Experts in the Creative Industry say for Nigeria to achieve its aim of diversifying away from oil, it must create more opportunities for artists and revive the industry.
This call formed part of a panelist discussion with the topic “Beyond oil economy, creative industry as a diversification option for Nigeria” at the just concluded International Arts and craft INAC expo held in Abuja, the Nigerian state capital.
One of the panelists, a Visual Artist, Mr. Akachukwu Chukwuemeka, said visual artists were particularly suffering from less attention.
Mr Chukwuemeka said; “We are talking about diversifying into creative industry, policy makers tend to pay more attention to Nollywood, music and fashion, forgetting the visual artists.
“We tend to forget that every sector of the economy needs the artist, either as a graphic artist in an advertising firm, design creators and illustrators in air craft or car manufacturing company and fashion houses. Infact must of the cars seen today, starts it’s journey from an artist drawing book”.
He added that Nigeria’s arts and craft industry needs urgent attention from the shoes factories in Aba in Abia State to the fashion industry in Lagos state and to the leather factories in the North.
Another panelist, a veteran Journalist, Dr. Ruben Abati, highlighted that Nigeria has all the resources to make the creative industry one of the major drivers of the economy.
He said; “We have beaches, we have world class tourism destinationd and great human resource. What we need is good leadership. Refusing to politicise cultural resources is very important.
According to him, Nigeria can deploy culture as a vehicle for diplomacy and foreign relations.
Another panelist, a Nigerian Fashion designer, Mrs Evelyn Mitaire, said there was need for the government to revamp indigenous textile mills to reduce importation of Internationally made fabrics.
She said the Nigerian creative industry remained a major diversification option for the nation as the potential in the industry could improve the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), if properly harnessed.
” Our textile mills should be revamped while we promote exportation of such fabrics to improve on our economy,” she said.
Mitaire also encouraged Nigerians to tone down on their preferences for foreign products and explore more Nigerian made products.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
