Creative Industry

Nat. Theatre Redevelopment Project: Minister Commends PMB On Commitment To Creating Opportunities For Youth

Published

6 years ago

July 12, 2020

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for renewing his commitment to providing opportunities for the Nigerian Youth. He described the President’s call for investment in projects that will directly benefit young people as visionary and timely.

The Minister made this known on Sunday July 12th, in his remarks at the event to handover the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, to the Central Bank Nigerian (CBN) and the Bankers Committee for its redevelopment into the Lagos Creative and Entertainment Centre.

“Today’s event is another giant step towards strengthening President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to create opportunities for our teeming Youth. For me, this project fits perfectly into his challenge to me to seek out and collaborate with willing partners to keep the Nigerian Youth busy. The potentials of this four component New National Theatre is massive in job creation for our Youth, talent discovery and development, revenue generation and as an innovation and technology hub.

“With the pandemic still biting hard at our nation and the world at large, this project is a much needed shot in the arm to vaccinate our Youth against the multi-headed challenges of unemployment, criminality and the negative impressions forced on them by the very few unscrupulous individuals, who have chosen a life of crime on the international scale.”

The event was attended by the Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele; and the Chairman of the Bankers Committee, Mr. Herbert Wigwe.

Mr. Dare thanked the Bankers Committee for their will to invest in the Youth, saying it was worth the risk. He added that the creative industry in Nigeria which is fueled by the energy and imagination of the Youth, is a lucrative venture.

“It is now commonplace to hear music produced by our Youth in shopping malls of Dubai, New York, London, and Moscow amongst other great cities of the world,” he said. “In terms of downloads, Nigerian artistes like WizKid and Davido are punching at a global level. From the Royal Albert Hall to 02 Centre in London, to virtually all African capitals, sold out audiences in some cases exceeding 35,000 people have paid premium prices to see these amazing home-grown Nigerian products perform. The value chain they lubricate – from legal specialists, logistics, video/graphic artists, fashion, broadcast engineering and much more – are extensive.”

The National Theatre property and the entire land was officially handed over by Alhaji Lai Mohammed since the establishment is under his ministry, which is in a partnership with the Lagos State Government, the Bankers’ Committee and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on the project. The project, which is to be completed in 18 – 22 months, would convert the National Theatre to a creative village, with four other pillars, including a pillar for the film industry; one for the music industry, one for fashion and another one for Information Technology.

“One strand that binds the millennial generation is their love for the creative arts and entertainment. These are the lifeblood of the new millennial economy,” Mr. Dare said. “Despite the crowded global market, Nigerian Youth have excelled with their music permeating every corner of the globe. They are etching the Nigerian brand in the consciousness of their generational peers, as a country that can produce the very best. For each of the examples given, there are millions amongst our Youth with talents, innovative ideas and skills, who are unable to access much needed technology and credit. They all need their country’s support. That support pipeline is born today.

“The Nigerian Youth represents a critical component in propelling the world towards attaining the sustainable development goals.”

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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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