The Federal Government has said that it will provide the needed facilities for the entertainment industry to thrive in Nigeria.
The assurance was given by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on the sideline of the 4th All African Music Awards (AFRIMA) 2017 in Lagos.
The support, he said, would come in the area of providing infrastructural facilities.
He added that government would partner with private investors to invest more in the entertainment facilities.
His words: “The entertainment industry is overwhelming in the world right now and in Nigeria, we need to do more in providing the right atmosphere which is infrastructural facilities for the industry.
“We are not just talking about power sector or water, we are talking about entertainment. We need to be on purpose, build halls that will encourage our artists and musicians.
“We are talking about domestic tourism, domestic market where we can really expose our artists, so this will not only be about government but also private sector to provide the infrastructure.
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“On the part of government, we will encourage more private sector and philanthropists all over the world because it is not something we leave to government alone.”
The minister said the hosting of event such as AFRIMA was another way of generating income for the government because of the tourism factor which could bring more earnings.
“We must not forget that Nigeria hosted same award last year and we have to make another positive request for this year so that it can remain in Nigeria.
“We thank the African Union (AU) for this opportunity for accepting Nigeria, to host it again this year. We are also grateful to Lagos State government for the support of this award.
“The positive thing about the award is that we have been able to move the music industry from the back corner to the front burner,’’ he said.
