Creative Industry
‘Avante’ Premieres in Abuja as Okafor Calls It “Hypothetical Presumption of Reality”
Nollywood producer and actor Kingsley Okafor says his new film Avante is meant as a moral compass “a hypothetical presumption of reality” for anyone struggling with life’s hardest decisions. The thriller, directed by Toka McBaror, opened Sunday night at Silverbird Galleria in Abuja.
Okafor, who also stars in the film, framed the story ahead of the premiere: “The movie is a thriller of vengeance, a thriller of love and a thriller of destiny. The movie is all about a son whose father was murdered alongside other people in the community, subscribed to a path with the siblings that they must avenge the death of their parent, and when you are faced with difficulties of choosing to go ahead with this, or destiny or love, it is going to be some decisions to make.” He added that it is “recommended for anyone faced with the cho in life.”
The plot centers on Gaju, driven by vengeance, who disguises himself as Albert, a humble farmhand, to infiltrate the remote estate of his parents’ killer. “But when he falls in love with the killer’s daughter, he must now choose between revenge and the life he never thought he could have,” Okafor explained.
Avante features Chimezie Imo, Patience Ujah, Eddie Walker, Maliya Michael and Ruth Nkweti alongside Okafor. Early trailers presented a second narrative strand: Imo as Kelechi, a Lagos hustler drawn into the orbit of a powerful businesswoman (Ujah) and her lieutenant (Okafor). As Kelechi climbs money, cars, influence he is pulled into blackMAIL, police shakedowns and a love triangle with the boss’s protégée (Michael).
McBaror, whose credits include Karma and The Anomalous, uses the twin arcs to explore ambition and betrayal in glossy nightlife and rural hideaways. The film’s palette shifts from neon-lit clubs to the dust of an isolated farm, underscoring what Okafor calls “a high-stakes, morally gray story.”
Okafor insisted the vengeful premise is universal. “A lot of people can learn from it,” he told reporters on the red carpet, noting that Nigerian audiences rarely see revenge tales grounded in family debate rather than pure action.
With its Easter release, Avante tests whether Nollywood can blend commercial shine with the kind of ethical questioning Okafor believes viewers need. For him, the answer lies off-screen: “It’s about the decisions you make when no one is watching.”
Creative Industry
FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth
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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