A Lagos-based Artiste Manager, Mr. Ayobami Mathew Shotade has stated that Nigeria has abundance in terms of creative genius but the problem being that managing them in a competitive environment that the country has turned out to be tough.
Shotade stated this recently when he had opportunity of mentoring school children in Ibadan as part of efforts of the Oyo State Government at encouraging young children in the choice of career path tagged, ‘’Choose Your Career Path Early In Life”
Addressing and engaging the young school children drawn from all the 33 local government areas making up the state, Shotade 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.
Remember the poem that says Early to Bed, early to rise; makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” So let’s us rejig that and declare to ourselves that “Early to decide a choice of career path makes Nigerian youth, worthy, wealthy and valued”.
Commenting on the abundance of talents across the country, Shotade who is a versatile and talented Artiste Manager, managing dancers and dance troupes for three years now 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 Pocolee, I have worked with cultural dance troupes during Ogun State 2024 Sports festival, also at Osun-Oshogbo 2024 Festival and I can tell you that managing them has been very tasking and tough. However, it has been a lot of successes that are rewarding of the hard work. I add too, that it is a lot of fun, bring to smiles, joys, warmth and laughter to people all around – audience, dancers, government and everyone.
“The challenges from them stem from the kind of the undefined work ethics as well as the individual creative talents that I have had to manage since three years now so I can tell you is that it has been somewhat tasking and demanding,” Shotade said.
He, however urged the children to take skill acquisition and creative endeavours seriously as a means of securing their future, saying the current realities in our country entails that only people with skills potentially have a headway to financial well-being in Nigeria.
