"Capital City Comic Con", a vision for Nigerian cartoons

Abuja, the capital of Nigeria hosted its first edition of the 'Capital City Comic Con'. The initiative aims to put the comic book industry on orbit in the country.

For many, it's a gathering to celebrate comics, film and pop culture, a place where fans meet their favourite creators.

Artists say the first edition of the capital's comic con in Abuja provided an opportunity for creative minds to network and enhance their creative prowess.

Creative Art Studio host and boss Emmanuel John said it was an opportunity for illustrators to showcase and sell their work.

''It's an event that celebrates culture, animation, comics, dance and music. So we came to allow illustrators to exhibit their works and sell them,'' he added. For artist Sunday Johnson, the event ''should allow the sector to express itself more because the truth is that in Abuja, there are not many opportunities for those who do animation, comics, illustration and a whole bunch of other things, and those who do comics to show themselves more, so we are allowing them to manifest themselves.''

The creative art space in Nigeria explores the human minds and participation of young adults finding a place in society through creative art and media.

Some argue that art can help reshape the economy while promoting creativity.

According to comic book creator Eris Elkanem, art transcends what people understand.

"We need to look at art beyond mirrors on the wall, beyond paintings, but think about how people are using it today and adapting it to technology. So art is very important because we need it for advertising, for branding, for creating stories, for telling stories and in that way it is linked to the economy. If people consume art, it will thrive," she said.

Art lovers and industry experts have long spotted valuable ideas on how Nigeria could harness its thriving arts industry to generate more than $13 billion in annual revenue.