This year’s International Youth Day (IYD) themed ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World’ celebrated on Saturday, 12th August, has brought to the fore the issue of talent discovery and nurturing among young Nigerians for developmental purposes.

This has necessitated the use of viable platforms in entertainment (which encompasses music), technology, engineering, and creative arts among others, for the desired impacts, especially in entertainment which has huge involvement of the youth demographics.

Valued at approximately USD 29.86 Billion in 2022 and expected to reach USD 31.83 Billion in 2023 and USD 49.56 Billion by 2032, the entertainment industry market is characterised by vibrant and ever-evolving growth dynamics, with the emergence of streaming services and digital distribution platforms that has enhanced various leveraging opportunities by content creators to reach wider international audiences. This has led to a diverse range of content offerings and collaborations that have paved the way for musical reality shows where talents are harnessed for meaningful ventures.

A good example is the Rite Foods’ Bigi sponsored Nigerian Idol musical reality show, which has enabled young Nigerian singers to showcase their musical prowess, after series of audition stages, which leads to the theatre weeks and the real live shows that culminates into a winning process, with the winner clinching millions of naira and other fabulous prizes.

With thousands of participants for the audition and the selection process by the show’s judges, like in Seasons, 6,7 and 8, powered consecutively for three years by Rite Foods’ Bigi carbonated soft drink, where popular artistes like Simisola Bolatito Kosoko (Simi), and Oladapo Oyebanjo (D’Banj) and Obi Asika featured, after weeks of electrifying performances by the shortlisted contestants.

Through the award-winning Bigi CSD with its 13 unique variants, the Nigerian Idol Seasons 6, 7, and 8, sponsored by Bigi from the stable of Rite Foods, enjoyed the desired support by making the show bigger and more exciting. The brand also refreshed the contestants and the singers with the highest votes to stardom, as also acclaimed by the winning Idols.

On Bigi’s weight behind the shows, Rite Foods Managing Director, Seleem Adegunwa, affirmed that it is to make it better, and memorable, and to help discover and nurture young Nigerian singers for a better musical career to make the nation proud, anywhere they find themselves.

He said it is aimed at creating jobs because as they engage themselves in musical entertainment, they will get people involved in the process, thereby expanding opportunities for them to earn a living through what they do.

Through Bigi’s huge support, the shows were made better and the consumer-centric brand elevated the talented Balyesa-born singer, Kingdom Kroseide, to stardom as the winner, with the grand prize of N50, 000,000 (Fifty Million Naira), and other attractive benefits, while Progress Chukwuyem from Delta-State, and Victory Gbakara, both winners of Seasons 7 and 8 respectively, smiled home with the N100, 000, 000 (One Hundred Million Naira) worth of prizes and other packages, each.