Today in History: National Day of Creativity

The Federal Government declared the 14th of September every year as the National Day of Creativity on the 23rd of January, 1995. This declaration by the Federal Government was not a surprising one because, at the time, notable writers such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Christopher Okigbo and many others were not just notable writers at home; they were also well-known on the international scene. The declaration also came as a result of the signing of the Bern Convention for Protection of Literary and Artistic works. The day was selected to draw more attention to the contribution of creativity to the nation’s developmental effort. By observing this day, Nigeria can showcase her immense talents in the areas of science, arts and technology every year,. When President Obasanjo took the oath of office in 1999, he instituted the National Creativity Award. The award was instituted to recognise artists and other creative talents of excellence in a way that would encourage others to strive for excellence in all endeavours. President Olusegun Obasanjo commissioned a committee to provide the criteria and procedures for conferring the award on deserving Nigerians. On the 14th of September, 1999, Late Prof. Chinua Achebe, was announced the maiden winner of the National Creativity Award. Other awards conferred on the Late Prof. Chinua Achebe are The Nigerian National Trophy for Literature at the first anniversary of the nation’s independence, The Nigerian National Order of Merit and The Order of the Federal Republic in 1979.   Happy National Day of Creativity to all our contributing writers and dedicated readers. The Connect Nigeria team appreciates you!  

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This article was first published on 14th September 2015

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