Creative sector holds ace in Nigeria’s growth — Runsewe

Otunba Segun Runsewe, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) said on Sunday that the creative industry was critical in the economic development of the nation.

Runsewe, who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja pointed out that the creative sector was the development secret the government was yet to explore fully.

He argued that the sector had helped in crime reduction, checking unemployment and other vices, using its wide reach and extensive potential.

According to him, the creative sector is the only sector that no one is considered a failure because it does not necessarily require a degree for anyone to venture into the sector.

The director-general noted that it was imperative for the sector to be fully explored, to change the narrative and harness its potential to the fullest.

“This sector is the biggest secret Nigeria has not tapped into. It has the ability to take lots of people off the streets,

“Even if you are a drop out, you can still fit into the sector because all it requires is your creativity.

“If N200, 000 is invested in the creative sector, over 40 families will be touched because it does not require a lot of capital.

“Unlike crude oil, if a barrel is sold only about three to four families in areas such as Ikoyi, Maitama and Victoria Island will be touched.”

Runsewe stressed the need for a deliberate approach to maximise the advantages accruing to the sector, noting that the sector had capacity to increase the nation’s gross domestic product.

He described the sector as the biggest employer of labour, employing over a million people every year.

The NCAC chief advocated an approach that would maximise the sector’s impact on employment, inclusive growth and sustainable development of the economy.