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Edo State Governor Obaseki begins construction of 6,000-capacity arena named after Rema

Godwin Obaseki, the governor of Edo, has begun the construction of a 6000-capacity arena named ‘Rema Dome’ in the state

The groundbreaking event was held on Wednesday. The arena is located at the former Garrick Memorial School Ground, Ekehaun Road, Benin City.

The Afrobeats singer, who is in Benin for his homecoming concert at the Ogbe Stadium, joined Obaseki for the groundbreaking ceremony.

Rema, while laying the first block, lauded the state government for its “giant strides, zeal, and growth”. He also promised to support the completion of the project.

“To be at this point, I am very proud of Edo State. I am proud of the growth. I am proud of the togetherness, I am proud of the zeal to make it greater, and I am proud of the passion,” he said.

“I am proud of the youths and ready to take part in anything that will give drive to the youths, strengthen and motivate them. This is a blessing and I will see to it that this project is finished well.”

On his part, Obaseki disclosed that the building will sit on a 5-hectare of land. He said aside from concerts, the arena will serve different purposes like conferences and symposiums.

The governor added that ‘Rema Dome’ will “create employment opportunities for our youths”.

“It was a pleasure to have our global music icon, @heisrema, join me in performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the 6,000-capacity Edo Arena. The arena, which will be called ‘Rema Dome, is located at the former Garrick Memorial School Ground on Ekenhuan Road in the state capital,” Obaseki wrote.

“This site, which spans about 5 hectares of land, is envisioned as an entertainment hub that will host a wide range of events-from concerts and national conferences to symposiums and other large gatherings.

“This arena will attract more visitors to the state, allowing them to experience our rich culture and what we have to offer, which will create employment opportunities for our youths.

“Special thanks to our Afrobeats superstar for being a part of this event. With someone of the calibre and fame of @heisrema associated with the arena, it automatically becomes a global project.”

he 24-year-old singer also visited the palace of the Oba of Benin where he was presented with a figurine which is a replica of a Benin royalty.

Born Divine Ikubor, Rema signed with D’Prince’s Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records, in 2019.

Since then, he has become one of the leading figures in the music industry.

He won ‘Best Male Artiste’ and ‘Digital Artiste Of The Year’ at the 16th Headies.

In December 2023, Spotify recognised him as one of the most exported artistes who dominated the year’s charts in sub-Saharan Africa.

His sophomore album ‘Heis‘ set the record for the biggest first-week streams on Spotify Nigeria in 2024.