The commitment of our administration to harness the huge creative talents that abound in the State in the fields of Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Sports has never been in doubt. The ultimate goal is to use all of these to drive tourism, create employment and increase the contribution of the non-oil sector to the State’s gross domestic product.

The Council for Arts and Culture which we have just inaugurated has a huge responsibility to translate our vision in this regard to reality. A lot of ground has already been covered in this area in terms of design and structure but at the same time, so much still needs to be done to realise our desire of making our State a global hub for music, theatre and film.

We are currently leading the initiatives to transform the National Museum and the iconic National Arts Theatre into world class centres of history, tourism arts and entertainment. In the same vein, construction work has started on the six arts theatres across the state.

The responsibilities of this Council are enormous and in recognition of this we have ensured that only seasoned professionals, notable and respected personalities were chosen to serve on the council.

The responsibilities of the council will include:

Ensuring the sustainable management of arts and culture facilities and infrastructures in the State – in essence, a sustainable framework for this sector.

Generate local and international events to showcase and promote our diverse talents in the field of creative arts, music, entertainment and sports.

Promote and preserve our cultural heritage while being sensitive to the diverse cultures of the citizens of the State.

We will continue to provide a conducive environment for a private sector-led development as a strategy towards actualizing our vision. While we will intervene where and when necessary to support this development strategy, it will be the responsibility of this distinguished Council to seek and explore private sector support to nurture new talents and generate events for a sustainable development of the creative arts sector in the State.

On behalf of the government and people of the State I thank the members of the newly inaugurated Council for Arts and Culture, for accepting to serve the State especially the Chairman, Mrs. Polly Alakija, who is known for her commitment to the arts and selfless service to the society.

I wish you all a successful tenure.

Thank you and God bless you all.

Itesiwaju Ipinle Eko lo je wa logun