Business
CBN, Bank of Industry Partner with CEAN to stabilize Nigeria’s creative sector Post-Covid
In a bold and strategic move to rescue Nigeria’s creative industries from the lingering economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) have officially partnered with the Creative Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (CEAN) to design and implement a nationwide intervention targeting vulnerable creative businesses.
The collaboration, launched in mid-2022, marks a milestone in the recognition of Nigeria’s creative economy as a critical pillar of national development—and affirms CEAN’s position as a trusted stakeholder in industry policy and infrastructure development.
Responding to a Sector in Crisis
The partnership was galvanized by CEAN’s early post-pandemic whitepaper, “Creating Through Crisis: The Future of Nigerian Creativity Post-COVID,” which presented compelling data and policy recommendations that influenced federal strategy. While other sectors received initial support under the government’s economic recovery plans, it was CEAN’s persistent advocacy and detailed sector mapping that brought national attention to the creative industries’ urgent needs.
“From day one of the pandemic, we understood that Nigeria’s cultural workforce—millions strong—was at risk of collapse,” said Adebowale Ewedemi, CEAN founding executive and veteran media entrepreneur. “We didn’t just lobby for change; we brought the tools, the structure, and the roadmap.”
From Blueprint to Implementation
The result was a landmark intervention program backed by BOI and regulated by CBN, with CEAN serving as the official implementation partner. The program delivers targeted support to struggling sub-sectors including independent film, performance art, fashion, radio, music, design, and digital content production.
Highlights of the program include:
• Access to low-interest working capital for creative entrepreneurs
• Training grants and accelerator programs for skill development
• Support for studio and performance infrastructure
• Technical assistance for digital transformation and business retooling
CEAN’s nationwide rollout has seen the training of over 2,000 creative entrepreneurs, advisory support to more than 500 micro-businesses, and the establishment of regional Creative Recovery Hubs in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu.
Sustained Leadership in Nigeria’s Creative Economy
This intervention is only the latest in CEAN’s long record of national impact. During the peak of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the association served as a frontline support system—offering emergency relief, transitioning training programs online, and shaping portions of the Federal Government’s Survival Fund.
For more than a decade, CEAN has played a vital role in connecting Nigeria’s informal creative workforce to structured policy, funding, and formal economic opportunities. Through this work, the association—under Ewedemi’s leadership—has consistently introduced original models, innovative frameworks, and institutional partnerships that define sustainable creative sector governance in Africa.
Architects of a New Creative Economy
This partnership with CBN and BOI reflects a broader understanding that Nigeria’s future is tied to the creative ingenuity of its people—and that long-term development requires strategic institutions with deep insight, trust, and capacity.
“We’re proud to move beyond advocacy into implementation,” said Ewedemi. “This is not a moment—it’s a movement. We are helping to reshape the creative industry into a nationally recognized economic force.”
As the creative sector continues to recover and rebuild, CEAN remains committed to ensuring that no artist, content creator, or cultural innovator is left behind.
About CEAN
The Creative Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (CEAN) is a national platform committed to advancing the business of creativity through advocacy, education, access to finance, and sustainable ecosystem development. CEAN represents creative professionals across music, media, fashion, film, design, performance, literature, and emerging creative technologies.
About Adebowale Ewedemi
Adebowale Ewedemi is a leading media and cultural entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in broadcasting, creative industry leadership, and innovation policy. He is the founder of multiple FM radio stations in Nigeria and serves as Executive Director of CEAN, where he has led numerous national and international creative inte
Dangote Refinery has announced a nationwide petrol price cut, ahead of the launch of its direct fuel distribution initiative now set for Monday, September 15, 2025.
Originally scheduled for August 15, the initiative will see the $20 billion, 650,000 bpd refinery deliver petrol and diesel directly to consumers using 4,000 CNG trucks, with zero logistics cost.
Despite an ongoing dispute with NUPENG, Dangote Group released a fresh price template on its X account, confirming its gantry price remains N820 per litre.
Retail prices have dropped to N841 per litre in Lagos and the South-West (from N860), and N851 per litre in Abuja, South-South, and North Central states (from N885)—a reduction of N19 to N34 per litre, depending on the location.
The new prices apply only to MRS and Dangote’s official distribution partners, as independent marketers are not bound by the template.
Meanwhile, NUPENG has threatened a fresh strike, accusing Dangote of reneging on earlier agreements—a claim the company denies, affirming workers’ right to union membership.
Business
Dangote Refinery Mgt Says Workers Union Membership is Personal Choices
It urged NUPENG to focus on resolving its internal dispute with the Petrol Tanker Drivers unit rather than “embroiling the refinery in its conflicts.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has said membership of trade unions by its employees remains voluntary and not compulsory, in line with the Nigerian Constitution and International Labour Organisation conventions.
In a statement made available to Ohibaba.com, the company accused what it described as “distortions of facts” by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers concerning its trade relations with workers.
The refinery stressed that it does not interfere with or restrict employees’ right to freely join legally recognised unions.
“It is therefore misplaced to attribute responsibility to Dangote Petroleum Refinery for the personal choices made by drivers regarding union affiliation,” the company stated.
Dangote dismissed allegations that it forced drivers to sign contracts barring union membership, describing the claim as unfounded.
It urged NUPENG to focus on resolving its internal dispute with the Petrol Tanker Drivers unit rather than “embroiling the refinery in its conflicts.
”The company added that accusations of union suppression formed part of a broader attempt to undermine private sector progress.
Business
NUPENG Dangote Union Memberships Agreement Collapses: What Happened Again?
Akporeha alleged that within 48 hours, Dantata ordered drivers to strip NUPENG stickers from their vehicles and forcefully enter the refinery in violation of union loading procedures.
The agreement between the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has collapsed, and here’s why.
The confrontation follows allegations by NUPENG that the Dangote Group reneged on a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this week, under which the refinery agreed to allow tanker drivers and other workers to freely unionise.
On Thursday, NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, accused Sayyu Aliu Dantata, a cousin of Aliko Dangote and key player in the refinery’s trucking operations, of defying the resolution reached on September 9 at the Department of State Services headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting, mediated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, affirmed the rights of Petroleum Tanker Drivers under NUPENG to unionise. Representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, DSS, and other agencies witnessed the signing of the MoU.
But Akporeha alleged that within 48 hours, Dantata ordered drivers to strip NUPENG stickers from their vehicles and forcefully enter the refinery in violation of union loading procedures.
“Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata flew over them several times with his helicopter and then called the navy of the Federal Republic to come over ostensibly to crush the union officials. Our members are waiting for him and his agents to run them over,” Akporeha said in a statement.
The union condemned what it described as Dantata’s “impunity” and warned the Federal Government not to allow security agencies funded by taxpayers to be used against workers.
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