Lagos ‘boys’ lift Abuja entertainment industry

.As FG mulls with new creative, tourism initiative

Politicians who left Lagos for Abuja after the victory of President Bola Tinubu in 2023 are lifting the capital city’s entertainment industry, boosting the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)’s night life.

Abuja residents say that parties, often known as ‘Owambe’ in Yoruba language, are now being conducted every day, with unknown musicians such as MC Resonance and Chapman gaining prominence and also making money.

The food sectr is also growing. At some of the major corners within the FCT, new entries are springing up daily, offering the popular Yoruba traditional meals.

“The influx of Lagos ‘boys’ has influenced Abuja’s lifestyle and business environment. There has been a surge in demand for Lagos-style dining experiences, leading to the proliferation of amala’ joints and other traditional cuisine outlets. Before, it was difficult to find Yoruba restaurants in Abuja, but now ‘amala’ joints are everywhere. Even Igbo food vendors are packaging roasted plantains and corn in a more structured way to cater to this new market,” Suleiman Chikuku, a Gwari community leader in the FCT, said.

Meanwhile, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved the establishment of the Creative and Tourism Infrastructure Corporation (CITC) in Abuja

The corporation, according to Hannatu Musawa, minister of art, culture, tourism and creative economy, is being conceived as a special purpose vehicle under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework that will finance critical infrastructure needed in the creative industry.

John Airohi, an expert in the film and creativity industry, while speaking with BusinessDay on the issue in Abuja, noted that this will help to boost Abuja’s entertainment.
He said it will fulfill the “roles Abuja is expected to play in Nigeria’s future, the Corporation will transform infrastructure and make Abuja a hub for global conferences, boost its entertainment and creativity, like major high profile cities.”

“Abuja can replicate the Dirty December experience and surpass the Lagos 2024 experience in Abuja if there is good security network and appropriate infrastructure in the FCT.

“Now that basic road infrastructure is getting this huge attention in the FCT. We need to leverage on it by developing our tourism and creativity entertainment sector also in Abuja.”

The PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, a multinational professional organization, had in 2021, put Nigeria’s film industry’s contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 2.3 percent.

The firm also projected that the industry will increase its export revenue earnings to over $1 billion by 2023.

On the backdrop of the industry prospect, FEC had approved the establishment of the Creative and Tourism Infrastructure Corporation to invest and develop Nigeria’s creative and tourism industry’s infrastructure under a PPP partnership.

BusinessDay check shows that the music industry employed at least about one million people and generated over $8 billion for the economy in 2022.