Supervising Minister for Information, Edem Duke, says there is no plan to sell off the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, contrary to speculation.
Duke made the point on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new Council of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) at APCON secretariat, Lagos.
He said the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan appreciates the status of the National Theatre, which was opened in 1997, as an iconic national heritage, and has already finalised plans to transform it into an “entertainment city” every Nigerian would be proud of.
He explained that rather than sell off the edifice, the federal government wants to use the vast expanses of land around it to build an entertainment zone where Nigerian artistes would hone their talents.
His words: “The National Theatre will not be sold. There are no plans to do so. The information that we are going to sell this iconic place is the handiwork of mischief makers.
“On the contrary, what this government plans to do is to change the status of this place into an entertainment city that will create a new vista of opportunities for Nigerian artists to fulfill their artistic talents.
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Just like we did with the Centenary Village, we are going to transform the Theatre into something that Nigerians and Africans would be proud of.”
The Abuja Centenary City, planned as part of Nigeria’s centenary celebration, is to be modelled after cities like Dubai, Monaco, and Singapore to serve as a political and economic tool for securing foreign investment.
The city, according to the brains behind it, will be one of the most powerful catalysts for better social and economic development.
The city is also conceived as a centre for the preservation of Nigeria’s political history and documentation of contributions to the political, cultural and economic development and the advancement of peace and security in the world.
Duke said unlike the Centenary City, the National Theatre will serve as a centre for the preservation of the arts and a place where artistes in the country and beyond would find the facilities to practise their trade, while also attracting foreign tourists and foreign investments.
The National Arts Theatre is the primary centre for the performing arts in Nigeria. Its construction was completed in 1976 in preparation for the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in 1977.
The collection of National Gallery of Modern Nigerian Art is housed in a section of the building.
Its exterior is shaped like a military hat, and has a 5,000-seater main hall with a collapsible stage, two 700-800 capacity cinema halls equipped with facilities for simultaneous translation of eight languages, among others.
When the government makes good its plan, the National Theatre will likely become Africa’s biggest entertainment village.
A typical entertainment village consists of amusement/theme parks, production studios for music, music videos and movies.
This will boost tourism and also improve cultural content in advertising and music as well as advance the quality of movies produced in the country.