The remodelling of the National Arts Theatre under the ‘Lagos Creative and Entertainment Centre’ scheme has commenced. The N21.3 billion remodelling project expected to be completed in the next 15 months will house the fashion, music, movies and IT hubs. The project is an initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-led Bankers’ Committee aimed at boosting the creative and IT sectors in the areas of job creation, capacity building and foreign exchange revenue generation.
The planned remodelling of the National Arts Theatre, an iconic asset in Nigeria, should excite anyone who has watched the dilapidation of the edifice for decades.
The asset has attracted the interest of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-led Bankers’ Committee and will soon get a new and befitting look with several expansions to meet the taste of a new era while giving a boost to the Nigerian creative industry.
Across Africa and in various parts of the globe, the Nigerian creative industries are well respected.
The sector is spurring innovation, creating jobs, increasing export revenues and helping to shape perceptions on the country, as a nation with a strong spirit of creativity and ingenuity.
The project remodelling will come in two phases, the first phases. The first phase of the project will require the restoration of key component parts of the edifice built in 1976 to ensure that the functionality of this iconic building is reinstated. The restored National Theatre will serve as the focus of a new Creative and Entertainment Centre.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele said the remodelling of the project would cost N21.3 billion, the funding provided by the Bankers’ Committee and completed in 15 months.
The scope of work will include the upgrade of the theatres (the Main Hall and Cinema Halls), the Conference and Banquet Halls, the Press Hall and Bar. Work to be executed also includes the installation of new seats, upgrade of sanitary facilities, installation of new lifts, acoustics and specialist lightings. The air-conditioning, general lighting, other power and plumbing will also be replaced or upgraded to international standards.
The second phase, Emefiele said, entails the creation of a detailed Master plan for the site adjourning the National Theatre, for the development of purpose-built clusters to provide best-in-class facilities for Nigeria’s Creative Industry (deemed the fastest growing in the world). The new centre will comprise hubs for the Fashion Industry, Music and Film Industries as well as an Information Technology (IT) hub.
Speaking during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the handing over of the National Arts Theater to the Bankers’ Committee by the Federal Government, in Lagos, Emefiele said the second phase of the project will also be awarded in the next few weeks, assuring that the entire projects will be inaugurated by President Mohammadu Buhari before leaving office in 2023.
Emefiele said the project would restore the glory of an iconic building by aligning most of the fabric and equipment and facilities in the building with the aesthetics of the 21st century.
He said the Bankers’ Committee would equally be funding a prototype cluster located to the north of the National Arts Theatre, labelled the “Signature Cluster” consisting of a building each for Music, Film, Fashion and Information Technology verticals.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the project was an opportunity to write Nigeria’s name in gold for the future generation. “What we are doing here today showed that when private and public enterprises partner, there is nothing that cannot be achieved,” he said.
Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said the National Theatre remodelling project was approved by the Federal Executive Council. He said for the Federal Government, the project was a win-win situation with several thousands of jobs to be created and investment opportunities for the economy.
Minister of Youth and Sports Sunday Dare said the project would make huge impact in the development of the Creative Industry and support Nigeria’s economic development.
Emefiele announced Cappa & D’Alberto Limited as the main contractor for the project. The Electrical Sub Contractor will be handled by Nairda Limited, while VACC Limited will be in charge of the Mechanical Sub Contractor.
He said the restoration and refurbishment of the National Arts Theatre would provide jobs for over 25,000 to 30,000 people.
He said the aim was to deliver a successful Creative and Entertainment city that will encourage additional investment into Nigeria’s creative industry.
A portion of the site has been earmarked for the construction of the “Signature Cluster”, which consists of one building each for Fashion, Music, Film and IT.
Each structure has been uniquely designed to function independently, yet co-dependently, providing the opportunity for extensive collaborations between the different creative communities.
Consequently, the 44 Hectare site adjourning the National Theatre will be developed and utilised for the development of purpose-built creative hubs for the Fashion Industry, Music and Film as well as Information Technology (IT).
The CBN and Lagos State government team had last year assessed the National Arts Theatre Lagos ahead of new investment plan.
Emefiele said building a hub around the theatre will benefit the youths that want to do fashion, movie, Information technology, and entertainment industry.
He said: “I can imagine what this place will look like in another two years. Every weekend if there will be something happening, it will boost the tourism potential of Lagos State and Nigeria. Nigerians go out to different seminars.”
Sanwo-Olu said the team had worked around the entire land area of the National Arts Theatre and had appreciate the extent of the asset conceived as a non-earning asset.
He said the president Mohammadu Buhari had given a go ahead to turn the dead asset into an income earning state of the art facility for the entertainment, fashion, music, technology, movies and an all-around creative hub.
He said the site would be made a tourism, technology and entertainment destination for the future where the youth of Nigeria can come and exhibit all their God given skills and talent and even be able to bring up new ones and turn it into a hub where all Nigerians can be truly proud of.
The Chairman of Body of Banks CEOs, Herbert Wigwe, said the project was in line with the Federal Government’s vision of lifting 100 million people out of poverty. He said the creative village would provide employment for at least a million Nigerians, who have skills in music, IT, movies, among others.
Wigwe, who is also the Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc, said the group is working with a body called Shared Agent Network Expansion Facility (SANEF), which is an institution that holds the interest of the entire banking.
How it all started/ project phases
The National Arts Theatre was completed in 1976 by the Olusegun Obasanjo military administration to host the largest the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77) in January 1977.
It subsequently hosted some of the biggest and best musical artistes from across the world. The stages were once the venue for world acclaimed theatre plays and dramas. In 1977, Stevie Wonder received his Grammy Award via satellite hook-up on the stage of the National Arts Theatre!
Today, the National edifice lies in Iganmu wasting away from decades of neglect. It is indeed very embarrassing that Nigeria; Africa’s largest economy, is no longer considered as the destination of choice for the various important entertainments, events and concerts being hosted in Africa, instead, countries such as Rwanda (Kigali Arena- the largest indoor arena in East Africa) and Ghana are usually the preferred.
The time right to bring our National monument, our National Heritage back to life. It is time to wake up and showcase our National Pride yet again after decades of neglect. To this end the Bankers’ Committee decided to fund the Restoration the National Arts Theatre to its iconic glory therefore repositioning Nigeria in its rightful place as far as Arts, culture and creative Industry is concerned. This is a Private-Public partnership between the Bankers’ committee and the Federal Government and Lagos State Government. In addition to this, a creative centre consisting of four Hubs is being built on the expanse of land around the National Theatre building.
The Lagos Creative and Entertainment Centre is an initiative of the Bankers’ Committee aimed at enabling the creative and IT sectors in the areas of job creation, capacity building and foreign exchange revenue generation. The National Theatre complex was identified as a viable location for the proposed city and is to house the Fashion, Music, Movies and IT Hubs.
The Master Plan implementation consists of the development of the Signature Cluster, which consists of a building each for Fashion, Music, Film and IT to be built alongside support facilities including multi-storey parking to accommodate an additional 500 cars (the National Theatre currently has dedicated parking for 250 cars), a police station, a fire station and a visitors’ Welcome Centre which will house commercial and retail facilities, administration and management offices amongst others.
According to the project managers, both phases will be connected by carefully curated soft and hard landscape areas as well as waterways, providing excellent semi and outdoor spaces for community use and entertainment, including an amphitheatre.
Lagos State government is an important partner in this endeavour. The state has committed to addressing the current water ponding and related environmental issues around the National Theatre and will work assiduously towards the completion of the light rail line which will serve the National Theatre and its environs, providing many more people quick and effective access to the facilities.
Having addressed the environmental challenges, new infrastructure (roads and services mains) will be installed, and the existing will be upgraded as part of the project scope. Bear in mind that there have been limited expansions to the infrastructure in over 45 years.
These projects will bring about huge benefits to all Nigerians alike, especially the youths who have shown more interest in the IT, Fashion and Entertainment creative industry.
