The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the nation has
gradually begun diversifying its economy from oil to the creative industry to
boost its internally generated revenue (IGR) and meet international standards.
The minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the
Ministry, Mrs Grace Gekpe, said this at the event which ended in the early
hours of Monday during the grand finale of Queen Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) beauty
pageant at Oriental Hotel in Lagos.
“The ministry has discovered that the creative industry is
an alternative to oil and that is why we are doing a lot to support the
sector,” he said
According to him, the creative industry is an area that
opens up employment opportunities for the talented youths, thereby, reducing
unemployment and possible youthful crimes.
The minister commended Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, the
Heritage Ambassador to QMA, for her efforts in promoting culture, and advised
other groups to encourage the youths to develop more interests in promoting
their cultures.
“Promoters of our culture and tradition such as Princess
Ademiluyi should be encouraged because she is complimenting the efforts of the
government to ensure that our culture does not go into extinction.
“Such a cultural pageant as the QMA will also empower young
girls not only to learn their traditional language and history, but also make
them to be creative and productive,” he said.
The minister also encouraged more groups in the
entertainment industry to key into programmes that would promote
Made-in-Nigerian fabrics, foods, dances and local languages which would make
the country the world’s tourist attraction.
NAN reports that the 2017 QMA pageant produced 22 year-old,
Oluwatosin Shola-Shittu, an indigene of Ikere Ekiti , Ekiti State as the new
queen out of no fewer than 500 young girls who registered for the second
edition of the pageant.
Shola-Shittu received a cash prize of N5 million, which she
was expected to use for investment as part of the empowerment programme of
youths initiated by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the patron of the
pageant.
The new queen was crowned by the outgoing queen, Blessing
Animasahun.
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