Buni Approves Funds For Restoration Of 8,000-yr-old Dufuna Canoe

Yobe State Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, has approved funds for the restoration and preservation of the historic 8,000-year-old Dufuna Canoe to revive and reposition the state’s cultural heritage.

Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture in the state, Abdullahi Bego, disclosed this during a visit to Turkey, where the state’s delegation toured several museums and notable cultural sites to understudy global best practices in the organisation, preservation, and commercialisation of cultural heritage.

Bego described the restoration approval as a landmark decision that underscores Governor Buni’s commitment to safeguarding Yobe’s rich history and transforming the cultural sector into a viable tool for tourism, education, and economic development.

He revealed that the approval comes on the heels of strategic international engagements aimed at repositioning the state’s arts, culture, and information sectors.

The Commissioner said the Istanbul engagements followed earlier high-level meetings in Glasgow, Scotland, where the modernisation of the Yobe Broadcasting Corporation (YBC) and Yobe Television (YTV) was discussed as part of broader efforts to upgrade the state’s information architecture.

He said the lessons learned would be replicated in Yobe to ensure that its cultural monuments and artefacts were preserved and repositioned as world-class tourist attractions.

The Commissioner also reaffirmed the Buni administration’s unwavering commitment to protecting Yobe’s historical assets, strengthening cultural institutions, and utilising heritage as a catalyst for unity, job creation, and sustainable development.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Baba Mallam Wali, alongside relevant officials, recently held extensive discussions with experts in culture, artefacts, and design in Istanbul, Turkey, where new ideas capable of significantly transforming the sector were explored.