Veteran Nigerian comedian, Alibaba has opined that Afrobeats and dancehall star, Burna Boy, has done more in terms of national awareness than any of the country’s ambassadors.
Speaking in a recent interview on Channels Television, Alibaba expressed disappointment that, despite the substantial contributions of entertainers, the creative industry has been overlooked in the government’s economic plans.
He said Nigerian musicians have significantly boosted the country’s national awareness, surpassing the efforts of any official ambassadors posted to other countries.
Alibaba spoke about the impact of the entertainment industry on Nigeria’s economy and cited a forecast by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group that omitted the entertainment and creative sectors. The 58-year-old lamented that the government did not see prospects in the creative industry years back.
He said: “Two years ago, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group looked into a forecast of the Nigerian economy in the next five years, and the entertainment and creative industry was not considered.
“A booklet of about 200 pages was done and the creative industry was not considered. The value of the creative industry in Nigeria is beyond the country.
“Burna Boy has done a lot more for Nigerian national awareness than any ambassador that has been posted to America, the UK, or any other place. So Nigerian artistes are creating national awareness and making other countries know about us than any ambassador would have done.”
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