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- Over 100 entries received
- Reveals Judges for competition
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday hosted a meeting to select the winning design for the #OneNigeria/Unity Fabric competition.
Mrs. Tinubu said at the meeting held at the Conference Room of the Office of the First Lady, said the competition, which was launched in February 2024, called for entries from Nigerian youth between the ages of 15 and 25 to design a fabric that depicts Nigeria’s unity and diversity. Over 111 entries were received before the June 30th deadline.
In her remarks, Mrs. Tinubu shared the inspiration behind the competition, citing her visit to Zimbabwe in December 2023 for the launch of the #WeAreEqual unifying campaign of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).
She expressed her belief in the power of a national fabric to break down tribal barriers and foster a sense of oneness among Nigerians.
The First Lady introduced the two fashion industry experts who will serve as judges for the selection process: Princess Zainab Abbah Folawiyo, a veteran fashion designer with over 60 years of experience, and Banke Kuku, an international textile and fashion designer with a global presence.
The winning design will be announced in September 2024, and the winner will receive a prize of Twenty Million Naira (N20,000,000) to support their education or business venture.The winning fabric will be launched on October 1, 2024, and produced by local manufacturers.
Tinubu thanked the judges for their participation in the historic exercise and expressed her gratitude to all the guests who attended the meeting. She emphasized the importance of the competition in promoting national unity and breaking down tribal barriers.
The #OneNigeria/Unity Fabric competition is part of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), the First Lady’s pet project, which aims to complement the efforts of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in areas such as agriculture, empowerment, education, health, and social welfare.
When asked about the multiplier effect of the initiative on the economy, Mrs. Tinubu emphasized the benefits of bringing business to the local economy.
“You see we are NGO to start with and I think what we have done, which is bringing business to our local economy is good and manufacturers are going to be from Nigeria. We did that during the campaign so we believe that there will be job creation, money put into the system,” she said.
The First Lady noted that the competition will involve local designers and manufacturers, ensuring that the economic benefits stay within Nigeria.
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As a strong advocate of made-in-Nigeria products, Mrs. Tinubu expressed her commitment to encouraging local manufacturers and designers. “You know I have always promoted made in Nigeria things as well as whatever I wear. Until we get there, we will keep trying to encourage our local manufacturers and also our local designs which is why we brought the best judges so that we see what we can do. Nigerians have been holding sway across the continent,” she stated.
Addressing the possibility of considering a second-place winner for the #OneNigeria/Unity Fabric competition, which received over 101 entries, Mrs. Tinubu emphasised her belief in pushing people to their limits, stating, “One, being an educator I have always believed that when you set the barrier high, everybody will attempt to get there. If not, you will see people say let me settle for second place – I might not win. And that is not a good way to inspire people.”
The First Lady shared her experience with the “Governor for a Day” programme during her husband’s tenure as governor of Lagos State, where she encouraged participants to strive for the best rather than settling for second place. “Is not that everybody cannot become, when you look at the days my husband was a governor, we were doing Governor for one day I never encouraged deputy governor or anything. Although they later injected it into the system, I said you are on your own. But you see with the best we can tell you success stories. They pushed even people who came third at the competition now making making first class in school and also first class in law school and first class in other disciplines,” she explained.
Mrs. Tinubu believed that this approach will motivate the participants to push themselves to their limits and achieve excellence. “So, they will be people who will be first, second, third in the design competition, but there will be only one winner. Even the every home a garden competition we are going for the best, so everyone should try,” she said.
Despite the high expectations, Mrs. Tinubu expressed her excitement about the competition and the quality of the designs she has seen so far. “So, it’s going to be great and we are looking forward to it,” she concluded.
Also speaking to newsmen, the two esteemed fashion industry experts serving as judges for the #OneNigeria/Unity Fabric competition, Folawiyo and Kuku, shared the criteria they will be evaluating to select the winning design.
When asked what she will be looking for in the designs, Folawiyo stated, “I will be looking for creativity and what the designers did, then I will decide.”
Kuku, an international textile and fashion designer with a global presence, elaborated on her criteria. “I will be looking for creativity, excitement, a design that sort of brings together Nigerians, something that represents each tribe. I am also looking for potential, and someone who has a passion and a drive for textile designs,” she said.
Kuku emphasised the importance of the design’s ability to unite Nigerians and represent the country’s diversity. “I am also looking for potential as well, maybe a design that can have such an amazing journey, you know it starts off this way and through the production process it grows into something better,” she added.
When asked to provide advice for the participants who have put in a lot of effort into the competition, Kuku highlighted the significance of the core design. “The colour is one thing, the color can always be changed. That’s why we have the panel of judges and other people coming into the competition to give advice. The color can be changed, but it’s really about the core design, you can always adopt the color and the uniqueness of the design,” she said.
Kuku expressed her excitement about the future of this kind of project, stating, “I think it’s amazing. It opens people up to understanding that there’s a future and there’s a career in creativity. It kind of brings seriousness to the creative industry because a lot of people are very strict on themselves to do certain types of jobs, but there’s such a huge career in creativity, there’s so much to be done in Nigeria in terms of … so the market is huge and I’m looking forward to have influence over a younger generation because I know I have had a lot of support in my career so it’s my time to help somebody else.”
