Lai Mohammed, minister of
information and culture, says the decision to hand over the national theatre to
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the bankers’ committee is because the
federal government doesn’t have the required funds for its renovation.
Lai disclosed this during an
interview with Radio Nigeria on Thursday, which was monitored by NAN.
On July 12, the federal
government formally handed over the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, to the
CBN and the bankers’ committee for renovation.
The handover followed an approval
by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2019.
Speaking on the decision, the
minister said the mational theatre hadn’t benefitted from any major renovation
for over four decades.
“The handover of the national
theatre to the CBN is one of the many steps by government to reposition the
creative industry,” he said.
“For more than 43 years, there
has been really no serious renovation as a result of lack of fund by the
government and the edifice is in a sorry state.
“Several attempts to privatise or
concession the edifice either before or during my tenure as minister has
failed, and the truth of the matter is that government has no money to embark
on the renovation.
“Therefore, when the CBN made the
offer, we saw it as a golden opportunity to return the national theatre to its
glory days.”
He assured the management of the
national theatre and other stakeholders that the renovation will not lead to
job loss, noting that about 6,000 jobs would be created at the reconstruction
and revamping stages, while an additional 2,000 jobs would be provided when the
project is completed.
He also said the rehabilitation
of the national theatre would boost the potentials of the creative and
entertainment industry, as about 142 fallow hectares around the edifice would
go to the CBN and the banker’s committee
to construct Lagos creative and entertainment city, with film, music, fashion
and information technology (IT) hubs.
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