Award-winning movie director/producer, Bolanle Austen-Peters, has revealed that she paid a sum of N250,000 to bring Afrobeats artistes, Wizkid, Ice Prince, Wande Coal for an event in 2010.
Austen-Peters made this revelation while speaking at The Covenant Nation’s national development fair Platform on Monday.
While noting that the story is not the same today, she hailed the Nigerian youths for transforming their talents into wealth.
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She said it is about time Nigeria looked away from oil wealth and focus on innovation and knowledge acquisition as the next wealth creator for the country just like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) did.
Austen-Peters, the future is no longer about natural resources.
She said, “Today if the UAE can move away from oil wealth, what are we doing as Nigeria? In the last presentation that I had here a couple of years ago, I talked about the potential of the creative industry to transform Nigeria’s wealth, economy and in less than five years the reality before us is that it is technology, creativity, and the arts that is putting Nigeria on the global stage.
“It is our youth in technology, creativity, and arts that are selling the Nigerian brand today,” she said.
“I remember 13 years ago, I had a party and I invited Mo Hits crew. I’m sure some of you know them.
“They came with four artistes, Wizkid, Ice Prince, Wande Coal, and one more person. Guess how much I paid 13 years ago, N250,000 for all of them?
“Today, I dare not even ask that they come and play for me. The beauty of our youths is that they have been able to transform their talents into wealth and that is something that is commendable and that we all need to start understanding.”
Austen-Peters said, many years ago, Nigerian movies were not well rated, but the story is different today.
She added that the Nigerian movies that were being acquired with peanuts are being acquired with millions of dollars.