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The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has highlighted the growing contribution of content creators and storytellers to the state’s cultural identity, business development and economic growth.
Hamzat, who spoke at PodFest Naija 2026, urged creators to move beyond building personal brands to establishing sustainable businesses through intellectual property protection, viable business models and audience monetisation.
The convener of PodFest Naija, Tosin Adefeko, disclosed this in a statement reflecting on the Deputy Governor’s keynote address at the event.
According to Adefeko, Hamzat connected storytelling with Lagos’ cultural influence, technology, entrepreneurship and economic opportunities, stressing that creators are increasingly shaping how the state is perceived locally and globally.
She said the Deputy Governor recognised that podcasters, filmmakers, musicians, writers, designers, developers and entrepreneurs were not merely producing content but contributing to the development of culture and the creative economy.
Adefeko quoted Hamzat as emphasising the need for creators to “build businesses, not just brands,” noting that visibility and popularity must translate into sustainable economic value.
She said the message was particularly relevant to emerging creators, who must understand the difference between building an audience and creating long-term business assets.
“Protect your intellectual property. Build structures around your work. Understand your business model. Turn audiences into revenue,” she said, recounting the central message of the keynote.
Adefeko also addressed the Deputy Governor’s comment about Lagos traffic, which attracted attention during and after the event.
She explained that the remark was made in the context of the large audience available to digital content creators through the state’s long commuting hours, with residents consuming podcasts, music and other digital content while travelling between locations such as Ojota and Obalende or crossing the Third Mainland Bridge.
According to her, the reaction to the comment demonstrated how a single soundbite could overshadow the broader message of a speech.
She noted that public figures needed to pay greater attention to message development, particularly in politically sensitive environments where individual statements could be separated from their original context and amplified.
However, Adefeko said the more significant takeaway from the Deputy Governor’s address was the recognition of creators as contributors to the economy rather than merely entertainers.
She said the keynote brought discussions around culture, technology, investment, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, employment and infrastructure into the same conversation as government policy and business.
“This is fundamentally what PodFest has always been about: creating a space where storytellers, creators, brands, policymakers and ordinary citizens can occupy the same conversation,” she said.
Adefeko disclosed that the 2026 edition brought together more than 50 accomplished storytellers and over 3,000 attendees, alongside brands, partners and members of the public.
She said the platform was designed to connect digital creators with their audiences in person while providing opportunities for learning, collaboration, networking and business development.
According to her, the event has continued to create a community for people who produce content independently, build online audiences and tell stories from their everyday experiences.
Adefeko described Hamzat’s participation as significant, saying it demonstrated growing recognition of the creative economy as an important part of Lagos’ development.
She added that the conversation at PodFest Naija 2026 went beyond the viral moment surrounding the Deputy Governor’s remarks to the broader economic and cultural contributions of Nigeria’s creative community.
