By Ken Ugbechie

In the Nigerian political folklore, no politician or political leader has impacted the entertainment industry more than the governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, a medical doctor-turned-politician.

Whether it is the comedy community, the musical family, sporting fraternity or the movie matrix, Uduaghan has had the most inductive effect on the entertainment industry such that the success story being told today of the sector, as a major job creator, poverty alleviation tool and an elixir against the economic diarrhea called capital flight, could be traced directly to his commitment, belief and unrelenting support to the industry.

In Nigeria, the traditional narrative has been the negligence of the entertainment industry by government at all levels. But Uduaghan bucks the trend.   He simply charted a new path and gave a new lease of life to an industry that has become one of the most effective public relations tools of the nation. It was in honour of his gesture and unalloyed commitment to deepening the industry dominated by Deltans that everybody that mattered in the industry, especially those from Delta State, converged on Asaba, the state capital, to honour a governor who showed uncommon devotion to the industry.

The event tagged “Thank You Concert/Dinner” turned into an emotional night of glamour, grandeur and testimonies. Almost all the entertainment buffs present, including sports personalities and comedians, recounted their individual and collective encounters with the governor and how such encounter had launched them to the crest of stardom.

The roll call included veterans like Opa Williams, Oris Wiliki, Ras Kimono, Daddy Showkey, Ali Baba, Sammie Okposo, Emma Ogosi, AY, Gordons, Iyanya, Fred Amata, Zeb Ejiro, Emma Grey, DJ Humility, Mandy, Timi Dakolo, Omoni Oboli and Uti Nwachukwu. It was fittingly capped with the presentation of a Lifetime Award of Excellence to the governor. It was also a night of dance and laughter and Uduaghan, who one of the comedians described as “one of us”, did not disappoint as he danced and threw rib-cracking jokes.

Because of Uduaghan’s commitment to the development of the entertainment industry, a horde of hitherto hopeless youths had been taken off the streets and have themselves grown into iconic stage performers not just earning a living through entertainment but have become employers of labour.

The likes of Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Pele of Brazil, Classical music legend Pavarotti, Oprah Winfrey, among others, became global icons through entertainment. Some of them were actually salvaged from the ruins of despair and the valley of depression, but they found hope in entertainment.

It is the same hope that Uduaghan brought to his people. The introduction of a special talent hunt initiative, Delta Talent Quest, soon became one of the most effective human capital development strategies as it churned  hugely talented artistes out of the state. Today,  Delta  is the chief producer of entertainment icons in the country.   Blessing Okagbare, Africa’s fastest athlete, and Omawunmi, the vivacious musical diva gifted with excellent vocal tonality and brilliant stagecraft, came from the governor’s foundry.

Aside the new generation army of entertainers from his nursery, Uduaghan is clearly the chief sustainer and builder of members of the old brigade. The likes of Ali Baba, AY, Gordons, I Go Die (the original Warri boy), Jay Jay Okocha, Steven Keshi, Uti Nwachukwu (whom he calls his son and makes a joke about his dragging bachelorhood), Sammie Okposo et al have all profited from his benevolence, and they are quick to tell it to the world.

Unknown to many, the blockbuster, 30 Days in Atlanta, from the stable of Delta-born AY (Ayo Makun), would never have been possible but for the encouragement he got from Uduaghan. On this special night of testimonies, an elated AY told the audience how the governor encouraged him when he took the script to him and told him of his intention to shoot a movie in the United States that would put Delta on the world map. Today, according to industry statistics, the movie has grossed over N300 million at the cinemas, the highest by any movie in the history of entertainment in West Africa.

Only now has the Federal Government begun to pay attention to the entertainment industry. Even then,  the Federal Government would need to ‘steal’ the Uduaghan template. Ogus Baba, another talented Delta son and a proud Ambassador of the Uduaghan nursery, who put together the event, said it was solely to honour the governor who has done a lot to support the industry in the last eight years.

In his eight years in office, Uduaghan has planted seeds of hope among a people once hopeless and it is only a matter of time, the whole world would come dancing at their feet.

• Ugbechie is Editor-in-Chief of Political Economist magazine