TheCable

As part of investments of the Lagos state government not just in the city but in the “hearts and minds” of Lagosians, the project working committee of the Spirit of Lagos (SOL) has invited residents of the state to participate in the “Spirit of Lagos Theme Song Competition”.

At a press conference on Friday at Freedom Park, general counsel to the governor of Lagos state, Oyinkan Adesanya, highlighted the essence of the Spirit of Lagos Project.

“What we are trying to do is to help bring back this love for Lagos that we all have,” she said.

“We want to try and translate it into tangible things that each and every one of us can do. We want to change people’s thinking and revive the spirit of responsibility and ownership.”

Olaniyi Omotosho, the project director, said the theme song competition was conceived to engage Lagosians and create an avenue for musical talent to thrive by sparking deep thoughts and conversations around the values of the project.

He declared the competition open to every citizen of the state with a minimum of six months residency.

“The song contest is aimed at discovering the enormous talents in Lagos state,” he said.

“It will be a rallying point for Lagosians to promote the values of the Spirit of Lagos, which embodies social justice, civic responsibility, citizenship and good neighbourliness.”

The winner of the contest would be rewarded with N500,000, a recording contract, an opportunity to be an SOL ambassador and a chance to perform the song live at the Governor’s Ball, which would hold later in the year.

The first and second runners-up will receive N200,000 and N100,000 respectively, while the song with the highest number of votes would also be rewarded with N50,000.

Entries can span any language or blend of languages, but are expected to be challenging, inspiring, and capable of elevating the residents of Lagos to good citizenship while reflecting the core values of the spirit of Lagos.

Entries can be in form of audio or video of 2-3 minutes but must be novel. The competition opens midnight Monday September 1 and closes on September 26. Entries can be submitted online at www.facebook.com/spiritoflagos or sent as CD/DVD in an envelope addressed to Spirit of Lagos song competition, 2 Abieyuwa Amadasun Street, off Oduduwa Way, Ikeja GRA; or Spirit of Lagos Song Competition, 26A Babatope Bejide Street, Off Emma Abimbola Cole street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

Entries must include First name, surname, a mobile number and a Lagos address.

Voting would be done in two via general voting and panel voting.

“The selection of the winning song will be presided over by a panel of judges, consisting of artistes and record label owners. Each song will be judged on creativity, originality, message content, balance, blend and overall acceptability,” Omotosho added.

Also in Attendance was The Guardian columnist and music don, Benson Idonije, who spoke about the Lagos of his childhood and also applauded the project while reiterating his love for music.