Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday received artistes who performed at the 2016 One Lagos Fiesta (OLF) on a thank you visit at his office in Ikeja.
Ambode told his visitors that the creative industry remained a veritable platform to grow the economy, and that government would tap into it and use it to positively engage youths in the state.
He revealed plans of his administration to leverage on the vast economic opportunities in entertainment, tourism and arts sectors, among others to grow the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state and promote talents to compete globally.
The OLF, which is an annual end of the year revue put together by the State Government, held simultaneously in five different locations across the State from December 24, 2016 to January 1, 2017.
Ambode, who thanked the artistes for their partnership with the state government, said the OLF was a platform put together by his administration to majorly create awareness about the potentials inherent in the entertainment industry, especially in using it to grow the economy and positively develop talents that abound in the country.
He said according to statistics, Lagos recorded the lowest crime rate during the period of the OLF, saying that the artistes contributed significantly in keeping the city secured and scale up the international rating of the state as a safe place.
Ambode tasked artistes to come up with a structured framework to grow the economy, while government will provide infrastructures and initiatives to help the sector.
“The challenge for our artistes now is to come up with a framework of how government can intervene. We are willing to support and we are willing to draw up a programme to support you but how do you want to fuse into that to make Lagos the entertainment hub in Africa? That is the challenge but I want to thank you for honouring us,” the governor said.
Many big names in the entertainment industry including Queen Salawa Abeni, Adewale Ayuba, Tiwa Savage, Adekunle Gold, Sir Shina Peters, Sound Sultan among others, lauded Ambode for the OLF initiative and his commitment to grow the industry.
Other notable names who were part of the delegation included Falz, M.I Abaga, Patoranking, Obesere, Tony Tetuila, Dr Sid, Eedris Abdulkareem, Aramide, CDQ, Sulaimon ‘Atawewe’ Adio, Reekado Banks, Humblesmith and Dammy Krane.
