The long-awaited restoration of the National Theatre, Lagos, will commence on Sunday, July 12 when the Federal and Lagos State Governments hand over the edifice to the Bankers’ Committee.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this on Thursday in a goodwill message during a webinar to mark the 50th birthday of award-winning journalist, culture activist and former Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Steve Ayorinde.
The webinar entitled ‘Post COVID-19: For African Tourism To Revive, Reboot and Refocus’ featured critical stakeholders from across Africa. They shared insights on how to grow tourism and the arts on the continent.
Speaking, Mohammed commended Ayorinde, a former Editor of the Punch and Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of National Mirror, for choosing to mark the milestone with the creative industry.
The Minister noted that the celebration was apt because Ayorinde has spent a significant part of his life in the creative industry and left indelible footprints as tourism commissioner.
He further noted that the webinar was a welcome addition to events in a memorable year for Nigeria’s creative industry.
Mohammed described the detailed report of the Post-COVID-19 Initiatives Committee on the Creative Industry he established in May and which was submitted to him recently as one of the memorable events.
The report, he said, would help in “creating a roadmap for the creative industry.”
The other, Mohammed said, is the “epic public-private-partnership in the creative industry between the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria” that would see the restoration of the National Theatre.
He added that the Bankers’ Committee of the CBN would restore the theatre in a matter of months with four pillars- fashion, movie, information communications technology and entertainment.
The Minister disclosed that the Federal and Lagos State governments would hand the edifice over to the Bankers’ Committee at a brief ceremony on Sunday.
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele had disclosed that the institution and the Bankers’ Committee would transform the theatre into a world-class hub at the Creative Nigeria Summit last September.
He had disclosed that it was part of efforts to create wealth and jobs for the country’s teeming youth.
“We plan to develop a 40- acre Creative Industry Park around the National Theatre including giving the Theatre itself tremendous facelift; thereby reopening the tourism potential the National Theatre offered during FESTAC 77,” he had said.
Some of the speakers at Thursday’s three-hour long webinar were President, Ecoplannet Sarl, Morocco and President, Tourism Leadership Forum, James MacGregor; Regional Head-West Africa, South African Tourism, Thekiso Rakolojane; Founder, Villa Sands Hotel Group, Ilha de Mozambique, Gisela Antman; Head of International Jury Department, Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt, Nayera Soliman; and President, West Africa Tourism Organisation (WATO) Ola Wright.
The others were Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman; Regional Marketing Manager, Kenya Tourism Board, Fiona Ngesa; Head Tourism, Brand Malawi Campaign, Janet Kathewera; A&R Manager, Africa for Sony ATV Music Publishing, South Africa, Munya Chanetsa; Founder, Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ikechi Uko; and Senior Consultant, W-Hospitality Group, Nigeria, Belinda Nwosu.
Mohammed, Head of Culture, Social Affairs Commission, African Union Commission (AUC), Angela Martins, Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Folly Coker and Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, delivered goodwill messages.
Media personality, Olisa Adibua and South African brand and communication expert, Matlou Tsotetsi, moderated the webinar where founder of the African Movie Academy Award, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe and AFRIMA founder, Mike Dada, also spoke.