The Lagos State Government has stated it was not officially informed or involved in the recent visit of popular streamer IShowSpeed, missing an opportunity to properly showcase the country’s culture and heritage.
In an exclusive interview with ARISE News on Saturday, Damilola Ayinde Marshall, Senior Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Arts and Culture, said the ministry was left out of the planning.
“Basically, we were not informed. There are many tourism bodies, cultural institutions, security agencies. I believe if these people were pre-informed, I believe the visit would have put Africa in good light. We were not informed and the government was not carried along,” Marshall stated.
She revealed that both she and the Commissioner for Tourism, Toke Benson, tried to reach out to the streamer’s team but were unsuccessful. “They did not liaise with anybody in government. I tried to reach out to the PR team, but they said the people on his team are young and not usually organized. And that was it.”
Digital Media Strategist Bodex Hungbo, who also spoke, emphasized the need for a structured partnership. “I think that moving forward, there should be a kind of partnership package between these promoters, PR companies and international acts that are coming in, so that they can be able to own the narrative. This partnership package should be compulsory.”
Hungbo suggested that better coordination could have created a positive narrative, such as organizing a reception at the airport and involving local streamers like Purple Speedy and Peller.
Brand Strategist Tomiwa Talabi noted that proper planning, rather than just timing, was the issue. “To be honest, I feel like without the right planning put in place, even if he visits for like five days, it’s still not going to go well.”
Marshall reaffirmed that the Lagos State Government runs an open-door policy and is willing to collaborate with creatives. “We run an open-door policy. People bring letters for sponsorship support; we support events and different things… It is always better to partner with the government, because we got the tourism strategy, whereby we bring all the institutions in place, security, LASTMA, and our guest can have a very engaging and meaningful visit.”
