Veteran stand-up comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has decried the deliberate exclusion of the entertainment and creative industry from the government’s economic plans.

According to Ali Baba during a recent interview with Channels Television, Nigerian musicians have done more for national awareness than any of the country’s ambassadors.

He, however, lamented that despite the huge contributions of entertainers to the nation, the entertainment and creative industry was not part of the government’s economic plans.

In his words, “Two years ago, a forecast of the Nigerian economy in the next five years was looked into by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and the entertainment and creative industry was not considered.

“A booklet of about 200 pages was done and the creative industry was not considered. The value of the creative industry in Nigeria is beyond the country.”

He said further: “Burna Boy has done a lot more for the Nigerian national awareness than any ambassador that have been posted to America, the UK or any other place. So Nigerian artists are creating national awareness and making other countries to know about us than any ambassador would have done.”