The Director General, National Council of Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has stated that the exchange of local content between Nigeria and Niger Republic has boosted the inter-economic relationship of the two countries.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja when a delegation from the Superior Military College of Niger Republic visited the council, he said the inter-economic relationship rate from Nigeria to Niger was $195 million while from Niger to Nigeria it was $25m.
Runsewe also stated that the economic reach of the Nigerian music industry has increased the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2 per cent, stressing that the entertainment sector has contributed to the economic growth of the nation.
He said when comedians in the country run comedy shows, they sell tickets for as much as two N2 to N3 million which revolves around the economy.
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According to him, asides from Brazil, Nigeria was the next country that always celebrates music festivals which generate funds for the nation, hence, he noted that the government spends money on developing the musicians and also provides an enabling environment for them.
Runsewe stated that Nigeria has a festival called the Nigerian Festival of Arts and Culture (NIFEST) which started over 30 years ago after the civil war, adding that “for the first time, we introduced the military to it.
“It is an opportunity for them to join and share their culture, encouraging peaceful co-existence. We take the gospel of peaceful co-existence of this country everywhere including the military.”
On his part, leader of the delegation, Colonel Abdulrazak Ben Ibrahim, said no government can talk about security without looking at the cultural and economic benefits of the country.
He said the essence of the visit to the council was to appreciate the much talked about Nigerian culture, take a piece of it and integrate it into their culture.
