Fegho John Umunubo has expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, for granting him the honour of serving Nigeria as Special Assistant on Digital & Creative Economy (Office of the Vice President).
Mr Umunubo noted that he was grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s creative industry, while working to strengthen collaboration between government and the private sector in order to unlock more funding and market access for creatives.
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Serving Without a Salary
Upon his appointment in 2023, Mr Umunubo voluntarily chose not to receive a salary, bonus, or travel budget from the Federal Government. Instead, he relied on the support of private-sector partners and organisations to fund the initiatives he executed.
Key Contributions
During his tenure, Mr Umunubo focused on initiatives designed to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s creative and digital economy. Notable highlights include:
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- Creative Stakeholders Engagement at the State House (November 2023): Convened over 600 creatives across Nigeria at the Banquet Hall, State House, for a historic dialogue with His Excellency, the Vice President.
- ₦5 Billion Creative Fund (Providus Bank Partnership): Partnered with Providus Bank Plc to establish a ₦5 billion Creative Fund, creating access to financing for the industry. The first phase enabled producers and actors to secure loans facilities to produce movies for streaming platforms and cinemas.
- Over ₦500 Million in Grants and Sponsorships: Facilitated support for the sector through sponsorship of movie premieres, free cinema ticket giveaways, comedy and music concerts, accelerator training programmes, grassroots business initiatives, and more across different states in Nigeria. The details of everyone we supported financially is on my Instagram page for verification.
- Support for the Brazilian Delegation Visit to Lagos State: Mr Umunubo sourced for resources from partners to fund the trip of the Brazilian delegation to Lagos during the visit of the Brazilian Vice President to Nigeria. This provided the Brazilian business delegation an opportunity to experience the rich culture of Lagos State and engage directly with stakeholders in Nigeria’s creative industry.
Final Note of Thanks
“It has been my honour to serve this great country and the creative industry,” Mr Umunubo said. He extended special thanks to organisations that supported these efforts, including Providus Bank, Wema Bank, Prembly, Leadway Group, Gluwa Capitals, Budpay, Lanre Shittu Motors, and Alpha Geek Technologies Nig Ltd.
He reaffirmed his commitment to advancing Nigeria’s digital and creative economy, stating his readiness to continue supporting the sector in ways that will benefit the nation.
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