By Chidiebere Onyemaizu
A Lagos-based artist manager, Mr. Mathew Sotade, has stated that Nigeria has abundance in terms of creative genius but lacks competent managers in a competitive environment that the country has now become.
Sotade stated this recently when he had the opportunity of mentoring school children in Ibadan as part of efforts of the Oyo State Government at encouraging young children in the choice of a career path tagged, ‘Choose Your Career Path Early In Life.’
Addressing school children drawn from all the 33 local governments making up the state, Sotade urged the students to determine their career path very early in life, saying, “Starting up early will help you navigate life very easily and you need to start early.”
Commenting on the abundance of talents across the country, Sotade, who has been an artist manager, managing dancers and dance troupes for over 15 years, said the journey for him has been tough and tasking considering the fact that many of those under his management have presented different challenges to him.
“I have worked on artistes at various cultural shows, stage dramas as well as at traditional/religious events and media appearances, such as Poocoli, at Ogun State 2024 sports festival and Osun-Oshogbo 2024 festival and I can tell you that managing them has been very tasking and tough.
“The challenges from them stem from the kind of their attitudes, their work ethics as well as the individual creative talents that I have had to manage since 15 years ago but what I can tell you is that it has been somewhat tasking and demanding,” Sotade said.
He urged young people to take into skill acquisition and creative endeavours as a means of securing their future, saying the current realities in the country entail that only people with skills have the potential to make financial headway in Nigeria.
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