Creative Industry

Katsina Governor Pledges Support for Arts and Culture Ministry

Published

1 year ago

April 22, 2025

Katsina State Governor, Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, has pledged his state’s support to the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy in areas of culture and artifacts preservation.
Governor Radda made the pledge during a visit to Minister Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Governor expressed admiration for the Minister’s initiatives, stating that Nigeria has a rich cultural heritage and a lot to offer globally in art and culture. He commended the Ministry’s efforts in preserving and retrieving the state’s artifacts while pledging to support the Ministry’s laudable initiatives, which he said, are achievable.

Governor Radda highlighted Katsina State’s efforts in preserving its heritage sites, including the renovation of the Gobarau Minerate for N100m and a contract award of over N640m for the National Museum in Katsina. He stated that the Museum is currently in a dilapidated state, and the state government aims to give it a facelift.

“We are proud of you and willing to support your initiatives, which are achievable. There are a lot of potentials in this ministry, and a lot to showcase to the world. You have a lot of initiatives, and we will be here to support you and your ministry to succeed,” Governor Radda stated.

He emphasized the need to preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage and monuments to boost the country’s image and export its culture globally. “Nigeria has very rich cultural heritages, but we don’t have what it takes to showcase them. Previous governments did not tap into the economic expansion of these heritage sites.”

The Governor also highlighted the massive potential of the creative industry in Nigeria, noting the abundance of young talents. However, he acknowledged the lack of amenities to utilize and showcase their talents.

In response, Minister Musawa expressed delight in the Governor’s visit, describing it as one of her highlights of being a minister. She stated that her priority is to ensure the diversification of the economy and explore the vast resources in the tourism industry.

“We hope to have an economic breakthrough in tourism because the income generation in tourism is so huge and yet untapped and uncultivated. We want to build on our heritage and traditions and those beautiful artifacts and cultures that we have to boost domestic tourism,” Minister Musawa said.

The Minister also emphasized the importance of supporting young talents, creating jobs, and stimulating economic expansion through the creative industry.

The Governor’s delegation included the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir; the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor, Hon Abdullahi A. Turaji; the State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Musa Adamu Funtua; the Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, Dr Faisal Umar Kaita; the Technical Assistant to the Governor, Dr Babangida Rimi; and the Director Innercore consultant on Culture, Musa Umar Yar’adua.

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Creative Industry

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

Published

2 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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