Creatives in govt wield no power since their positions are just ceremonial– Ola Michael

MEDIA personality, Ola Michael, has expressed dissatisfaction at the role of creatives appointed to government and ministerial positions, stating that they are often ceremonial thus fail to drive policies and initiatives for industry growth.

To him, there was lack of genuine consideration for the industry's needs, emphasising that the appointments are often superficial gestures to appease rather than empower creatives.

Speaking recently on the Graphic Showbiz’s X Dialogue Series on the topic: Have creative players in political positions helped the industry? he said “Creatives’ positions have been ceremonial. They just create the space and give us the position to shut us up.

“They don't have plans for whoever they put there and the person doesn't have power to do anything meaningful. They (politicians) plan, make policies and impose it on us (creatives) without weighing how much impact it would make in the industry,” he said.

Ola Michael also emphasised that rather than creatives focusing on securing ministerial positions, they should prioritise gaining representation within government agencies, which serve as the engine room for impactful decisions.

“We creatives have been so relaxed and we don't seem to know where to position ourselves. We always think we need a ministerial position to be effective. What we need now is to position our people in the agencies which is the engine room to make impact.”

“We don't have the structures to move our industry and so whichever person is placed in the ministry can do very little. We need to get our people in the government agencies, that is the engine room where action takes place,” he added.