Munirat Antoinette Lecky (Anto Lecky) is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur, media personality, educationist, and humanitarian. She currently serves as Special Assistant on Digital and New Media to Nigeria’s Minister of Steel Development and Senior Special Assistant to the Edo State Governor on Tourism and Creative Economy. Anto first gained public recognition as a semi-finalist on Big Brother Naija Season 3, before building a career in entertainment, governance, and social impact. She has held leadership roles with the Continental Basketball League, ElectHER, and Kunle Afolayan Productions Academy, while also acting, hosting, and influencing major brands. Anto holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Central Florida, and an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from ISCOM University, Benin Republic. Her contributions have earned her numerous awards, including recognition by UN Women, Focus Africa’s 100 Leading Women, and The Peak Performer’s 100 Under 40 Inspiring Young Africans. In this interview with KENNETH ATHEKAME, she discussed the return of the stolen Benin Bronzes, the upcoming museum openings, the future of Nigeria’s creative industry, among other issues. Excerpts:
You’ve had a diverse career spanning sports, entertainment, advocacy, and governance. How have these experiences shaped your vision for tourism and the creative economy in Edo State?
My experiences give me the edge of how to interact with the different players in the tourism and creative economy. Governments have ministries and agencies that manage arts, culture, tourism, etc. While governments have their mandate, they partner with private entities to bring their funds and expertise to promote sports and entertainment. As an advocate, I have a pretty good sense of what citizens and tourists are interested in. So, my goal for Edo state is to be the perfect medium for all people and institutions interested in tourism. I plan to market my state while collaborating with private companies and pushing the interests of advocates. For example, beyond arts and culture, we have eco-tourism, sustainable tourism, volunteer tourism, etc. We can do all these things in Edo state which will help us reach the SDG goals of advocacy.
As an Auchi indigene, what personal connection do you have to Edo State’s cultural heritage, and how will that influence your work in this new role?
Currently, most people only know about Benin Kingdom when it comes to Edo State. All Edo people are descendents of the Benin Kingdom but Auchi has its own culture; so, I’m very excited for the opportunity to expose the world to the other cultures that make up the state. Some may see Edo State as a small state but we have at least 17 languages and even more dialects. Almost every community speaks their own language. Each clan has their own fabric materials and cultural festivals. I hope to share all this rich information with the world.
With the return of the stolen Benin Bronzes and the upcoming museum openings, Edo State is at a cultural crossroads. How do you plan to leverage these developments to boost tourism?
New York Times has listed Edo State as one of the top tourist destinations of 2025. It’s a great honour but also puts us under a lot of pressure. But we are up for it! The Museum of West African Arts is opening in November. The Benin Royal Museum is also in the works and will house these returned bronze. Since we will be having these great historical archives of our culture, we know need to build the entire tourism ecosystem. We need to revitalise other existing tourist sites. We need to retrain and upskill the people working in the hospitality industry. We need to improve our transportation services. We know what we need to do and we are working towards it.
The creative industry is one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing sectors. What specific opportunities do you see for Edo State creatives, artists, filmmakers, designers to compete on a global scale?
There is no creative or entertainment industry in Nigeria without Edo State. Some of the best entertainers in Nigeria are from the state; in music – Rema, Shallipopi, Davido (mother), Burna Boy (mother), in film Daniel EffiongToyin Abraham, Lancelot Imasuen, Mercy Aigbe, Nosa Rex, Nancy Isime, Jemima Osunde, and more. We still have guilds that existed during the Great Benin era – bronze, metal, and woodwork. So, we have it all, we just need to find opportunities for our creatives to showcase their talents to the world. Thankfully with the internet, you can be anywhere and talk to anyone. We mustn’t believe that our only potential clients are in Edo or Nigeria; there are billions of people on Earth who can benefit from our creativity. We will find opportunities for creatives to present their craft, either by inviting people to the state to see them or partnering with private entities to take them to the world.
How do you plan to create linkages between Edo’s creative talent and international markets?
Luckily for us, Edolites are all over the world! We plan to connect with our diasporans to be our “brand ambassadors”. We are also lucky that many people around the world already know a little bit about the Benin Bronzes and the Queen Idia mask, so we will build on that, promoting our culture and creativity to people who are already interested. We will aim to attend international culture and tourism events to showcase our creative talent. And of course, the international market is at our fingertips due to the internet. We plan to make the most use of social media to connect with new audiences.
Your work with the first private basketball league and the athleisure brand bridged sports and lifestyle. How can cross-sector collaboration fuel growth in the creative economy?
In Nigeria, sports is often only seen as exercise or a hobby, but it is more than a billion-dollar industry. A sports team is just like any other private company, meaning there are opportunities for creatives in the media space, writers, designers, photographers, web developers, etc. Expanding beyond sports, brands now want to seem “cool”, want to relate to a more youthful audience, this allows for growth in the creative economy, because young creative minds will be needed to draw up the campaigns catered to fellow youths.
As Programme Manager at the Kunle Afolayan Productions Film Academy, what insights did you gain about training and capacity building that you can apply to Edo’s creative ecosystem?
Many people are skilled but are not up to date on current trends. This is why people just unlearn and relearn, people must upskill. Creatives also believe that their skill is enough, without having business skills. This is what today’s capacity building must teach; people need to learn both the hard and soft skills. While becoming an expert in your craft, people need to learn marketing, communication, customer service, tolerance, etc.
You’ve worked with airlines, tourism commissions, and travel agencies. What practical steps can Edo take to become a leading tourism destination in Nigeria?
Edo State primary job when it comes to becoming a leading tourism destination in Nigeria is to change the unfortunate stereotype, the negative narrative that people have about the state and how we can do that, one, by actually working on our security infrastructure. We do know that we have some security issues so we have to work on that and then working directly with Media both traditional and digital media to change the narrative. This includes working with NUJ our journalists, to tell some of our better stories and also to use digital and social media to produce films and content that people all over the world can see to get a better idea of what Edo State is all about
How do you see digital media influencing tourism promotion for Edo State, especially in reaching diaspora audiences?
Digital media is the primary tool that will influence tourism promotion for Edo state almost everyone has a smart phone and watching videos on YouTube Instagram TikTok so that is how we’ll be able to reach audiences. Most people today that know anything about state, it is from the social media, either from watching a TikTok video of someone talking about the Benin Moat or even seeing the Benin bronze in the The Wakanda Film.
What role can government policy play in supporting creatives and tourism operators in Edo State?
The state is currently working on an entertainment/creative policy to provide structure for creatives. Policies can support creatives by preserving their intellectual property, issuing certificates of operation, regulating operators to provide the best services to customers and tourists, reducing illegal practices like piracy and breach of contracts. The goal of the government is to promote and preserve culture while providing a conducive environment for culture lovers, creative players, and private investments.
As SSA on Tourism & Creative Economy, what will be your top three priorities in the first year?
I called this my R&D phase, my research and development phase. number one I plan to research and familiarise myself with the tourism destinations and creative opportunities in the state. Number two, I plan to connect with industry experts and creatives in the industry who are doing great and may need just a bit more support and number three finalize my plan on how to Promote Edo state of the world.
Given your work at ElectHER, how will you ensure women and youths are active participants and beneficiaries in Edo’s creative economy? Are there mentorship or funding programmes in the pipeline to nurture new creative entrepreneurs?
Edo State Government already offers some trainings and engagements for creatives; we hope to take this up a notch with more in depth trainings, mentorship opportunities, exchange programs, and funding opportunities. Hoping we can collaborate with private entities and other states and countries to make this a reality.
Where do you see Edo State’s tourism and creative economy in the next five years?
I see Edo State as a known tourism destination for those interested in cultural, heritage, and eco-tourism. For the creative space, I envision creatives being emboldened; exploring their talents and having hope that they can be successful in the state.
What would success in this role look like for you personally and for the state?
Success to me personally would be promotions, more and more positions within Nigeria and internationally to promote the Nigerian cause and a greater Africa. I would love to make it to a big director role on the federal level and I wouldn’t mind also working for an international NGO. For Edo state, I would love people to know that we do have tourism. Today, the average Edo person does not believe we even have tourism in the state so I want people of the state, of the country, of the continent, of the world, to know that Edo state is a tourism destination, and they should come and visit.
