Madhouse: UNILAG Alumnus Returns to Empower the Next Generation of Nigerian Creatives

By Daniel Nnam, Haneef Olawepo, Doreen Austins, Goodness Sunday, and Oluchi Chukwuma.

In a bold bid to revolutionise the Nigerian creative industry, Madhouse by Tikera Africa was founded by Bayo Omoboriowo, an alumnus of the University of Lagos. It is the nation’s first-ever purpose-built creative incubator. Officially launched on December 15, 2023, Madhouse combines cutting-edge infrastructure, mentorship, and a thriving community to nurture the next generation of Nigerian creatives. 

“Creativity has not been celebrated as it should be in this part of the world,” Omoboriowo stated. “And creatives have not been given their due respects in their craft. So we wanted to create something that earns them respect.”

As this dream to build something worthwhile for the Nigerian creatives was eventually brought to reality, Omoboriowo was proud to have received the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, who made an unplanned visit on October 30, 2023, during his 2-day working visit to Nigeria. 

“That is a testament that we have done something good and beyond infrastructure, of course,” he noted.

Omoboriowo’s journey to becoming a creative powerhouse began unexpectedly as a chemistry student at the University of Lagos. In his second year, he discovered photography and started taking pictures of his friends and members of his school fellowship. What began as a hobby quickly grew into a passion, and by his third year, he realised that his love for photography far outweighed his interest in chemistry. This passion solidified during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) days, where he worked as a teacher. Then, it became apparent that he would spend the next phase of his life empowering others to pursue their creative careers.

When the time was finally right to give the vision of Madhouse a physical home, choosing Unilag was a no-brainer. Interestingly, Omoboriowo’s background is deeply rooted in Unilag. His entire education, from Nursery to Postgraduate studies, was within the four walls of the University.

“The University Of Lagos taught me and helped me find me, and that has been a cardinal pillar of who I am today,” he shared.

Furthermore, the University of Lagos has been at the heart of everything Madhouse has done. The programs they have designed have empowered many students and impacted his alma mater.  

For instance, he pointed out that students had the opportunity to receive training at a program organised by the VFD group, and while they learned, they were paid incentives.

“We’ve sent University of Lagos students to the VFD group, where they were paid just to learn. For the first time, students were paid to learn.” 

One of the program’s beneficiaries returned to share how she bought a machine to start a shoemaking business.  

In October, two Unilag students participated in the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND), the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) flagship initiative. During this four-day event, the students interacted with various art pieces and their creators from several African countries, such as South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, and Rwanda. They also exhibited and sold their artwork to an international audience in Algeria and will receive certifications for participation.

While the team at Madhouse is proud of their achievements, they believe there is still more ground to cover. They are working hard to expand their reach and impact across Nigeria and Africa, designing programs to invite international experts to teach the art and the business of creativity.

Omoboriowo looks forward to a future in which Nigeria’s creative and cultural ecosystem is developed and an average creative can make a decent living from their practice. 

“That’s what our goal is,” he emphasised. “Not where artwork is sold in traffic or where creatives are at bus stops. No, they deserve to earn a decent living,”