Gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has promised that his administration would be investing “heavily” in the creative industry to give talented young people, an opportunity to realize their potentials.
Sanwo-Olu said this while hosting 2018 housemates of Big Brother Naija who paid him a courtesy visit at his campaign office in Ikoyi.
He said that the entertainment and tourism industries are key areas his government would focus on for job creation and economic growth.
“We have started a conversation with experienced practitioners in entertainment industry, with an objective to jointly come up with a general entertainment hub where talented young people can hone their skills in theatre, music, dancing and acting.
“We are looking at how the private sector can partner with us to build an entertainment destination where every Lagosian would be proud of. We are doing this to help the practitioners improve their creativity in film production, acting and entertainment generally.
“We hope this investment and effort would give our young people a new lease of life in terms of upgrading their skill and turning their skills to something valuable”, he said.
Speaking further, he said he would deploy innovation and modern technology to unlock the potentials of entertainment and tourism, because an investment in creative industry would have direct impact on the economy and discourage restiveness among the youth.
He advised youths to embrace hard work in preparing themselves for opportunities that would help realize their dreams.
“Young people need to have the audacity to pursue their dreams, but they must have something driving them towards reaching their goals. What the government can do is to provide an enabling environment for their skills to thrive. This is what we are setting out to do if elected.”