The Federal Government has announced plans to establish creative arts villages in every state in Nigeria, dubbed “Creative Villages of Renewed Hope”, with the aim of strengthening the creative industry and preserving historical sites.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, disclosed the plans on Thursday during a press briefing after the 147th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, in Abuja.

Creation of “Creative Villages of Renewed Hope”

According to Sanwo-Olu, the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy proposed the establishment of historic sites named “Creative villages of renewed hope.

The initiative, he explained, would collaborate with state governments to identify historical places and transform them into creative hubs.

“The idea is that the ministry is able to work first, with a lot of subnational bodies, to identify some of these sites and identify some of these very historic places, and see how they are adopted, in the villages creative, like a one-stop shop.

“We spoke about the huge opportunities linked to the creative industry, particularly with our rural historic sites and monuments. So the general idea around the presentation was for the ministry to bring this to the forefront and for subnational authorities to be able to work with them to identify various sites that can become what we call thriving.

“We believe there is huge potential in the creative industry, particularly with our rural historic sites and monuments.

“The Department intends to prioritize this initiative and work with states to identify thriving locations with the potential to generate hundreds of thousands of jobs. » he said.

Minister Edun discusses state debt and government accounts

Also while briefing at the event, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed that states’ debt to the Federal Government currently stands at N16.6 billion.

Update on the government’s financial accounts

Edun also provided updates on various government accounts: the crude surplus account held $424 million as of December 10, the stabilization account held N33.3 billion and the natural resources account held N23 billion.

Surplus and deficit positions of States

“As for states’ surpluses with the Federal Government, the figure currently stands at N363.4 billion, while states’ deficit position with the Federal Government is about N16.6 billion,” » Edun declared.

Apart from discussions on creative industries and tax issues, the NEC meeting also revealed that most of the 36 state governors have approved the establishment of a state police force in the country.

The NEC plans to consider proposals from state governors on the creation of a state police force at its next meeting in January 2025.

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