, artists, and other notable individuals.
On hand to add colour, music and dance to the event were various dance troupes such as Bwari Cultural Troupe, and cultural troupes from Osogbo, Ogidi- Ijimu in Kogi and Edo State respectively.
Guests at the opening of the gallery commended Chief Nike Okundaye, and Guests at the opening of the gallery commended Chief Nike Okun- daye, and her husband, a former police commissioner, Chief Reuben Osaruyi Okundaye, for building the gallery in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
While speaking with journalists recently at Nike Art Gallery, Lagos, before the official unveiling, Mama Nike and her husband, Chief Reuben Okundaye, revealed that the project has taken 19 years to complete, long before the Lagos gallery was opened, adding that the decision to hold the official launch of the Abuja gallery this March was to celebrate women all over the world with art.
“Our new ultra-modern art gallery in Abuja is located on 5.1 hectares of land. In the year 2000, we went to Abuja and approached the government to give us land to build a cultural centre for Nike Art Foundation organisation, which they graciously granted and allocated. We were allocated 5.1 hectares of land in a choice area in Abuja which had been earmarked by the Federal Government to be developed. It is a district of institutions. We were lucky to have that land. “In 2004, we developed a mini- Nike Art Gallery on that land, which also housed a first of its kind textile museum. On November 22, 2004, we invited the former minister for Federal Capital territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. We said at the time that we have a very bold intention to develop an ultra-modern art gallery that will feature many segments of arts and culture, and that is what we have now achieved. That edifice has been completed, it is a massive art gallery facing the Defense College. I celebrate my wife whenever she achieves some- thing big, because whenever Nike decides to do something, she does it well,” Okundaye said.
According to him, the choice to hold the official launch of the Abuja gallery this March was to celebrate women globally with art, stressing that the new state-of-the-art gallery was solely his wife’s dream which he said has materialised today. He noted, “When she told me she wanted to own an art gallery in Abuja which will contain all aspects of Nigeria art, I was probably looking at her and how we are going to achieve that. She said it’s possible and doable. What people are going to see on 28 of March is the fulfilment of that her dream.”
According to him, the journey of building what he described as an ultra- modern art gallery began in year 2000 with a mini-gallery in 2004, but has metamorphosed today after 19 years to an art village which will feature different aspects of arts including modern and contemporary art, antiquities of Nigerian cultural heritage. He said, “In year 2000, we went to Abuja to request for land to build an art gallery for Nike Art Foundation. We were allocated 5.1 hectares of land in a choice area in Abuja which had been earmarked by the Federal Government to be developed. It has institutions like Defence College, National Open University and many other institutions.
“In 2004 we developed a mini Nike Art Gallery in that land which housed a textile museum. We invited the former minister for the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. We enumerated then that we have a very bold intention to develop an ultra-modern art gallery that will feature many segments of arts and culture and that is what we have now achieved. “That edifice has been completed; it is a massive art gallery facing the Defence College. I celebrate my wife, Nike, whenever she achieves something big, be- cause whenever she decides to do something, she does it well. “We are going to have several sections of art in the gallery; textile will be represented, sculptures, antiquities and antiques that reflect Nigerian cultural heritage will also be represented there. We will also have virtual art of different descriptions. The construction is mainly focused on the true aspect of Nigerian heritage; different images that will represent different Nigerian tribes.”
Also speaking at the press conference, Mama Nike who is also the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, called for more support for female artists in Nigeria as she appealed to all Nigerian artists regardless of their affiliations to come together under one umbrella as seen in the movie industry to promote artists and their works and to attract government’s attention with one voice. She said, “I am calling on all artists to come together under one umbrella in one voice so that we will be able to approach the government. The way we promote Nollywood films we need to come together to promote our work. And we need more support for female artists in Nigeria.”
