Governor Adeleke, When Dancing Becomes A Crime — Shalom Ìbíronkẹ́

David danced like an insane person, and she who mocked him was cursed by God. The line from Davido’s song, “Ijo Baba Sina Rambo” in his 2012 hit song Dami Duro, was most people’s first encounter with the person Ademola Adeleke. When he tried to replace his late brother, Sen. Isiaka Adeleke, at the Nigerian Senate, social media was flooded with videos of his indescribably beautiful dance steps. When he won and continued dancing, he was tagged “the Dancing Senator”. Interestingly, he ran for Governor a second time and won, unseating the incumbent Governor Isiaka Oyetola. Like David found favour in the sight of God, Governor Adeleke has found favour in the sights of God and men. Maybe God does like dancing and gives special favours to dancers.

However, dancing could become a crime. It could become a way to lose favour in the eyes of God and man if care is not taken. Throughout the 2003 gubernatorial election, Arnold Shwarzenegger was called “Actor”, even by CNN, not just because that was his job, but as a subtle, constant reminder that he was out of his depth. The immediate past US VP, Mike Pence, was an Attorney before joining politics, but no one reminded voters of this every time he was in the news. This is the same with former US of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Last election, Funke Akindele ran for Deputy Governor of Lagos, and every publication reminded the world that she is an “Actress”. These same publications that casually reminded everyone every time seldom informed anyone that her Governorship candidate, Jide Adeniran Jandor, was a journalist, like themselves, for over 20 years.

A career in entertainment or a love for it almost means one starts their political adventure by first justifying that beyond being entertaining, they can also lead. This is based on the misguided notion that it is easy to entertain or that entertainment is trivial. While lawyers are often said to be liars so much that Greek philosopher, Plato bans them from his ideal republic, no one ever asks the lawyer transitioning to politics to assure them that they will not lie to them throughout their time in office. No one even vets the lawyer for a tendency to lie.

This is not an attempt to garner sympathy for entertainers or for lovers of entertainment, but to steer our thoughts in an interesting direction. The Nigerian entertainment industry is a multi-billion dollar behemoth, valued at approximately $8 billion according to a 2020 PwC assessment. The film industry alone is valued at about $6.1 billion and projected to be capable of generating $14.82 billion by 2025. To put things into perspective, Osun State’s current GDP stands at $7.3 billion. This evidences the immense potential of the entertainment sector. A valid point for consideration by the entertainment-loving governor should be ‘How do we get a sizeable chunk of the $8 billion that the entertainment industry has the capacity to generate?’ This question should give the Dancing Governor sleepless nights.

While states like Lagos have long been hubs for the entertainment industry, Osun State boasts unique advantages that could position it as a prime destination. Its warm climate and strategic location — bordering five states, make it an attractive option for filmmakers and production houses. Additionally, Osun offers a relatively peaceful environment compared to the challenges of thuggery faced in Lagos, as lamented by filmmakers like Biodun Stephen.

The industry is presently scattered across the country, from Asaba to Onitsha, and especially Lagos. However, there is hardly any state in the country that is dedicated to being the California of Nollywood. As California, or might I say, Los Angeles, houses notable film studios like Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios, it is the home of the American entertainment industry or specifically, the American film industry. Two of LA’s major selling points to the industry are climate and its strategic location. These are two things Osun State boasts of very visibly. It is blessed with a warm and healthy climate, and it is bordered by 5 states. Hardly is any other state in the country blessed with such a strategic location. Every other day, filmmakers like Biodun Stephen, lament about how thuggery hinders ease of doing film business in Lagos. This is a problem that Osun does not yet share and if in the future it arises, it can be easily arrested due to the manageable population in the state. For Air travel into the state, Iwo, Osogbo, Ede, and Ikire, are all less than an hour from Ibadan Airport, and so can benefit from it till there is need for one in the state.

The neigbouring state, Ekiti has already taken steps in this direction. While Ekiti have not been privileged enough to have a dancing Governor, they appointed a dancing Professor as Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy — Prof. Bakare Ojo Rasaki, a professor of dance and choreography. He recently became the Chair of all Commissioners of Culture, Art, and Tourism across the country. In August this year, the dancing professor will host Ekiti International Theatre Festival aka ‘Ekitifest’. This festival is expected to attract investments worth 200 million naira and generate an estimated 5 billion naira in revenue for the state. While the figures may eventually change due to economic realities, the move is clear. It is clear that a dancing professor is making moves to ensure that because he dances, his state is blessed.

The dancing governor must also now extend this tag beyond a name, it must transition into a policy that leaves a legacy that says a love for entertainment is not a flaw or a downside, but a potential for state expansion in a most-beneficial manner. The Governor’s familial connection to perhaps the biggest entertainer on the continent — Davido, which was a point that was echoed throughout his campaigns, both when it was unsuccessful in 2018 and when it became successful in 2022, could prove invaluable in attracting investments and fostering partnerships within the industry. By leveraging this relationship and his own passion for dance, the Governor could establish Osun as a hub for the entertainment industry, emulating the success of California’s Los Angeles, home to the earlier mentioned major film studios.

Dancing for Gov. Ademola Adeleke becomes a crime if he does not translate this love for dance into tourism and entertainment investments in Osun State. Osun currently ranks 24th out of 36 states in GDP ranking. Governor Adeleke’s administration must seize this opportunity to develop a comprehensive strategy to attract entertainment investments to Osun State. This could include positioning Osun as the state for film villages to be built. Oyo State currently has at least two of them. Lagos got the Nigerian O2 arena. And while it could be argued that Lagos is Lagos with its proximity to the sea and its economy, what would the argument for Oyo town be? The Governor’s relationship with Davido could be used to attract creative directors, and other big names in the entertainment industry to use Osun State as the location for their creative projects like movie shoots, music videos, etc. Osun is blessed with tourist sites which can be highlighted in such videos. The state could negotiate special taxing strategies that make the state financially wise for the siting of these projects. Special efforts could also be made to develop dwellers of the state into a skilled workforce. With the creation or conversion of University of Ilesha, the illustrious Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Osun, and other private and public educational institutions in the state, the state could develop an intentional strategy where these institutions are encouraged and supported to offer training programs in various aspects of the entertainment industry. Award shows, summits, and conventions in the industry, could also be hosted in the state. As these events always attract attention, hosting them would bring attention to the state and improve her branding. This could attract investors in the entertainment and tourism sector.

Failure to capitalise on this opportunity would not only be a missed economic chance but also a disservice to Governor Adeleke’s unique advantage as a dancing governor with strong ties to the entertainment world. It would mean that the Governor’s critics are right to say that his dancing is a disgraceful action in the hands of the white cock who can’t recognise that he is no longer a child, and then his dancing becomes a crime.