At the centre of this slow-burning crisis is the most critical component of entertainment—the media pipeline.
The structure that should amplify new music, spotlight young stars, document cultural milestones, and shape the narrative of our creative scene has become the very reason our talents remain obscure.
THE REAL PROBLEM: A BROKEN AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM
Every functioning entertainment industry has a backbone made up of radio stations, TV houses, presenters, On-Air Personalities (OAPs), bloggers, DJs, and event media teams. These are the people who create visibility, build familiarity, and ensure the public feels connected to a talent or song.
In Lagos, the entertainment engine runs because the ecosystem is interconnected—DJs spin local artists, OAPs interview upcoming talents, bloggers publish stories about local movements, and TV showcases help amplify rising stars.
But in Ibadan, despite being the city with the highest number of radio stations in Nigeria, the purpose of these stations has become almost completely disconnected from the local creative industry. Instead of building our own, many stations operate solely as relays for Lagos content—Lagos news, Lagos stories, and Lagos artists.
The result?
A generation of young listeners who truly believe Ibadan has no artists, only influencers, content creators, and comedians.
This misconception exists not because Ibadan lacks talent, but because the media has refused to make these talents visible.
THE DAVIDO '5IVE TOUR' INCIDENT: A REVELATION
Recently, we began witnessing a push in the right direction. Davido’s “5ive Tour” showcased several Ibadan artists—an opportunity that should have changed lives.
But it didn’t.
And the reason is simple.
As one of the performers, Keanzo, said:
> “We had 6–7 Ibadan artists perform at Davido’s show, yet not one of our songs was a crowd sing-along. Why?
Because love disappeared — and love is the foundation of any industry.”
This wasn’t just an emotional statement—it was the purest truth.
No matter how talented an artist is, the audience cannot sing along to a song they have never heard. And they have never heard it because the radio stations, DJs, OAPs, and entertainment shows that should push these talents into the ears and hearts of the city are not doing it.
What we saw at the Davido concert was not a lack of talent.
It was the exposure of a broken support system.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS DOING THE WORK THE INDUSTRY REFUSES TO DO
New cats like King Soundbio, who many now celebrate, did not rise because the local DJs championed them or because Ibadan media embraced them.
They rose because of:
consistent social media marketing,
a solid online presence, and
support from larger mainstream platforms outside Ibadan.
This proves something essential:
The talent pipeline in Ibadan is not weak—the amplification pipeline is.
We are losing talents not because they lack skill, but because they lack opportunity, visibility, and media love.
THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS PROBLEM
Another painful reality is how entertainment news is curated in Ibadan.
Radio stations run full shows covering Lagos artists, Lagos beef, Lagos album drops, Lagos record deals, Lagos events—even when nothing major happens in the city.
Meanwhile:
A young Ibadan artist releases a new EP? Silence.
A creative company hosts a major event? Barely mentioned.
A local talent signs a meaningful deal? No airplay.
A community festival draws thousands? No media follow-up.
When Ibadan entertainment events do make it to radio, the coverage is often shallow, rushed, and overshadowed by stories from Lagos.
This is how an industry kills its own culture.
THE DOCUMENTATION PROBLEM — DJ SCOPEMEN RAISES A CRITICAL POINT
Today I received a call from DJ Scopemen, and what he said was deeply instructive. He pointed out a silent but deadly issue affecting our events:
there is little to no documentation.
Events happen, people come, money is spent, hard work is done — but after the night ends, there is no story, no photos, no write-up, no blog article, no Google presence, no digital memory.
He told me he needed my blog to cover his event, SLIC, because:
events need to be documented
stories need to be archived
brands need digital footprints
future fans need something to search for
He was right.
No entertainment industry can grow without documentation.
No artist can be remembered if their milestones vanish the next day.
No event can build equity if there is no record of its existence.
In Lagos, small events get media attention.
In Ibadan, even big events disappear like smoke the moment the speakers go off.
This is one of the greatest tragedies of the Oyo entertainment scene.
THE CULTURAL CONSEQUENCE
Because we do not tell our stories:
our artists remain unknown
our events die quickly
our DJs stay under-recognized
our producers are invisible
our entertainment brands lack identity
our history as a creative city is erased
Instead of telling the Ibadan story, we retell the Lagos story every day—and this is why the audience believes nothing is happening in Oyo State.
The world cannot celebrate what we refuse to document.
The people cannot love what the media refuses to play.
The audience cannot know talents whose existence is never highlighted.
THE WAY FORWARD
If Ibadan wants to reclaim its place as a cultural giant:
1. Radio stations must deliberately create space for local artists.
2. DJs must spin Ibadan music consistently—not once in a while.
3. OAPs must champion the development homegrown talents.
4. Media houses must document events and publish stories.
5. Blogs and digital platforms must highlight local achievements.
6. Event organisers must partner media teams for proper coverage.
The industry will not grow by shouting “support local artists.”
It will grow when we show local artists.
CONCLUSION
Ibadan is rich in talent.
What we lack is a functioning structure of love, support, documentation, and amplification.
Until we fix the media ecosystem, our artists will continue to remain unseen, our events unrecognized, and our creative culture undervalued.
The truth is simple:
Ibadan does not lack stars. Ibadan lacks storytellers.
And until we begin to tell our own stories, we will continue to watch other cities tell theirs louder.
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