Assistant Secretary of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council, Oludare Olateju, FNIMN, popularly known as Ludare Sabada, has made a case for a more structured creative economy driven by stronger synergy between industry practitioners, government and the technocratic leadership of Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat (KOH), saying the sector requires deliberate policies that translate talent into sustainable businesses rather than occasional government recognition.
Olateju, a veteran brand strategist, premium Juju musician, believes Lagos has demonstrated its capacity to produce globally recognised cultural products but must now prioritise systems that enable creators to retain greater commercial value from their intellectual property.
His position follows Hamzat's engagement with creative industry practitioners at the second edition of PodFest Naija, held on September 25, 2026, at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, where the Deputy Governor identified structural weaknesses limiting Africa's participation in the global creative economy.
Speaking at the event, Hamzat said the continent's major challenge was not a shortage of creative talent but the absence of effective systems for contracts, payments, intellectual property rights, data and financing.
"Talent has never been our problem in this part of the world. What is the problem is the system," Hamzat said, noting that too much intellectual property produced in Lagos was being monetised elsewhere, while Africa captured less than three per cent of the value of the global creative economy.
For Olateju, whose experience spans advertising, corporate brand management and indigenous music, the Deputy Governor's intervention brings attention to a longstanding concern within the entertainment industry: the gap between the global recognition of Nigerian creative talents and the economic opportunities available to the people behind those achievements.
The campaign council official's argument is that Lagos must move beyond its reputation as Nigeria's entertainment capital to become a place where musicians, filmmakers, fashion designers, comedians, podcasters and digital content creators can establish profitable enterprises with access to finance, technology and institutional support.
He considers Hamzat's combination of engineering expertise, private-sector experience and public administration particularly relevant to addressing the challenges confronting the industry.
Before his current political responsibilities, Olateju held senior brand management and innovation positions at Guinness Nigeria and within the Heineken Group, where he worked on brands including Star, Gulder and Fayrouz. He subsequently pursued his passion for Juju music, maintaining his family's connection to the genre established by his father, veteran musician Emperor Wale Olateju.
The directorate is headed by Toke Benson-Awoyinka, with veteran actor Jide Kosoko as Co-Director, actress Eniola Badmus as Deputy Director and Akeem Alimi, popularly known as Ajala Jalingo, as Secretary.
At PodFest, Hamzat outlined the Lagos State Government's commitment to strengthening the creative industry through structured funding channels, grants, faster payment of creative suppliers engaged by government and improved protection of intellectual property.
The Deputy Governor also acknowledged the difficulties facing young entrepreneurs who possess viable ideas but lack the capital, technical capacity and supporting infrastructure required to build sustainable businesses.
He urged practitioners to pay greater attention to ownership of their intellectual property and develop their creative skills into commercially viable enterprises.
Olateju's perspective places these commitments within a broader economic argument that recognises creativity as an important contributor to employment, entrepreneurship and wealth creation rather than merely a source of entertainment or political mobilisation.
For independent musicians in Surulere, fashion entrepreneurs in Yaba, skit makers in Ketu and emerging digital creators across Lagos, access to reliable payment systems, business financing and intellectual property protection remains critical to competing in an increasingly technology-driven global market.
The creative economy conversation also raises questions about extending opportunities beyond established commercial centres such as Victoria Island and Lekki to emerging talents in Ikorodu, Epe, Agege, Badagry and other communities across the state.
Olateju's position is that the future of Lagos' creative industry should be measured not simply by the international visibility of its entertainers but by the ability of government to establish an environment where creative entrepreneurs can build businesses, generate employment and retain a fairer share of the wealth produced by their work.
This aligns with Hamzat's broader proposition that Lagos must strengthen the connection between creativity, technology and enterprise if it intends to consolidate its position as a leading African innovation and economic hub.
With the 2027 governorship contest approaching, the creative economy is emerging as one of the sectors through which competing visions for Lagos' future may be assessed.
For Olateju, the case for KOH rests on moving the conversation from celebrating creative success to developing the institutional structures that make such success economically sustainable.
The challenge for the prospective administration, however, will be translating these commitments into measurable programmes that deliver access to funding, fairer payment processes, intellectual property protection and wider opportunities for practitioners across the state.
For Lagos, whose music, film, fashion and digital content continue to influence audiences around the world, the next phase of creative industry development will depend not only on exporting culture but also on ensuring that those producing it can build lasting wealth from their talents.
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