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In a heartwarming display of camaraderie and shared vision for cultural renaissance in Benue State, Engr. Felix Atume (PhD, FNSE, FEng) on Monday, 9th December 2025, paid a courtesy and solidarity visit to the newly appointed Director-General of the Benue State Bureau for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Shadrach Teryila Ukuma.
The visit, which held at the DG’s office in Makurdi, saw the former Commissioner for Works under whose tenure the iconic Aminu Isa Kontagora Arts Theatre Complex was originally constructed, congratulate Dr. Ukuma and describe his appointment by Governor Hyacinth Alia as “a square peg in a square hole.”
Speaking with visible emotion, Engr. Atume recounted the glorious era when the theatre complex was commissioned and hailed by the then Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as the best arts edifice in Nigeria at the time. He narrated how top-grade materials and specialists were sourced from far and wide to deliver a world-class facility that became the pride of the state and a reference point for cultural activities across the country.
The eminent engineer, however, expressed pain at the current state of disrepair of the once-magnificent complex, stressing that its near abandonment remains a sore point for those who labored to build it.
He expressed strong confidence that the Fr. Alia administration, which has already shown remarkable commitment to infrastructure resuscitation across the state, will extend the same energy to the theatre complex and restore it to an ultramodern status befitting the Food Basket of the Nation.
Atume charged Dr. Ukuma to bring his wealth of experience to bear and justify the enormous confidence reposed in him by the governor, assuring him of total support from stakeholders who are passionate about seeing Benue’s cultural heritage revived and repositioned on the national and global stage.
The new DG, Dr. Shadrach Teryila Ukuma, warmly received the visitor and thanked him for the gesture, promising to hit the ground running and work with all well-meaning individuals and groups to reposition arts, culture and creative tourism as a major revenue and image driver for Benue State.
With appointments like Dr. Ukuma’s and the visible support from seasoned administrators like Engr. Atume, there is growing hope that the Aminu Isa Kontagora Arts Theatre Complex and indeed the entire cultural ecosystem of Benue State may soon witness the renaissance it desperately needs.
