Popular stand-up comedian, Olamilekan Abegunde, otherwise known as Dr. Smile, says the Nigerian government is losing billions in the nation’s entertainment industry.
Dr. Smile lamented that those in government have ‘killed’ the nation’s entertainment industry instead of tapping into it as an alternative source of revenue generation.
The comedian regretted that government at all levels has not been supporting the entertainment industry, and this has forced many players tp host their shows and events somewhere else.
Abegunde spoke today at a press conference heralding his comedy show, tagged, ‘Why Not Smile’, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
According to him, those in positions of authority do not know that “the entertainment industry has the capacity to generate enough revenue that could drive the economy” of the nation.
He stated that “our government must do more in the development of the entertainment industry”.
The entertainer recalled that Ogun State used to be the hub of entertainment after Lagos, charging the present administration to tap into the industry especially in this era of digital content creator.
While saying his forthcoming show would feature comedians like Alibaba, Basket Mouth, Julius Agwu, Seyi Law and others, Abegunde called on governors to create an enabling environment for entertainers and start sponsoring them.
“Apart from Lagos state, what we have seen in the recent time is that government has not been encouraging players in the industry to host events and this has stifled the growth of the industry.
“Government needs to come in and support this industry so that it can grow. The entertainment industry can generate billions for the economy. Government has continued to lose money that could have come from this industry,” he said.