The National Council for Art and Culture (NCAC) has disclosed plans by the Nigerian government to immortalise Super Eagles forward, Kelechi Iheanacho for celebrating the English FA Cup victory last weekend with Nigerian flag wrapped around him.
NCAC Director General, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, made the disclosure at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
He also noted that the artistic works should also go into the hall of fame and Art Gallery as a living memory of Iheanacho’s metaphor of the merger of culture and sports.
Runsewe also revealed that the artistic work will be presented to the Ministers of Information and Culture, the Youth and Sports Development, the Nigerian embassies across the world and more importantly at the museum of the English Premier league side, Leicester City.
To graphically immortalise Iheanacho’s heroic and patriotic feat, he said, the NCAC has called for entries from Nigeria visual artists to creatively represent the quintessential Iheanacho on stage with the Nigerian colours as enacted at Wembley stadium during the English FA finals.
“At the Wembley stadium, United Kingdom last weekend, a powerful and fascinating merger between culture and sports showcased itself. Beneath the pomp, glitz and glamour of the European FA Cup final between Chelsea and Leicester City, a unique, spectacular and outstanding show of patriotism was on display.
“It came in the manner of Kelechi Iheanacho, the big boy of Leicester City FC, soaked in love for Nigeria. Fully wrapped in Nigerian green-white-green national colours, he carried on his head, a cultural basket of victory to celebrate Leicester success, the Nigerian Cultural way.
“Hand in hand with Ndidi, a fellow compatriot, he stole the show the Nigeria way. For a moment, the Nigerian Cultural Symbolism was beamed live to the whole world by digital cameras from Wembley stadium.
