The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced on Thursday that Poland has offered to support Nigeria in preserving the nation’s cultural artifacts and monuments.

The Minister made the announcement in Abuja when he received the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Joan Magdalene Tarnawska.

“The highlight of our discussion this morning is Her Excellency’s offer that Poland is willing to assist Nigeria in giving us the technology to preserve some of our artifacts and our monuments and we are looking forward to the formal proposal from Poland because this is one area where I think there can be mutually-beneficial relationship,'' he said.

Alhaji Mohammed noted that many of the nation’s artifacts and monuments need to be restored and preserved, just like many historical pictures.

He expressed delight at the Ambassador’s interest in Nigeria’s culture and tourist sites which, he said, has motivated her to embark on a tour of such sites.

“Her Excellency is quite passionate about Nigeria’s culture and she is looking forward to visiting many of our tourist sites. She knows many of them by name but she’s not been there,” the Minister said.

He noted that Nigeria and Poland signed an agreement on Cultural and Educational Cooperation and Exchanges in 1976, and both countries have enjoyed active relations via various exchanges in music, dance, literature as well as exhibition of arts and crafts.

“Before then, Poland and Nigeria shared a very long history as can be evidenced in the number of Nigerians who have studied in Poland and, as a matter of fact, the Ambassador just informed me that a Nigerian even became a member of Parliament in Poland. That shows the level of relationship between Nigeria and Poland,” he said.

In her remarks, Ambassador Tarnawska paid tribute to some Nigerian literary icons, having studied African Culture at the University of Warsaw, specialising in Africa literature.

“I am honoured to be here in Nigeria, the home of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and of course Chimamanda and many other great literary figures,”' she said.

The Ambassador said Poland has a thriving tourism industry and expressed the hope that both nations will collaborate to deepen the cultural ties between them.

•PHOTO: The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (right), receiving a souvenir from the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Joan Magdalena Tarnawska, when she paid a courtesy visit to the Minister in Abuja on Thursday.

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