The movie Oloture by Mo Abudu featuring Omoni Oboli and other talented Nigeria acts entered the top 10 movies on Netflix last week. This is a major milestone for Nigeria, Nollywood, and the creative industry in Africa. For years stakeholders in Nollywood have been improving their storytelling, cinematography, and marketability. The emergence of streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix has given Nollywood an unprecedented audience. The music industry has also become another great success story with the exploits of Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alada, Don Jazzy, and Rema. The world is indeed rooting for us to satisfy the growing demand for Nigerian and African creativity. This is a reason to role out the drums and celebrate. But do not celebrate if you are not creative. You might ask, how can I be creative? You are creative when you use your God-given abilities to create a product, service, program, concept, or idea. The quality or relevance of your creation would determine its acceptability. The good news is that the internet does not discriminate or marginalize. A study of the images or video or post that goes viral, reveals that the internet is intelligent and discerning and will reward quality and competence over marketing budgets.

Our mobile phone is arguably our greatest tool to rule our world and the world. When I was a child, the richest man was the Sultan of Brunei. But afterward, all other richest men, are men who explored and exploited the internet. The internet is the biggest goldmine in the world. If you are not there prospecting with your creativity you cannot maximize your ideas. From Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook to Reed Hastings of Netflix, the internet is where the action is. If you are a content creator this is your era. If you are a service provider, this is your time. The number of talented young and even old people who have gotten their breakthrough through the internet or social media platforms like YouTube is unbelievable. And many are joining this list with their creation. That idea. That talent. That business. That project. This is the time to launch it. The United States of America is presently the greatest country in the world because of the creativity of its citizens who are drawn from all races and nations of the world. Steve Jobs’s biological father is Syrian. Barrack Obama’s father is Kenyan. Kamala Harris’s mother is Indian.

While the United States attracts talented people from all over the world, Nigerian leaders have created a nation where her best brains and brawn are running away from their motherland for safety and greener pastures. The situation is so bad now that even Lebanon whose citizens see Nigeria as a land of opportunities is now a human trafficking destination for Nigerian women, especially from the South West. Nigerians are scattered across South East Asian countries doing what they cannot do in Nigeria because of the absence of a semblance of responsible government. The loans are piling, and the time will come where all efforts accruing from the sweat of Nigerians will be downgraded by our indebtedness. Yet politicians in the national assembly and their counterparts in the ministries are on steroid accumulating loans from China, especially through the transportation ministry headed by Rotimi Amaechi. If this administration was not bent on destroying the future of Nigerians, the entertainment industry would have experienced record-breaking foreign direct investment because more than ever before, the world needs more entertainment as people are staying home more than ever before. As a Nigerian, your strategy should be to plan and act as if there is no government because the governments of African nations are not reliable. It is this mindset that has made Nollywood world-class today. Nigerians are responsible for their water, power, and many other essentials. So, to maximize this age, work super hard on your talent and deploy it to the world through the platforms available on the internet.

Ata Ukuta, Editor – www.towncryyers.com