An Artist, Dr Benjamin Ejiohuo, has called on the Rivers State House of Assembly to pass a law that will compel every public building to paste a piece of art work on their wall.
Making the call in an exclusive interview in Port Harcourt, as part of activities marking his Art exhibition and book launch scheduled to hold on the 15th of May, 2022, he said the proposal will help to boost patronage for art works in the State.
Noting that presently, patronage of art works is low in Rivers State, Ejiohuo said, that was why most creators of art works had left the State to Lagos and Abuja, where there is high patronage.
“As a Rivers man I’ve decided not to run to anywhere. If the government can empower people like me, I will use the knowledge acquired in creative works to empower many youths”, he said.
Creative works of arts, he said, are one of the surest way of creating empowerment in the society.
“The government knows what to do, but has refused to do it. They should empower the artists to teach that knowledge to youths. Government knows how to solve the problem,” he said.
Dr Ejiohuo explained that he has been in the art business for 20 years, noting that he has held several shows in the State.
While stressing the need for Rivers people to increase their patronage of art works, he said that most executives of artists have moved from Rivers State to Lagos and Abuja, resulting in thousands of job losts to the State.
Speaking of the advantages of the arts industry, he said the industry can be used to reduce unemployment in the society as well as curb the incidence of waste pollution.
Ejiohuo said the forth-coming art exhibition schedulled for the 15th of May 2022, which will also feature book launch, will showcase the place of arts in societal development.
According to him, over a hundred invites have been sent out, adding that a lot of dignitaries, including academics, traditional rulers, and others are expected to grace the event.