FG Targets Culture, Tourism to Create Employment for Nigerians

With the worrisome level of unemployment in the country, the federal government said it would leverage on culture and tourism to create employment for millions of unemployed Nigerians.

The Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the state of the National Theatre complex in Lagos, said culture and tourism would be tapped into to create jobs for Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the minister recently announced that his ministry would soon roll out a cultural festival calendar for the country.

Mohammed, who disclosed this during a Music Festival in Kaduna recently, said his ministry would collaborate with state governments to produce the calendar to guide Nigerians, particularly tourists on when and where festivals were holding.

According to him, culture and tourism when harnessed properly would generate revenue and give the country good image.

“One of the suggestions that I put on the table in my ministry is that we will liaise with every state government to give us 10 cities in their states and these cities in each state will give us 360 cities. And with the five local governments in the Federal Capital Territory, we will have 365 festivals. Then, we can have a calendar of festivals in Nigeria which means at least one day in Nigeria there will be festival,” he said.

The minister who described entertainment industry as a huge potential to boost the nation’s economy, said if properly harnessed, it would make up for the shortfall in oil price.

“I have seen the huge potential of the creative industry and what we need to do is to provide enabling environment for it.

“More importantly is the energy that youths are coming out with today and that energy must find outlet in the creative industry like music, movies, entertainment.

“When Nigeria rebased its economy, the increase you saw was largely due to this self-effort of the creative industry.

“And I believe that you could have seen much more if only we are able to help them by giving them long term loans to boost the industry.”

Source: ThisDay