Moribund National Theatre at Iganmu, Lagos State, is now poised to be renovated, as the Federal Government has handed it to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Bankers’ Committee for a major facelift.
During the handover ceremony, which was attended by dignitaries, including the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the National Arts Theatre, when renovated and fully operational, would lead to the build-up of a more resilient economy.
According to him, the project would create no less than one million jobs in the next five years.
Emefiele said after the completion of the renovation works at the National Arts Theatre, along with the supporting facilities that would be built around it, the banking sector intended to set up similar creative industries centres in Kano, Port Harcourt or Enugu.
He added that the supporting facilities include a hotel and an expansive conference centre.
His words; “Our goal for the National Theatre is to create an environment where startups and existing businesses are rewarded for their creativity.
“The National Theatre, when fully renovated, will be able to support skills acquisition and job creation for over one million Nigerians over the next five years.
“These Nigerians will be empowered with funds at single-digit interest rate, high-level training, using state-of-the-art tools and networks that will enable them to turn their ideas into reality.
“When they are able to achieve their objective of creating a new music product, a high-quality movie, an IT software application, or a fashionable outfit, the Bankers’ Committee will work to ensure that they are able to distribute their work on a larger scale.”
This is however the second time in less than a year that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will handover the National Arts Theatre to CBN and the Bankers’ Committee for development.
