UNILAG VC advises against speaking ill of Nigeria 

• As centre graduates 200 creative students
Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, has cautioned Nigerian youths against speaking ill of the country, noting that Nigeria is not the worst place to live in the world.

The VC, who spoke at a graduation organized by Gidi Creative Centre (GCC), yesterday, at the varsity auditorium, said it was high time the country invested better in the creative industry .

She expressed the belief that the creative sector has the capacity to help Nigeria correct the ugly narratives the country has always been labeled for.

“This is one endeavor that speaks to what we need in this country at this time. There are no better people to speak or change those narratives than the creators. Unfortunately for us, most of us that push the narratives, talk only about the problems and what is not good. We do not celebrate our own wins. We are not the worst country in the world, but we are certainly the most creative.”

The GCC initiative is organised by the Temple Company and Ogidi Studios, powered by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos administration under its programme, tagged Lagos State Creative Industry Initiative (LACI).

There were 200 youths trained across 10 skill areas, which include: filmmaking, creative writing, animation 101, audio engineering and music production, graphics design, multimedia-design, film and screen production design, project management for creative professionals, fashion design and media studies.

In his remarks, the founder of the Temple Company, Idris Olorunnimbe, said the creative initiative offers students the opportunity to learn the correct things.

In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, lauded the graduating students and congratulated the partnering teams for supporting the state government in ensuring the development of capacity building programmes in the creative sector.