Edo exports creative industry talents as Madibba holds show in Lagos … Goya Menor stages homecoming concert at Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub

Efforts by the Edo State Government to support the state’s creative industry is yielding gains, as the state now exports home-grown talents to other parts of the country, a development that signposts the maturity of the local entertainment industry.

This is as Batholomew Itoto, popularly known as Madiba, hosts his popular show, Madiba Updated: Lagos Invasion at TerraKulture, in Victoria Island, Lagos.

This is as fast-rising act, Goyer Menor is set for a homecoming concert at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, which promises a thrilling experience for show-goers in the state.

Madiba Updated has been running in Benin City, the Edo State capital, for years, but the act has decided to up the ante by taking the show to a new audience.

The event planner, Emmanuel Itoto, who runs Engraced Events, said the show in Lagos is a testament to the growing talent base in Edo State and also the wide acceptance of the new entertainers from Edo State.

“We are a Benin-based company and deliver world-class events in Lagos. It says a lot about the local capacity. A good number of the production crew are from Edo State. So we have the capacity to deliver. We promise the Lagos audience a wow experience, which we have delivered over the years with our shows in Benin City with the steady support of the Edo State Government.”

The Edo State entertainment industry remains Governor Godwin Obaseki’s top priority, as the government has captured it in the state’s tourism masterplan, which provides for an expansive cultural district with entertainment hubs and production facilities.

One of the iconic projects that defines the governor’s support for the sector is the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and Soundstage, a purpose-built facility for hosting shows and film production.

Aside from regular support for entertainment shows within the state, the government plans that the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub would be a rallying point for the state’s burgeoning creative sector.

“The show by Goyer Menor at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub is also symbolic. It shows a solid synergy between the public and private sectors as the state is now doing really well with the entertainment sector,” a policy analyst and lecturer, Mr. Ikponmwosa Nosakhare said.