By Our Correspondents
Stanbic IBTC Holdings, a mem-ber of Standard Bank Group, in another wave of innovation, creativity, and youth expres-sion is set to unfold, officially returns with the highly antici-pated FUZE, its flagship youth empowerment platform built to spotlight the future of Nigerian talent.
Now in its fourth season, FUZE returns under a bold new theme: The Ultimate Show.
The 2025 edition promises a bigger stage, broader impact, and even more thrilling oppor-tunities for emerging stars across four creative categories: music, dance, fashion, and tech.
In the last edition, winners collectively shared a N50 mil-lion prize pool. This year鈥檚 edi-tion comes with a significant increase in reward, a total prize pool of N90 million, designed to accelerate winners鈥 dreams into tangible growth and long-term success.
With over 18,000 entries re-ceived since inception, FUZE has grown into one of the most dynamic youth platforms in Nigeria, serving not only as a showcase for talent but also as a launchpad for creative careers.
This year, the experience expands even further, blending competition with cultural sto-rytelling, collaborative perfor-mance, and immersive digital engagement.
Audiences and participants can expect to compete in a viral remix challenge, a story chal-lenge that redefines audience participation, and a show format inspired by global entertainment standards but deeply rooted in Nigeria鈥檚 vibrant youth expres-sion.
Speaking on the initiative, Olumide Oyetan, Chief Exec-utive, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, reaffirmed the or-ganisation鈥檚 long-standing com-mitment to supporting youth advancement in Nigeria.
Olumide said: 鈥淎t Stanbic IBTC, we remain steadfast in our commitment to initiatives that contribute meaningfully to Nigeria鈥檚 socio-economic devel-opment, especially through the empowerment of young people.
鈥淲e believe strongly in the transformative power of youth. This platform brings that belief to life by creating an environ-ment where talent is discovered, nurtured, and elevated into op-portunity.
FUZE Season 4 is a continu-ation of that purpose, and this edition promises to be our most impactful yet.鈥
Kunle Adedeji, Acting Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Hold-ings PLC, expressed excitement about the platform鈥檚 evolution:
Kunle noted: 鈥淔UZE has al-ways been more than just perfor-mance, it is about giving young people across Nigeria a credible, visible and powerful space to showcase who they are and what they can become. This season, we are doubling down on that prom-ise by expanding the format, the prize pool and the reach.鈥
To enter for this year鈥檚 talent show, participants are encour-aged to visit events.stanbicibtc. com, fill out the application form, upload a 1-minute video showcasing their talent in either music, fashion, dance or tech and submit to receive a unique ID via email.