Creative industry contributes N730bn to Nigeria’s GDP in 2020

National Theater Director General Iganmu Lagos Professor Sunday Ododo said on Wednesday that film and music recording accounted for roughly N730 billion of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in 2020, according to data from statists.com.

Professor Ododo made the revelation in his speech at the “Interagency Engagement on the National Theater Approach to Wealth Creation” held at the Marquee Center of the National Theater.

NAN reports that the interagency engagement forum was attended by several interested agencies, as they were presented with strong deliberation on how to create synergies to help the National Theater fulfill its mandate.

Professor Ododo further revealed that telecommunications and information services accounted for around 8.5 trillion naira, making telecommunications and information services the most viable sector in the creativity and entertainment industry.

“Arts, entertainment and recreation brought in 158 million naira, while publications contributed 18.8 million naira.

“Here we have heads of government and parastatal agencies and key players in the creative industry who have contributed to the numbers individually through creative programs, products and content, but rarely collaborative programs.

“Unfortunately, the penchant for ‘going it alone’ has severely hampered our purchasing power due to the underutilization of strength, insight and sagacity that spread among us.

Why have these paralyzing and useless individualistic tendencies persisted among us? The answer is the lack of a periodic inter-institutional commitment in which we can all crystallize our visions, take advantage of our strengths and resources and establish more nationalistic goals, ”he said.

Professor Ododo called for more collaborations between government agencies and also called for a harmonious relationship between stakeholders in the creative industry.

“Instead of coming together as our mandates are intertwined, we have worked cross-purposely allowing petty inter-agency rivalries, suspicion and acrimony to dictate the interactions between us, instead we need more synergy.

“I am happy when, as part of the headlines after the second edition of the National Festival of Unity of Theater, which took place between 10 and 12 December this year, when the National Company of Nigeria (NTN) was in action during the Command Performance with the legend `NTN launches a com.

“Furthermore, the management of the National Theater is happy to see the Company take the stage again, especially since we have provided the platform for them to express their mandate,” he said.

Professor Ododo added: “The culture, creativity and entertainment industry is a giant of pecuniary profits with untamed wealth. At the National Theater we have an approach to creating wealth from this industry through the following programs.

“Creative Product and Content: Talent Search, Open Theater Series, Nigerian Royal Regalia and Paraphernalia Exhibition, Skills Acquisition Academy, National Horn and Flute Festival, Durbar Sights and Sounds and Home Theater Development Series.

Others are: Digital Music and Study Projects, Annual Exhibition, Fashion. Cinema, Literature and Related Arts, National Theater Monograph Cycle. National Theater Academy, Annual Festival of Unity of the National Theater, Quarterly Public Work of the National Theater, Reading and National Theater of Radio and Television, to name a few.

“This is our vision for the new year and years to come to launch similar programs like the ones we are planning, so we look forward to your support, collaboration and guidance.

“Speaking of broadcasting, we will have to work closely with Radio Nigeria because they have the best training school in Nigeria, this will definitely provide a solid training platform for our aspiring broadcasters,” he said.

Professor Ododo said that the nation expects a world-class structure with the completion of the renovation of the National Theater, therefore all hands must be on deck to ensure its sustainability.

“We have a brand and palatial building that has hosted world-class events and is billed as a comprehensive entertainment center in Africa when the renovation is complete.

“A performance at the National Theater anywhere in the world is the crowning glory for any artist. That’s why a proposal endorsed by a large number of us can attract foreign grants and host local events.

“We will also have opportunities for international exchanges of ideas, thus giving unrestricted and unbridled mobility for creative ideas.

“These are some of the reasons that interagency delineations are relevant to our mutual benefits and updating our mandates individually and collectively,” he said.

In the interactive session, the Managing Director of the Nigerian News Agency, NAN, Buki Ponle, represented by the Acting Head of the Lagos Operation, Babatunde Abdulfatai, noted that Africa’s most important news agency with the greatest reach in Nigeria it is ready to collaborate with the direction of the National Theater in the fulfillment of its mandate.

“We have heard the proposal of the General Manager of the National Theater and we would like to say that NAN is a one-stop-shop agency for the media content provider agency for the media organization in the country.

“The agency would like to partner with the National Theater to ensure that the laudable proposal is achieved.

“We will appreciate that the agency participates in the general program of the National Theater,” he said.

The representative of the Press Council, Anita Nnene, Director of the Lagos Liaison Office of the Press Council of Nigeria (APN) also pledged the support of the Organization to the proposal of the National Theater to achieve greater synergy.

The Director General of the Center for Black African Arts and Civilization, CBAC, Oluwabunmi Amao, said Nigerian arts and crafts had been a hot bread in the international market, so projects to further enhance their visibility they are a welcome idea.

“National Theater is a product that everyone will want to associate with,” he said.

The representative of the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUS) also promised the Organization’s support for the project.

Lead facilitator Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura noted that there were still great opportunities to be seized in the creative industry, adding that the new National Theater would further help expose them to the world.

“There are several opportunities yet to be exploited in the creative industry. So we must work together to make it available to the world.

“I am impressed with the participation of sister agencies, we are in the new dawn of synergies in the culture and information industry and the radical change of the National Theater,” he said.

At the end of the program, participants adopted a five-point statement.

NAN reports that physically present and virtual organizations include: NAN, Center for Black and African Arts and Civilizations, CBAAC, Nigerian Tourism Development Council, NTDC, Nigerian Federal Radio Corporation, FRCN and Nigerian Press Council, NPC .

Others are: National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism, NIHOTOUS, National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Nigerian Television Authority, NTA and Evergreen Music, among others.

YAYA