Manoeuvring “Detty December”: How Sheye Banks Contributed to Professionalize Nigeria’s Creative Economy into a Global Commercial Season

Ayodeji Ake

What began as an informal end-of-year cultural surge has evolved into one of Africa’s most powerful creative-economic engines. Today, “Detty December” represents a convergence of music, media, tourism, and brand investment that generates significant commercial value for Nigeria’s entertainment sector. Central to the professionalization of this period is the work of Seyebomi Ogunsanya, popularly known as Sheye Banks, a Media Executive and Program Director at Soundcity Africa, whose strategic leadership helped transform a cultural moment into a commercially viable media season.

As Nigeria’s creative economy expanded, a critical challenge remained. How could the energy of Detty December be structured into an organized, monetizable ecosystem attractive to brands, investors, and global audiences? Ogunsanya played a pivotal role in addressing this gap by aligning broadcast media, artist promotion, branded content, and experiential programming into a cohesive seasonal framework.

Through Soundcity’s programming and campaign strategy, Ogunsanya helped formalize Detty December as a predictable media calendar event, offering structured visibility for artists, sponsors, and international audiences. By curating targeted content schedules, spotlighting emerging and established acts, and coordinating cross-platform amplification, he enabled stakeholders to plan investments with greater commercial certainty and measurable returns.

Industry observers note that Ogunsanya redefined the role of radio during the festive period. Rather than serving as a passive promotional tool, radio under his leadership functioned as an active economic catalyst, integrating on-air content with digital campaigns, live events, and tourism-driven narratives. This approach increased audience engagement while extending the commercial lifespan of creative content beyond the holiday season itself.

Equally significant was his contribution to professionalizing creative participation. By advocating structured collaborations between artists, promoters, media platforms, and corporate sponsors, he helped elevate standards around sponsorship integration, content delivery, and media valuation. These efforts empowered creatives to negotiate partnerships more effectively and positioned Nigerian entertainment as a credible investment channel for multinational brands.

The commercial ripple effects of this approach have been substantial. Detty December now attracts diaspora audiences, international media attention, and foreign capital, reinforcing Nigeria’s position as a regional cultural and economic hub. Analysts increasingly cite the season as an example of how strategic media leadership can convert cultural momentum into sustainable economic growth.

In helping shape Detty December into a structured creative-economic season, Sheye Banks demonstrated how media innovation can professionalize culture without compromising authenticity. His work offers a blueprint for scaling African creative industries in a way that is commercially viable, globally competitive, and structurally sustainable.