By Dipo Olowookere
Mid-tier financial institution, Heritage Bank Plc, has reaffirmed its support for the development and growth of the Nigeria’s creative industry.
Chief executive of the lender, Mr Ifie Sekibo, gave this assurance in a statement issued at the weekend by Heritage Bank’s Divisional Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Fela Ibidapo.
He said the bank was committed to the development and growth of the entertainment industry because one of the easiest ways to solve the unemployment issue in the country is to get as many people as possible involved in the entertainment industry, because manufacturing, banking and other sectors cannot do it alone.
Mr Sekibo said the music industry has done so much for Nigeria in terms of employment and foreign exchange earnings and if more resources could be put into it, the country would be better for it.
Besides supporting individual artistes in the industry, the bank has also partnered with some organisers to perform and produce some entertainment shows.
Some of these include partnership with Yibo Koko in association with Bolanle Peters to produce and perform Seki, a dance drama.
The event which held at the popular Terra Kulture Arena was graced by members of the diplomatic corps, bank officials and lovers of arts and it featured notable celebrities like Hilda Dokubo, Monalisa Chinda Coker, Ibinabo Fiberisima, Julius Agwu, Ovunda Ihunwo, Peace Christian, Deborah Job, Opereke Jamabo Foh and Mercy Albert among others as casts.
The bank has also partnered with MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, owners of the DSTV and GOTV brands to bring the third season of the Big Brother Naija to viewers across Africa and beyond.
The Big Brother Naija 2018 was recently unveiled with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu as the host with 20 house mates battling for the winning prize of N45 million which include a cash gift of N25 million and SUV Jeep among others. The theme of this year’s edition is ‘Double Wahala.’
Also, Heritage Bank has partnered with Seagull Band, one of the five bands that participated in the 2017 edition of the Calabar Festival with the theme migration and climate change.
The statement said the theme of the carnival this year is migration and climate change and heritage has to do with green, green- house effect and sustainability, protection and human development.
“As far as this is concerned, the bank will continue to support initiatives that have to do with sustainability,” adding that migration is a depletion of human resources, depletion of values and depletion of human capital.
“We are there as an institution to help to facilitate and to create awareness that the grass is not greener on the other side, we can develop ourselves, we can build our nation, we can build our continent and sustain it if we do the right things like planting trees, keeping our environment clean, disposing our wastes properly, we will live a very good life,” the bank said in the statement.
Also, as part of its commitment to the growth and development of Nigeria’s creative industry, Heritage Bank Limited has partnered with the organisers of the International Festival of Contemporary Dance (IFCOD) to host the second edition of One Language, a musical production of intrigue, dance and drama hosted by Mrs Elo Inyeinengi-Etomi, the convener.
Owing to its huge support for the creative industry, the Federal Government recently commended the bank for its sustained commitment to the development and growth of the creative industry.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed gave the commendation at a two-day Creative Nigeria Summit held in Lagos recently with the theme: Financing the Film, Television and Music Industries; which was co-sponsored by the bank.
Adedapo Adesanya