Sponsorship revenue for the Ojude Oba festival surged from about ₦200 million to ₦2.8 billion within a year following a viral influencer moment, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Obi Asika, has revealed.
Addressing stakeholders at the Naija7Wonders conference, Asika said the dramatic increase demonstrated how digital storytelling and influencer partnerships can transform traditional festivals into major commercial platforms.
“Attention drives value,” he said, explaining that after a prominent cultural figure went viral during Ojude Oba, sponsorships multiplied more than tenfold within a year.
He urged state governments to adopt similar models by partnering with globally recognised Nigerian artists and digital personalities.
“Every state has a superstar,” he said. “If Burna Boy partners with Rivers State, you could have 200,000 people every year. Davido has 84 million followers. That’s a digital continent.”
Asika emphasised that 3 billion people engage with Nigerian digital content daily, yet Nigeria has not sufficiently built merchandise, branded products or structured experiences around its festivals.
He noted that Nigeria has already mapped more than 850 traditional festivals and encouraged governors to commercialise them through apparel, toys, memorabilia and structured sponsorship packages.
“People are competing for attention,” he said. “And where they are is on their phones.”
He further disclosed that the National Theatre in Lagos is open for bookings under a new facilities management framework, with programming set to expand in the coming months.
Asika concluded that Nigeria’s creative and cultural industries — rather than solid minerals — represent the country’s most valuable long-term asset.
“The real wealth of Nigeria is its people,” he said. “And when we back them properly, nobody can stop us.”
