Minister hails Wakaa The Musical, urges investors to back creative industry

Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed at the Shaw Theatre in London on Friday July 22nd 2016 to watch the London Edition of Wakaa The Musical. Photo credit – Jermaine Sanwoolu.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the stage musical extravaganza Wakaa The Musical as one of the best in both depth and story line, after watching the London Edition of the show at the Shaw Theatre West End on Friday night.

”This production can be ranked high anywhere in the world. There is no dull moment in the entire package,” the Minister said in a statement issued in London on Sunday. ”I am proud of the producer. I am proud of the entire cast.”

He urged investors to support the Nigerian Creative Industry in order to boost the sector

”We must find a way to promote the sector and I am using this opportunity to appeal to the private sector to invest heavily to give the sector the desired muscle, as this drama has brought to the fore the quantum of potentials that can be tapped,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

Earlier, at a panel discussion that preceded the show, the Minister said the Federal Government is working hard to turn the creative industry into a creative economy.

Bolanle Austen Peters, Executive producer, Waka The Musical (left) with Alhaji Mohammed

”This administration is diversifying the economy away from oil which, for many years, has been the mainstay of our economy. Among the sectors that have been identified as veritable sources of revenue for the nation are the arts, culture and tourism sectors. This is why we in the Ministry of Information and Culture are working hard to move these sectors from the margins to the mainstream, and ensure that the rural poor, in particular, are factored into the sector’s architecture,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed said the Ministry, working with local and international partners like the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council, is paying special attention to the capacity building of culture and tourism managers in a deliberate effort to revive the nation’s creative arts, boost tourism and create employment for Nigerians, particularly the rural dwellers.

Wakaa The Musical, which has been shown to great acclaim in Nigeria, has become the first Nigerian-produced musical to be performed at a London theatre.