Culture

FG to develop diaspora city to reconnect Nigerians abroad

Published

2 years ago

February 10, 2025

The Federal Government is developing Diaspora City to help Nigerians abroad invest and reconnect with their roots, Minister Hannatu Musawa announces.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to develop *Diaspora City*, a tourism and investment hub aimed at reconnecting Nigerians abroad with their roots.

The Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, **Hannatu Musawa**, made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja during the launch of *Motherland 2025*, an initiative celebrating Nigeria’s cultural heritage and economic potential.

According to Musawa, the project goes beyond tourism—it aims to strengthen economic ties between Nigeria and its diaspora while fostering cultural exchange and national development.

“Our vision extends beyond attracting global visitors; it is about ensuring that the creative and tourism sectors serve as critical tools to improve the lives of the Nigerian people,” she stated.

The *Motherland 2025* initiative is designed as a fully immersive cultural experience, featuring **state pavilions, exhibitions, and showcases** that highlight Nigeria’s innovation, business landscape, and cultural heritage.

A key component of the project is the creation of *Diaspora City*, which will serve as a **thriving tourism and investment hub** where members of the diaspora can seamlessly engage in economic activities, reconnect with their heritage, and settle in Nigeria.

“This year, we open our doors to the global diaspora, inviting them to immerse themselves in our rich traditions, explore investment opportunities, and witness the remarkable transformation unfolding across our nation,” Musawa added.

Chidinma Nwakwo, Managing Director of *Discover Motherland Africa*, described the initiative as a **transformative movement** aimed at deepening Nigeria’s connection with its diaspora while unlocking business and tourism opportunities.

“This is the beginning of a movement that not only reconnects Nigerians abroad with their roots but also fosters investment and cultural pride,” she said.

With *Motherland 2025* and the planned *Diaspora City*, Nigeria aims to position itself as the epicentre of **global Black and African culture, commerce, and community**.

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

4 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”