Bankers’ committee: Revamped National Theatre is world-class… it’ll be unveiled soon

The bankers’ committee says the renovation and restoration of the National Theatre, Lagos, is close to completion.

The iconic monument, when reopened, is expected to boost Nigeria’s arts and culture industry and create employment opportunities.

Abubakar Suleiman, chief executive officer of Sterling Bank and member of the bankers’ committee, spoke on Wednesday during a tour of the facility.

The National Theatre was recently renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.

Suleiman said the restoration project demonstrates the power of collaboration between government and the private sector.

He said the project is expected to inspire Nigerians to dream big and showcase the country’s potential to the world.

“The National Theatre, which represents one of our highest points in terms of ambition as it relates to the country presenting itself to the world, had been left in a state of disrepair,” he said.

“We committed to bring it back to a world-class standard, and this would arguably be one of the most complex and most successful projects of that nature.

“This is putting culture back on the map in a big way. It’s not just the theatre, this is one of the biggest and most complex events that you can have in this country, and we’ll be unveiling it to the public very soon.

“As you’ve seen, this is one of the largest-scale projects of this type anywhere on the continent, and the standard to which it has been restored is global.

“There is nothing here that is substandard, that is below what you see anywhere else in the world. And it’s nice to be able to say to people around the world and Nigerians, come here and see what we can do. This will inspire Nigerians to dream big.”

The Sterling Bank CEO said the renovation would also result in employment opportunities for different categories of workers and artisans.

“Why we went after this was to create employment. We thought, where are the best possible kind of jobs that we could create?” he said.

“And in the creative industry, it’s not just in the arts, it’s not just in technology, it’s not just in fashion, we wanted to create an ecosystem that can absorb all of the youthful energy and give them a platform to perform.”

Suleiman said when unveiled, the theatre would not be managed by the bankers’ committee or the government.

“It will be managed professionally. This was considered in the process,” he added.

“We have lined up partners that will ensure this is run to an international standard. 

“So we would like to successfully complete this and bring the government together, have a look at it together, and then we’ll plan how we move on to the next phase.”

He said the committee remains committed to making the project a success.

RESTORING A NATIONAL MONUMENT

The renovated National Theatre houses a 5,000-seater main bowl, three cinema halls, a 2,500-seater banquet hall, exhibition halls, VIP spaces, changing rooms, an industrial kitchen, a clinic, and a fire station, among others.

Ade Laoye, principal partner, ECAD Architects Limited, described the project as a “restoration, a refurbishment and a renovation”.

“This project has been going on for four years. The idea was to restore a national monument. The collaboration between the bankers and the government brought us here,” he said.

“The building is adorned with priceless art, so we had to be very careful in how we designed it.

“We had to make sure the building remained true to what it was set up for.

“We have used an array of consultants; engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and contractors. We are nearing completion, we are at the end of this fantastic project.”

Laoye added that in designing and renovating the facility, they ensured that the ecosystem of the area remained unscathed.

“This is what we call a wetland. It is one of the only few wetlands left in Lagos. There is a lot of wildlife that has to be restored. The bankers’ committee is working with the Nigerian Conservation Fund. The design was done in conjunction with them,” he said.

“We are replanting mangroves because we have to keep in the wetland. Birds migrate yearly to these parts and we must make sure we don’t disturb that.”

The renovation of the National Theatre was flagged off in July 2021 after the federal government handed over the facility to the bankers’ committee.