Lagos, hub of creative sector – Minister

THE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described Lagos State with its over 20 million people as the hub of the creative sector in Nigeria, saying it had a key role to play in the Federal Government’s economic diversification policy.

Alhaji Mohammed said this was more so with a recent study of the creative businesses in the state contributed N2,547,300,490.26 during the reference period, with 61 per cent of the total Gross Value Added (GVA) derived from the Film industry alone, while fashion and music contributed 26 and 13 per cent respectively.

The minister made these remark while speaking at the Eko Art Expo in honour of the late Rasheed Gbadamosi, saying the creative industry, which comprises film, music, all forms of production, fashion, design, among others was one of the sectors to be leveraged upon in the President Muhammadu Buhari led government’s diversification efforts.

“We need to create jobs, both skilled and semi skilled, formalise all aspects of these industries, make them export products and help promote and participate in infrastructure development that will enhance the sector and people’s lives. We cannot achieve this without Lagos State. With its over 20 million people, Lagos is the home of the Creative Sector,” the minister said.

While noting that a total of over N2.5bn was raked in “during the reference period,” which included the staging of “One Lagos Fiesta,” Mohammed expressed the confidence that under the leadership of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, ”We will see an acceleration of these figures,” especially because the governor was providing the enabling environment needed for the creative sector to flourish more.

Some of the efforts on the part of Lagos State government, he said included enhanced security across the state, the lighting up of Lagos, the modern rail system, the 12-lane Lagos-Badagry Highway, among others, which he contended were much-needed ingredients for Lagos to finally seal its place as the hub of Nigeria’s creative sector.

“When we consider the work being done to bolster the industries, from rebuilding the National Museum in Lagos in order to celebrate the culture of preservation and commercialisation of Art, the Lagos Fiesta, which is seriously promoting the performance of music, the investment into building Theatres across the state and again helping even the Federal Government to resuscitate our National Theatre, which will bolster that whole economy, and also the building of a home for Nollywood and the TV production industries in Epe, the creative industry will be given the much-needed wings to finally fly and take their rightful place globally,” the minister said.