© Khumaer.us
Charles Ajunwa
L
ast Sunday, all gates leading to the State House, Marina, the official residence of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, were thrown open to invited guests for the unveiling of first shot Artificial Intelligence-based movie, Makemation.
It was not by any accident that the organisers of the event chose State House, Marina, as venue of the unveiling of Makemation. The venue, apart from being a cherished national monument, is also rich in history as it served as the official residence of Lord Lugard, where important pre and post colonial decisions were taken which culminated to Nigeria’s political independence in 1960.
Security was tight, as all guests were first cleared from the security post within the car park before they ushered into the governor’s official residence. The second security check took place at the entrance leading to the Multi-Purpose Hall inaugurated in 2013 by former Governor Raji Fashola, venue of the unveiling.
Before the event kicked off on Sunday evening, Sanwo-Olu, who is a big promoter of arts, culture, tourism and creative industry, arrived in a Coaster bus with his family members after other official engagements, dashed into his official residence, refreshed and changed his clothes to a simple white lace attire with his trademark native cap of many colours fitting well on his head.
The entire hall was filled to capacity. Apart from cameramen who were allowed to set their gadgets, other invited journalists who arrived early but couldn’t gain entrance were later allowed to cover event standing.
The atmosphere in the hall was that of suspense as guests were eager to see Africa’s first feature film that spotlights the fast-rising impact of its youths mainly girls, showcasing how they leverage artificial intelligence and technological innovations to tackle some of Africa’s most pressing challenges. The AI-based movie is an emotional, thought-provoking, and humorous dive into the life of a young girl from a low-income community in Lagos, showing how her journey was fraught with twists and turns, despite the hardships, she is brilliant, determined, and unstoppable.
The film merges entertainment with a universal theme of hope, highlighting how innovation can catalyse change—transforming poverty from an enduring issue into a challenge of the past.
Some parts of Makemation were later showed to guests, just tip of an iceberg of what people should be looking out for.
The governor who was accompanied by his dutiful wife, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, charged young people to come up with their projects, pledging to support them the way he supported Toyosi Akerele-Ogunlusi, Creator and Producer of Makemation.
An elated Sanwo-Olu said, “In this very hall, you get to meet some of your favourite actors. Some of you have contributed your time and money to this industry. Young and old collaborating together to build the creative sector.
“Lagos Colony has been in existence before creation of Nigeria. Today, you are on ground that has a lot history. I’m happy and truly excited that you can put this together- power of a vision. We need
“The future is now. Our role is to be an enabler, create the channel and you fly with it. It’s a Lagos success, not individual success.
“We have consistently prioritised the growth of our creative industry and believe that fostering creativity and innovation is crucial for our state’s development.
“By supporting initiatives like this, we aim to promote our talented filmmakers and artists while showcasing technology’s immense potential in storytelling.
“Together, we are building a vibrant creative ecosystem that entertains, drives economic growth, and positions Lagos as a leading hub for the arts in Africa.”
Sanwo-Olu, who described the creative industry as a game-changer said, “we want to catch up with the rest of the world. We don’t have any excuse; the world is a single village. There’s a plan to ensure that we do big things.”
On the issue of Lagos not having campuses that can accommodate 30,000 as they have in India and other places, Sanwo-Olu said, “There’re plans to create campuses with big and massive hubs. We need to move outside Lagos to accommodate a lot of Creatives. We are serious about it.”
He emphasised that the idea is to take AI “to our schools to grow them organically,” adding that the creative industry “is the most creative and employs a lot of people.”
The governor announced that Makemation will be in cinemas across Nigeria starting from April 18, 2025. “We are supporting this idea and innovation. It’s not limited to one person,” he noted.
The AI feature movie had Nollywood actors like Richard Mofe-Damijo, Tony Umez, Shaffy Bello, Ibrahim Chatta, Toyin Afolayan, and Ali Nuhu.
Producer, Akerele-Ogunsiji said the film explores themes such as STEM education, digital skills, financial literacy, and gender equality.
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