The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Arts and culture

  • Duro Ladipo lauds Fayemi for rejuvenating Arts, Culture in Ekiti

    Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has been lauded for rejuvenating arts, culture and good values in the state.

    The Ekiti-born thespian, Chief (Mrs) Abiodun Duro-Ladipo said this while hosting the newly appointed Director-General Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Wale Ojo-Lanre, in her Bodeaasimi house, Ibadan Oyo State, on Sunday.

    The wife of the late legendary actor and playwright, Duro Ladipo, described Governor Fayemi as a God-sent to restore the glory of the state and reposition her for speedy development.

    She disclosed her readiness to support the Governor in promoting the rich arts and cultural values of the state, while also making artistic contributions towards achieving the Governor’s cultural promotions in the state.

    Ojo-Lanre described Ekiti State as a paragon of culture, adding that Governor Fayemi is committed to the repositioning and revitalisation of the Culture and Arts sectors in the state.

    “The Fayemi-led administration is setting the necessary machinery in motion to explore the huge and viable arts and culture Ekiti is blessed with, which have hitherto lied fallowed, to better the lots of the state and her good people. This, no doubt, would boldly write the name of the state on the world cultural map,” Ojo-Lanre said.

    The Ekiti State Council of Arts and Culture boss, who decried the decay in the value system in the country, noted that Yoruba stands the chance of regaining its leading role in the country if it embraces unity and value reorientation.

  • Lagos unveils schedule for arts and culture

    Over 70 state-sponsored and endorsed arts and culture programmes have been announced by the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

    The calendar, consisting an all-year-round events is expected to garner visibility for tourism-oriented art programmes in the state.

    According to a statement signed by the state’s commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the Lagos State governor, “Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, kick-started the year with his attendance at Ali Baba’s January 1st Comedy concert at Eko Hotel. Other arts and culture events held in January and February so far and included in the calendar are Angel and Muse, an art exhibition by a Lagos-trained world renowned artist; Eebi; a month-long Indigenous Cultural Festival in Epe; Wazobia FM Carnival as well as the Lagos City Marathon amongst others.

    He said the idea of creating a calendar of events for state-sponsored and state-endorsed programmes, is to make event planning, tour bookings and business decisions easier for tour operators and the general public.

    The commissioner said, “The state is forging ahead in expanding the consumption of its tourism products by improving access to tourism information and creating an events guide for the media and tour bloggers”.

    Although not exhaustive, the calendar contains most of the well-known indigenous cultural festivals across the state, entertainment events; concerts; visual and performing arts as well as fashion and culinary events.

    “The administration of Governor Ambode believes that the quantum of cash transactions across the tourism and entertainment value-chain, as tracked in December 2017 when about 50billion was spent on entertainment and leisure alone, is a testimony to the huge economic gain that exists in promoting tourism in Lagos State. This and other economic factors make Lagos one of the most vibrant and culturally significant cities in Africa with potentials to make enormous impact in driving in-bound tourists from across the globe.

    “Major events listed in the calendar include Gidi Fest, Lagos Water Regatta and Fanti Carnival around the Easter Period; the International Jazz Day celebration on April 30 which will be dedicated to the South-African Jazz legend, Huge Masekela; the Lagos Comedy Festival (incorporating Lagos Laughs on World Laughter Day) on May 6 and the Eko Art Expo in the last weekend in May.

    “June will be rich with the first ever Lagos Golf Funfair and the Lagos Cinefest, which is designed to take cinema-going experience to all the five divisions of the state.

    “The Lagos Festival of Plays is a major highlight in the third quarter of the year; so is the Lagos Fishing Festival (Oshoroko) in Ibeju-Lekki; Akwaaba Travel Market and Faaji Agba – a special concert for the elderly to mark World Elders Day.

    “October to December will be the most intense period on the calendar with Olokun Festival; MUSON Festival; AFRIMA, AFRIFF; Kayo-Kayo Festival in Epe; the Lagos Luxury Summit/Fair; Felabration which will be used to celebrate Deal’s 80th birthday posthumously; the Lagos Books & Arts Festival (LABAF) which will be used to welcome Lagos into Africa’s Creative Cities club as well as the phenomenally popular One Lagos Fiesta which will hold between December 24 and 31st across the five divisions of the state in its forth unbroken year.

    “The State is grateful to corporate sponsors that will make many of these events happen” Ayorinde says; adding that  ”our aim is to use the calendar and other strategic initiatives to enrich the entertainment and creative economy as an integral component of tourism promotion.”

  • Amachree lauds UNIPORT for creating tourism dept

    Former President of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN) and  President, Centre for Promotion of Tourism, Peace, Arts and Culture (CEPTAC), Chief Mike Amachree, has praised the management of the University of Port Harcourt  for its foresight in establishing the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management under the Faculty of Management Sciences of the institution.

    Amachree made the commendation  when students of the department paid him a courtesy visit at the Brooklyn Tourist Centre, Rumuosi, in  Port Harcourt.

    Amachree said the department will, in no small measure, help in tackling the huge challenge faced by the tourism sector in the country.

    Amachree, referred to as the father of Nigerian tourism, advised the students  to take their studies seriously and that the CEPTAC will always encourage them to achieve their goals.

    Amachree also lauded the River State government for establishing a new tourist site by building the Port Harcourt Leisure Park and the rehabilitation of the road leading to the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach Resort.

    Also speaking on the occasion, the Head of  the CEPTAC research team, Professor Joe Alegoa, assured the visiting students of the commitment of the centre and praised them for their enthusiasm for tourism.

    The President, National   Association of Hospitality Management and Tourism Students, University of Ibadan, Comrade Williams Emmanuel, told Amachree and the CEPTAC director that the visit was to gain from the CEPTAC’s the wealth of experience in the tourism industry.

    Comrade Emmanuel said as students of tourism and hospitality management, they were encouraged by the recognsition accorded these tourism stakeholders by the River State government, that is Chief Mike Amachree, Professor Joe Alegoa and King Alfred Diete-Spiff during the golden jubilee celebration of the state.

    While acknowledging that the government alone cannot tackle the enormous challenges of developing tourism in the country, Comrade Emmanuel called for synergy between the government and the private sector to grow the industry in the country.

  • Filming in Lagos, requires a permit – Censors Board

    Filming in Lagos, requires a permit – Censors Board

    The Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board has issued an official warning to film practitioners and bodies involved in the production, distribution and exhibition of films and videos within Lagos State, involved in the business without valid registration and filming permit.

    This statement was made by the Acting Honourable Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola, in a press statement by our correspondent in Lagos.

    The commissioner noted that most practitioners had continued with a flagrant disregard to the provisions of the Law by failing to register with the board, as well as obtain film shooting permit before engaging in any outdoor production.

    The commissioner, therefore, stated that it was issuing a final warning to everyone involved in this practice and also warned that the Law will henceforth deal with defaulters.

  • Lagos registers 14 cinemas in two years

    The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it had registered 14 cinema houses in the last two years.

    Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola, Acting Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, disclosed this while addressing newsmen in her office at Ikeja, Lagos.

    “The Lagos State Government registered the cinema houses between March 2015 and March 2017.

    “Prior to now, it was only 11 cinema houses that registered with the government; but, with the additional three newly built cinemas, this makes up the 14 cinemas in the state.

    “All the 14 cinemas have registered with the government through the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board.

    “The idea is to have the records of the cinema houses existing in the city,’’ Akinsola said

    According to her, the additional three cinemas centres include “Genesis de Luxe’’ in Sangotedo, “Silverbird Cinema’’ in Amuwo Odofin and “Metropolitan Cinemas’’ at Onipanu.

    She said that the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board was a regulatory body established to control the film and video industry under the Lagos State Laws in 2004.

    “The Censors Board is empowered to regulate and control cinematographic works and exhibitions.

    “The board is also empowered to control and regulate the production of films; it  also controls and regulates the show of films in cinemas.

    “This is to prevent the production of undesirable or dangerous acts against public order and decency,’’ she said.

    Akinsola said that government would continue to intensify efforts to ensure that Lagos State remained on top in entertainment and tourism activities.

     

  • Register your hotels or face sanctions – Lagos tells operators

    Register your hotels or face sanctions – Lagos tells operators

    The Lagos State Government (LASG) has advised operators of hotels, hospitality centres and other recreational facilities to register them or face sanction.

    The state Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, who gave the advice, said the registration would afford the state government to monitor activities at such places.

    The ministry’s spokesman, Mr Ganiyu Lawal, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that hotels and facilities centres must comply before the end of the year or face sanctions.

    He said the registration was part of the ministry`s efforts to upgrade the present standards of hotels and hospitality groups in the state to an internationally acceptable standard.

    He said the exercise would also serve as security-assurance for tourists and users that might want to lodge in them.

    The spokesman said that the ministry would invoke the Hotel Licensing Law of Lagos State to ensure that all hotel operators and hospitality groups complied.

    “A number of hotels and hospitality groups had refused to comply with the directive before now.
    “Sequel to that, the Commissioner, Mr. Folorunso Folarin-Coker, had directed that defaulters be fished out, “ he said.

    The spokesman said that there had been an increase in the number of registered hotels and hospitality groups from the 450 recorded in May.

    Nevertheless, the unregistered ones were more than those registered, he said.

    “We still have some miles to cover with the current number of unregistered hotels; but we shall continue to appeal to them to comply before the year runs out, “ he said.

  • Lagos now cornerstone for driving African arts, culture – Ambode

    Lagos now cornerstone for driving African arts, culture – Ambode

    …Accepts Hosting Right of 2016 AFRIMA

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday said the winning of the hosting right of the 2016 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) by the State has further confirmed the fact that Lagos is now the cornerstone for driving African arts and culture, just as he expressed his administration’s commitment to continue to support the talents in the industry and promote cultural heritage of the continent.

    Governor Ambode, who spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja, when he received AFRIMA delegation led by Head of Culture of African Union Commission, Ms Angela Martins and AFRIMA President, Mr. Mike Dada, expressed excitement at the development and accepted the hosting right, saying that it was in sync with his passion of using tourism, hospitality, entertainment, arts and sports to promote excellence.

    “I want to thank the African Union and the organizers of the All Africa Music Awards for finding it worthy to once again pick Lagos as the host city. We are very glad that Lagos has become more or less the cornerstone for driving the African arts and culture. I must say that even though this is the third time that Lagos is hosting it, but this is the very first time that the Lagos State Government will be practically involved and that goes to show that there is a convergence of vision between what the African Union stands for and what this particular administration stands for also.

    “We are big promoters of our culture; we believe so much in heritage; we believe also that the creative part of the African identity is yet to be tapped and obviously, we need to intervene in some of the things that are being done individually to be able to put things together so that we can together drive the African identity and that is why it is a no brainier for us as a government to actually say that we are going to participate in this,” Governor Ambode said.

    The Governor said he believes that talents abound in Africa, which, according to him, informed why his administration had been working hard to promote the African artists, adding that talents must be supported and assisted not to die, so that they can use their talents to push Africa to her rightful place.

    He said: “One of our vision is actually to promote our heritage and one of our programmes in the course of the electioneering was “Project THESE. We believe strongly that we can use Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment and Arts and Sports to actually promote excellence. We believe we are the next face of Africa and we think that the hub of entertainment should actually reside in Lagos and so we will do everything to promote our artists, to promote our producers and even those that are upcoming.”

    Besides, the Governor urged those in the creative industry to key into the N25bn Employment Trust Fund set up by his administration.

    Earlier, Martins commended Governor Ambode for his passion in developing and promoting arts and culture in the continent. She recalled that out of the States in Nigeria that received letters from the leadership of the African Union through the Commissioner for Social Affairs, His Excellency Dr Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, Lagos won the rights to once again host the 2016 edition of AFRIMA, adding that the development was a great achievement for both the Union and the State.

    “We want to thank you (Governor Ambode) for always being on the side of artists and on the side of the African continent in the development of the culture and creative industries of the continent,” Martins said.

    In his opening remarks, the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde said the hosting right of AFRIMA further attests to the commitment of Governor Ambode to promote culture, arts and tourism.

    Ayorinde, who reeled out many achievements of the present administration in the sector such as the expansion of the One Lagos Fiesta, the hosting of the International Jazz Festival at the Lagos House, and the upcoming celebration of Lagos at the Toronto International Festival in September, said the Ambode administration has indeed continue to use the sector to achieve excellence.

    Some of the notable names in the creative industry who were part of the delegation include Innocent Idibia, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Seyi Shay, Praise, Simi, Olisa Adibua, Tee Mac, among others.

  • Creating value for Lagosians remain my top priority – Ambode

    Creating value for Lagosians remain my top priority – Ambode

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday expressed total commitment to the actualization of the various initiatives put in place by his administration towards making life better, simpler and more prosperous for the people, just as he assured that the State would witness massive transformation in critical sectors in the next six months.

    Speaking in Badagry at the opening session of a two-day retreat organised by the State Government for members of the State Executive Council and Body of Permanent Secretaries, Governor Ambode said creating value for the people remained top priority for him, and that government was ready to partner with any individual, corporate organization and indeed the private sector towards achieving the set goals.

    The retreat tagged: “Reflect, Reappraise, Restrategise: Raising the Bar of Governance,” is the second in the series, and was held at the VIP Chalets, Badagry.

    Governor Ambode, in his remarks, said the everyday challenge for him and his team in the last thirteen months was all about adding positive value and taking decisions only in the best interest of the people.

    He said: “This government is about creating value for our people. That is the whole essence of our coming together as a team. It is all about seeing to what extent can we create value for Lagosians.

    “That is our everyday challenge that the people have seen in the last thirteen months. I believe strongly that creating value is the central focus of everyday decision we have taken at the Exco level and even the Body of Permanent Secretaries level.

    “We are all out to give positive value to Lagosians. We don’t want to make life difficult for people and we also want to ensure that in every decision that we make, the overall interest of the larger populace is actually affected positively.

    “In the next six months, a totally different Lagos you will see because the kind of initiatives that we have set up that are actually work in progress now, we will release and unleash them and the people will obviously see that we are very focused on making life easier for them,” the Governor said.

    Going into specifics, Governor Ambode said government would focus on changing for good the transport system in the State and equally partner with the private sector in maintaining a clean environment.

    “We do not think Lagos deserves the kind of transport system that it has now. We also think we need to intervene with the private sector to deal with the issues that relate to environmental sanitation,” he said.

    The Governor, who commended the members of the State Executive Council and Body of Permanent Secretaries for partnering with him since assuming office, however urged them to continue to stay focused on the journey to transform the State.

    He said a lot had been done, but that more still needed to be done, and that all hands must be on deck to move the State forward, one of the reasons he said necessitated the retreat to appraise what had been done and chart way forward.

    Speaking on the retreat, the State’s Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade said the main purpose of the retreat was to raise the bar of governance with the view to ensuring that the manifestos of the present administration are fulfilled in a seamless manner and to refine the implementation plan for the next three years.

    He said aside the fact that the holding of the retreat in Badagry goes a long way to show that all the part of the State is secured and that government has remained focused to its commitment of all inclusive governance, the retreat was also about focusing more on critical sectors such as transportation, environment, and job creation, among others.

    On his part, Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Folorunso Folarin-Coker said the State Government would soon role out massive programmes on tourism and that Badagry would feature prominently in that regard. He said the Black Heritage Festival in the ancient town, among others would be celebrated.

  • Arts, culture, pivotal tool for good governance – Ambode

    Arts, culture, pivotal tool for good governance – Ambode

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday in Brussels, Belgium, underscored the importance of using art and culture to promote democratic governance and advance people-oriented policies.

    He spoke at the Center for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels while attending the Center’s 2016 Summer Photography Exhibition as a Special Guest of Honour.

    The exhibition, which largely focused on Lagos under the theme ‘Dey Your Lane – Lagos Variations’, was an attempt to understand Lagos through those who feel it the most and can express these cognitive and emotional responses in an engaging and creative manner.

    Governor Ambode seized the opportunity to call on all political leaders to partner with artists so that they can benefit from their creative and artistic imagination to tackle some of the challenges confronting megacities such as exponential urbanization.

    He also used the medium to announce his administration’s determination to develop a new museum in the State.

    Governor Ambode emphasized that his government’s engagement with the art, culture and entertainment sector, was in fulfillment of one of his key campaign promises, to vigorously pursue Project THESE, which stands for: Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Sport through Excellence.

    The event was attended by Belgium’s senior government officials including the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, Mr Didier Reynders and his wife, the wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Mr. Folarin Coker, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Overseas Affairs and Investment, Professor Ademola Abass.

    Earlier in the day, Governor Ambode met with the Managing Director (Africa) of the European Union’s External Action Services, (EEAS), Mr Koen Vervaeke, in Brussels.

    The meeting explored possible areas of collaboration between Lagos State and the European Union.

    Mr. Varvaeke commended the progress Governor Ambode’s administration has made in the last one year, particularly in the area of security and infrastructural development.

    Responding, Governor Ambode said his strides so far in the State were aimed at complementing President Muhammadu Buhari’s strong leadership since he assumed office on May 29, 2015.

    The Governor said, “What we are doing in Lagos is to implement the policy direction from Abuja upon which we campaigned. We are lucky to have this synergy between Lagos State and Abuja and that can only be for the good of Lagos State and Nigeria in general.”