Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has moved to give the state’s entertainment industry a more structured footing, ordering the establishment of the Niger State Entertainment Council and approving N500 million as seed funding for a creative grant scheme.
The governor also approved the construction of a state-of-the-art recording studio in the state and pledged government support for capacity-building programmes aimed at equipping entertainers with the skills needed to compete in the fast-growing creative economy.
Bago announced the measures on Wednesday when he received Niger State entertainers, who paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House, Minna, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim.
The governor, who stressed the growing importance of entertainment to the economy, said the industry had the capacity to create jobs, nurture talents and open new opportunities for young people if properly supported and organised.
He directed that the proposed Entertainment Council should provide an institutional framework for the sector, while also approving the appointment of a coordinator and Senior Special Assistant for Zones B and C to promote wider inclusion in the industry.
Bago’s intervention followed an appeal by the entertainers for stronger government support and a formal structure to coordinate the sector. They had proposed the establishment of the council as the highest regulatory and development body for the creative industry in the state.
Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of Abdulkadir Kure University, Minna, Prof. Mohammed Kuta Yahaya, said Niger was blessed with talented entertainers but had yet to fully harness the economic potential of the industry.
Yahaya, however, commended the Bago administration for what he described as “great and uncommon support” for entertainers in the state, urging stakeholders to leverage the government’s commitment to further develop the sector.
Also speaking, Alhaji Mohammed Baba Yahaya said the entertainers had endorsed Bago for a second term, citing what he described as the governor’s remarkable performance and unprecedented support for the creative community since assuming office.
He assured the governor of the entertainers’ support ahead of the 2027 general elections, while urging the administration to sustain its commitment to creating opportunities for talents, protecting creative investments and building a professional entertainment industry in Niger State.
