…to partner Ogun on Fashion Olympics

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The President Bola Tinubu’s led federal government has reiterated its commitment to harness the economic potential in art, culture, tourism and the creative economy, to move to country from a developing country to a developed nation.

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, who disclosed this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at a dinner organised by the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation in her honour on Saturday, disclosed that a memo has been approved by the Federal Executive Council to identify all the cultural values and unique peculiarities of all the states to boost the economy through cultural creativity.

Musawa also expressed the readiness of the federal government, through her Ministry to partner Ogun State and the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation on the proposed Fashion Olympics with the aim of hitting the $100 billion target of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.

The Minister who commended the Foundation for organising the maiden fashion extravaganza tagged ‘Egbaliganza’ in the state, say the federal government was ready to provide synergy with the state and private sector to take the fashion show to the global level.

She said that “it is the mission of President Bola Tinubu to see that we are not only partners as one entity, but one country strengthened to propagate and to push our culture forward, but to also see how we can have economic growth through cultural creativity and tourism. And the best way we can do that is if we do not work in silos; we all work together and bring ideas together with private sector entities.

“So, the Federal Executive Council and the NEC have already approved the memo that I talked about, asking that we partner, and the President has already announced the Renewed Hope Culture Programme, where every single culture in villages will be captured as well as the unique peculiarity of that state.

“And when you come to Ogun State, you have to look at Egbaliganza, and this is one of the ways we can capture the unique peculiarity to see that the Federal and state governments partner together with private entities, making sure that we push forward the economic growth and hit a target of $100 billion that my ministry is looking forward to and $1 trillion that the President is looking forward to,” the Minister stated.

On his part, the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, reiterated state’s focus on becoming not just Nigeria’s education and industrial capital, but also its tourism capital.

Governor Abiodun, who was represented by his deputy, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele said, his administration made it mandatory for civil servants in the state to wear Adire on Fridays in order to give the local fabric more prominence and boost the economic empowerment of Adire makers and merchants, saying that the decision of his administration has grown the economic value of Adire and created job opportunities for many people in the state.

“We are investing in heritage sites like Olumo Rock, fashion, music, film and sport tourism. With sustained efforts and the right partnerships like Egbaliganza, Ogun State is ready for the evolution the Federal Government envisions,” she said.

Earlier in his remarks, the promoter of ‘Egbaliganza’ and CEO of Lai Labode Heritage Foundation, Osi Apagun Lai Labode, disclosed that Egbaland would host a Fashion Olympics in 2026, which will bring about 50 countries in Africa to participate.

He lamented that Africa has only a 1.2% share of the global fashion market of $30 billion, declaring the readiness of Egbaland to lead Africa to a $500 billion fashion economy.

“We have decided to create new first for Egbaland and in a bid to do this, we established the Egba fashion celebration, tagged Egbaliganza and that was made possible by Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, who stood firmly with us against all odds”.

“Today, Africa has only 1.2% of the global fashion market, which is about $30 billion, and with what we have in Africa, Africa can do much better. And the Egbas have decided once again, as a cradle of many first to lead Africa to a $500billion fashion economy. But when we say $500billion, it mean that there is a lot of work to do.

“In Egba land, we have decided that the $500billion for Africa is possible. In 2026, God give us life, good health and more resources. Egbaliganza 2026 to be led by Oba Gbadebo, we would sign historic charters in Egbaland to lead us to where we need to go, we would sign a Confederation of Africa fashion charter, we would sign the Nigeria Fashion Federation and I want you to be the first to know that for the first time in the history of the world there would be a fashion Olympics and it would be called the Africa Fashion Olympics and the charter will be signed here in Egbaland

On his part, the Executive Director of Administration and projects of the foundation, Chief Abdulhakeem Owolabi, hinted on the plan of the foundation to establish a National Cultural Heritage Museum under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework to preserve, showcase, and promote the nation’s vast and diverse cultural heritage and as well stimulate tourism, education and economic development.

In his goodwill message, a former Governor of the State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, praised the organizers of Egbaliganza for promoting Egba culture and heritage on a global stage.

He said, “what you are doing now is selling Egba to the rest of the world,” he said.