The teeming youth were in their best dresses: street wear, designer wear, sneakers, shade to cover their face from the Lagos end of the year sun. The DJ was on deck, likewise activities were on at the basketball court. It was a potpourri of activities at Oriental Hotels, it was the third edition of the largest youth oriented gathering in Lagos. It’s called Sneaker Fest.

The annual event which began in year 2020 has seen the crowd increases each year, as the years goes on, more celebrities show up at SneakerFest, from Nollywood actors and actresses to Afrobeats hitmakers, comedians, hypemen and industry players are not left out of this fun seeking event.

According to Worldometer (a statistics body), Nigeria currently has a population of more than 217million citizens. More than seventy per cent of this population are the youth. There is a large chunk of inactive youth who are looking for ways to be unbored, show their skill, exhibit their talent, connect with the right system and in a way add value to the society. An event like Sneaker Fest has been able to give them that opportunity.

SneakerFest was founded by Ikemesit Nkereuwem-Tim, a sneaker lover, a former motor rider with an expansive experience in broadcast and print journalism, copyrighting and UK Higher Education recruitment. After his retirement from Motorsport, Ikemesit Nkereuwem-Tim expended more of his time into the promotion of sneaker culture in Nigeria.

SneakerFest has been a pristine celebration of sneaker culture, fashion, art, music, sports, and empowerment with events like Basketball Slam Dunk Contests and 3-Point Shootout where the winner went home with N300,000. On the entertainment arc of the event, there is Rap Battles Extravaganza and Dance Battle Showdown where each winner also goes home with N300,000. Sneakers lovers also have the opportunity of showcasing their wears at the Fashion Runaway while the participants could also win exciting prizes at the raffle draw and giveaways.

An event like SneakerFest has not gone unnoticed by corporate bodies, media houses and government agencies. Nike, one of the world’s luxury brands, was the headlining sponsor in the 2023 edition of the event. Pulse NG, Silverbird Television and Zikoko media all offered media support.

While the plan for the 2024 edition of SneakerFest is on, the last three editions of the event makes the participants long for more and there is no doubt that the organisers are all out to level up their game. From self funding and now with a minor external support, Ikemesit Nkereuwem-Tim has been able to contribute his little quota to the development of the country through this youth empowerment event.

From Fashion, Basketball, Music and more, Ikemesit Nkereuwem-Tim has given the Nigerian youth a means of expression, a way of connecting within the right ecosystem. What more can they ask for? Perhaps, a replication of these ventures in more cities in Nigeria, more government and corporate bodies support, till that happens, I think the organizer of Sneaker Fest deserves all the praises and support they can get.