Osinbajo hails creative industry

Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has hailed the creativity and ingenuity of Nigerian artistes which they have deployed to project the image of the country.

He made the commendation after watching a grand performance of the cultural troupe, Wakaa the Musical, on Monday night at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Osinbajo, his wife, Dolapo, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Information Minister Lai Mohammed were part of the dignitaries that watched the cultural fiesta.

Osinbajo, who described the event as trilling said: “I have never seen anything like this before; it is absolutely incredible; this is wonderful.’’

The producer of the theatre group and Chief Executive of Terra Culture, Mrs Bolanle Austen-Peters, while welcoming guests to the occasion said it was the group’s way of promoting creativity in the industry among Nigerian youths.

“Art is still taking the back stage in the country but we are prepared to boost it greatly due to the diversification drive of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“This industry is not what to be ashamed of and the youths can really make a living out it in spite of what one studied in school.

“We need to look at the kind of education that we give to our young people so that they can be self- employed and increase their financial status,’’ the lawyer-turned artiste added.

On the message of Wakaa, Austen-Peters said it was a satire and a message of hope, depicting the triumph of good over evil, also of love.

She thanked the sponsors of the event and stressed the need for the country’s industrialists and philanthropists to “put their money where the message is’’.

Austen-Peters said that the measure was to encourage more artistes and those in the creative industry to produce higher quality of products to be displayed outside the country.