The Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and Sound Stage in Benin City, Edo State capital, is becoming the preferred event centre for organisers of private, corporate and government events in the heartbeat state.

This preference is driven by numerous factors including accessibility, security, serene ambience, as well as the state-of-the-art facilities that the creative hub is equipped with.

Located at The Nigerian Observer premises on Airport Road, just opposite the Vegetable Market, the creative hub named after the late Edo State-born music legend, musical instrument inventor, writer, sculptor, and university lecturer boasts of an ultramodern, air-conditioned stage outlet with befitting equipment to bring out the best in stage performances; different venue sizes depending on event size or organiser’s capacity; a state-of-the-art sound stage for film and TV production; a mini-studio for photography and content creation, among others.

For instance, the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub recently hosted the week-long 2023 Edo Education Week themed “Education for Alaghodaro: Investing in Quality Education and Access for Our Children & Youth”.

The hub has also hosted ‘The Fashion Junkie: Trick or Trade 2.0’ organised by HOK Model Management, aimed at boosting youth creativity and awareness about fashion; the Campus Models Carnival which featured outstanding brands like Ik Even Signature, Oboi Ride, OTC, Elder Exchange, Ajebo Autos, Glitch Paint Ball, Zzone Foods, Top Leader Clothing and Prodegy as financial partners; the 2023 World Dance Day organised by the Edo State Arts Council; Business Networking Series organised by EdoJobs and EdoFuture 500; an art exhibition of the works of 24 Edo-based young and upcoming artists powered by Azura-Edo, an independent power producer (IPP) contributing to the growth of Nigeria’s energy sector, in collaboration with Black Passionate Art Gallery Limited and Edo State Skills Development Agency (Edojobs), among many others.

Come May 14, the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and Sound Stage will also host the cinema showing of ‘Blood & Colors’, a movie from the stables of Mr Ocean Concept. Subtitled ‘The Injury of Cultism Has No Cure’, the movie, based on a true story, was produced by Ocean Portal and directed by Dickson Osazee.

Recall that the creative hub was conceived to boost entertainment to ensure Edo youths realise their fullest potential, in line with the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration’s commitment to leveraging the numerous opportunities in the creative industry to empower more Edo youths and grow the state’s economy.

In 2021 when he announced that the creative hub would be named after Sir Victor Uwaifo, Governor Obaseki had described the hub as a multi-million-dollar studio to support artistes and “promote creativity in Edo”.

“It has editing suites. It will incubate state-based groups and artistes. It will be used for live shows. It has studios for Nollywood to rent for their productions. There will be spaces for artistes in the performing arts,” he had said.

When he inaugurated the creative hub during the Edo Mega Youth Concert in November 2021 themed “The Guitar Boy Lives On”, part of activities lined up for that year’s Alaghodaro Summit, Obaseki reiterated that the facilities in the hub would support talents in the state who wanted to produce music, film and other creative contents.

“We are here to start a revolution in entertainment. Edo is about entertainment; Edo is about education; Edo is about helping those interested in entertainment to achieve their aims. This is a sound stage to help artistes produce music and films; there is an editing suite that will help artistes finalise all their productions,” Obaseki said.

He said education, technology and entertainment were the key components of the 30-year Edo Development Plan launched by his government, pledging to sustain investment in the creative and entertainment sector so as to harness the huge potential in the sector to boost the state’s economy.