The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the ministry would engage indigenous artists in promoting the nation’s culture and creativity. He stated this during a meeting he had with representatives of the Artistes’ Village within the National Theatre complex in Lagos.

Mohammed said that everything about life revolves around creativity and that the village, being a home of culture and creativity, could not be neglected.

“The importance of culture and welfare of artistes has been in the forefront of the ministry. That is why I had to pay four visits to the village in seven months to brainstorm with stakeholders there and chart the way forward for the sector.

“The ministry is very passionate about the arts industry because it is important to change the old perception of being a fall-back for unserious persons. The artistes should not be seen as social misfits, “ he said.

The minister vowed to tackle the lingering crises among the artistes without prejudice or bias, a situation he said he inherited from past administrations.

“We will see how we can fast track this settlement; we will find something positive to engage artistes from the artistes’ village here and outside this settlement,’’ he said.

He also promised to facilitate effective communication between the ministry and the stakeholders in the artistes’ village to guard against rumour peddling.