Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos state, says the forthcoming Lagos international jazz day will surpass South Africa’s famous jazz festival in Capetown.
Hosting ace musician, Yinka Davies and some of the groups collaborating with the state on the concert, Ambode said apart from being the financial and commercial hub of Nigeria, his administration will work hard to equally transform Lagos to the tourism hub of Africa.
Ambode restated his administration’s strong commitment to using tourism, hospitality, sports, entertainment and arts to grow the economy of the state, adding that nothing would be spared in transforming Lagos to the tourism hub of Africa.
“We want to emulate and even surpass the International Jazz Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, and then be on the world stage and that is the significance of this collaboration that we have decided to go into,” Ambode said.
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“During the electioneering campaign, we did promise that we would use entertainment and arts, tourism and sports to propel Lagos to the next level and this is one of the ways through which we hope to achieve that.
“We want to use entertainment to grow our economy, create jobs for the people and create that global picture of what Lagos is and what Lagos is not.
“Like you are all aware, Lagos is the financial and commercial hub of Nigeria and we want to be the tourism hub of Africa and we are going to use the Jazz family to start that journey and that is why we are hosting the concert here at the Lagos House.”
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The groups on the courtesy visit include Lagos International Jazz Festival Group, Runway Jazz and Satchmo Jazz.
Earlier, Ayoola Shadare, chief executive director of Inspiro Productions, said Jazz had gone beyond just music, but a veritable instrument that can be used to grow the economy, if properly managed.
He said for instance, the South African government generated over a billion rand from the last Cape Town Jazz Festival, and that Lagos could do far much better if properly managed.
Steve Ayorinde, the state’s commissioner for information and strategy, said the concert, billed for April 30 at the Lagos House, will highlight the warm hospitality of Lagos.
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He said the concert being put together by the state is in sync with a similar concert being put together by President Barrack Obama at the White House on April 29, adding that the hash tag of the day would be #LagosAmboJazz.
Some of the artistes billed to perform at the concert, according to Ayorinde, are Dare Art-Alade, Yinka Davies, Lekan Babalola (two-time co-Grammy winner) with the Eko Brass Band, Herbert Kunle Ajayi, Bright Gain, Adeh and the Spectacle Band – Afrojazz guitar Supremo, Ubong Ntia, Sam and the Jazz Apostles featuring Dera, Dotun Bankole Band, Victor Ademofe Band, Omolara, Dapo Fasuyi, and Organic Jazz.
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