To address some pressing challenges in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, the CEO of Chocolate City Group, Mr. Abuchi Peter Ugwu, has called on the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa to spearhead the establishment of a Creative Economy Bill.
The proposed bill, he said, should focus on protecting intellectual property rights and improving access to funding for creative projects and productions.
Abuchi, who has spent nearly two decades rising through the ranks of the Chocolate City conglomerate, shared his thoughts in an interview with Leadership.
He also assessed the Bola Tinubu-led administration’s performance over the past two years, commending it for certain key policy directions affecting the creative sector.
The Tinubu administration has made noticeable efforts to recognise the creative economy as a key pillar of national development, but we are yet to see meaningful change that matches the scale of Nigeria’s vast cultural potential,” Abuchi stated.
He added that while the creation of a dedicated Ministry for Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, along with the promotion of new public-private partnerships, is a step in the right direction, the execution still falls short of the urgency and scale required to unlock the industry’s full promise.
“Despite recent partnerships, like the federal government’s collaboration with Chocolate City to upgrade the National Film Institute, significant work remains to be done. We need a national policy, Creative Economy Bill that supports IP protection, streamlines royalties, incentivizes private investment, and provides real access to funding.
Also government should build infrastructure beyond Lagos State and follow Plateau State’s lead and invest in hubs nationwide, not just in Lagos. We want Government to fix the royalty system as without a functioning collection framework and metadata system, Nigerian artists will always leave money on the table.
“We also want government at all levels to support talent and distribution which comprises from touring logistics to global DSP partnerships, creators especially those not backed by big labels. They need enabling infrastructure to scale up.
“The Tinubu administration has taken the proper first steps, elevating culture, participating in showcases like Cannes, and forming strategic partnerships. But the music industry doesn’t need symbolic gestures; it needs structural support.
At Chocolate City, we’ve shown that investing in people, systems, and intellectual property yields results that speak for themselves globally and locally. If Nigeria is serious about leading the world in culture, then the government, the private sector and creatives alike must co-create this future together. Not as fans cheering from the sidelines, but as builders shaping the global stage,” the CEO of Chocolate City Group concluded.
