The Lagos State government has said it will henceforth sponsor FESTAC Music Festival which was initiated by the late singer and songwriter, Olanrewaju Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan.
Sound Sultan died on July 11, 2021, at the age of 44 after battling Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma.
Speaking at the third edition of the FESTAC Music Festival and the first held after the singer’s death, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Solomon Bonu, said the singer’s vision of raising young talents will be kept alive.
He added that the state saw the need to support the vision, through a company in which he has equity – Naija Ninja Production, to develop more creative minds and take interested youths off the streets.
He informed participants at the event that FESTAC Music Festival, supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, will hold annually for four days every December.
The Festival Director and Chief Executive of Naija Ninja Production, Mr Dare Fasasi, popularly known as Baba Dee, who is Sound Sultan’s elder brother, thanked the state government for the recognition accorded the festival in furtherance of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision to enhance the skills of young, creative and talented Lagosians.
Fasasi noted that the Festac Music Festival was held as a tribute to the late Sound Sultan, featuring top Nigerian entertainers łike Kenny Blaq, Vector, Jaywon, Tome, Faze and a host of other musicians.
FESTAC Music Festival is tailored after the Black Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77) and it is held annually at FESTAC Town with support from Amuwo-Odofin Local Government as well as some private organisations