Creative Industry

National Breakdance Championship: FAME Foundation hold Kano, Kaduna Qualifiers

Published

3 years ago

July 21, 2023

FAME Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in Abuja, recently organized a national breakdance championship qualifier in Kaduna and Kano, respectively.

This event aims to empower the youth through sports under the Play it Dream it Initiative, strengthening the inclusion of young people and vulnerable people through sport, will inspire and teach valuable life skills to young people – particularly those that are consistently underserved, excluded, or economically disadvantaged.

The championship which started on July 17, 2023 at the Alliance Francaise office of Kaduna state, had a total of 41 break dancers in attendance, while Kano qualifier that took place on July 17, 2023 at the Alliance Francaise office of Kano, had 30 participants. Kaduna and Kano recorded six and five finalists, respectively.

An excited participant from Kano, Benjamin Samuel, aka Bboy Xsycho commended the organizers for organizing a breakdance championship in Kano for the very first time, “I have been a dancer for a very long time, like 15 years, and throughout my journey as a dancer, I have never had an opportunity like this in Kano where a qualifier of a National Breakdance will come to the Kano state, I want to say a big shoot-out to French Embassy and FAME Foundation for remembering Kano state, “he said.

Similarly, Obed Bawa, aka Bboy Bawa, one of the finalists from Kaduna, expressed his excitement, “I’m thrilled about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the youth in Kaduna. As dancers, we usually have to travel outside the state for auditions. I want to extend my gratitude, and we are determined to train hard for the finals in Lagos to make Kaduna proud, “he assured.

After the event, Executive Director of FAME Foundation, Ms Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello, expressed her gratitude, saying, “I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the French Embassy for their invaluable support in making this event possible. Furthermore, I appreciate the technical support provided by the Nigeria Dance Sport Federation. Through the ongoing play, it Dream it initiative, young, and vulnerable individuals will be included and empowered through sports.”

The competition will continue in three more states, Port Harcourt, on August 2, 2023; Abuja on September 9, 2023, and Lagos on September 22, 2023, with the grand finale scheduled for October. Two winners from the grand finale will represent Nigeria at an international breakdance championship in France with other consolation prizes for the runner-up.

The project is financed by the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (FSPI – R) of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. It aims to support initiatives in the areas of democratic governance, culture, French, higher education, and research.

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Creative Industry

FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth

Published

3 weeks ago

September 15, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.

The platform, which flags off the 100-Day Tourism Calendar, was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the initiative targeting Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy opportunity.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Media and Publicity Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the ministry said the conference was aimed at mobilising public and private stakeholders to transform the September-to-December festive period into jobs, investment and economic growth.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel across Nigeria every year to celebrate, reconnect and experience the country’s diverse culture, stressing that the festive season could be deliberately organised and monetised to strengthen tourism’s contribution to the economy.

“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” Musawa said.

She noted that every visitor generates economic activity across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.

The Minister commended MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ifeoma Chukwu, for her vision and commitment to the initiative.

She urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to list their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events on the national calendar.

Musawa said the platform would enable Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors to discover tourism and entertainment experiences across the country from a single, credible source.

Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and creative sector provided enormous opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.

She cited the contributions of tourism to the economies of countries such as Spain, France and the United States, arguing that Nigeria could equally build a $100 billion tourism economy.

Also present were Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; NCAC Director-General, Obi Asika; National Gallery of Art Director-General, Ahmed Sodangi; ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr Karl Toriola.

MyLagosApp and MyCityApp will serve as the digital engines of the calendar, distributing events through a 360-degree media ecosystem to audiences in Nigeria and the diaspora.

Stakeholders were encouraged to upload their events on MyCityApp to participate in the national tourism calendar urging them to upload events on http://www.MyCityApp.io.

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