LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT REFUNDS 145 FORMER SUBSCRIBERS OF EGAN HOUSING ESTATE
admin - Sanwo-Olu inspects rehabilitation works
By Oyebola Owolabi
The National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos State, will be opened for use soon after rehabilitation works are completed, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.
Sanwo-Olu spoke after he led stakeholders on a tour of the facility already renamed Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Iganmu, on Sunday. He expressed satisfaction with the level of ongoing work.
According to him, the centre would be completed in about four months.
He also commended the Bankers’ Committee and stakeholders in the creative sector, for collaborating with the state government to transform the theatre and restore its glory to meet international standards.
Governor Sanwo-Olu noted that when completed, the facility would promote arts, tourism, and culture. He added that it would also be a place where the international community can converge for conferences and host world-class performances, among other activities.
He said: “I am truly excited at the work the Bankers’ Committee has done. They have truly shown us that when we put our minds to things as a country and as a people, we can get the best out of ourselves.
“When we all came here four or five years ago, we were discouraged and saddened by what we saw as one of our national treasures. But what has happened in the last four to five years, and with what we see today during our tour, we have brought back the old glory even in a bigger, better, and more transformative way. I commend all the professionals and companies that have put this together.
“I think this will be a place where international audiences will see that we are ready to take the world by storm in entertainment, tourism, creativity and, more importantly, business conferences and seminars that we all go to attend in other parts of the world.
“It is a one-stop shop that has everything you can imagine, comparable to any other world conference centre. It also has an additional flavour of arts and culture. By the way, the Blue Line train that we built all around here speaks to the entire infrastructure that has made this place a complete stop for Nigerians.
“The newly rebirth Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts is on the way to open its door to the public, courtesy of the Lagos State government and the Bankers’ Committee.”
Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, said the Centre, when completed, would compete favourably with the international community as a tourist attraction.
Aregbe said it would also promote the entertainment industry, take a lot of youths off the street, and generate employment for many Nigerians in the creative industry.
He said: “We are doing everything possible to ensure that the tourism, entertainment, and creative industries in Lagos are truly rising. Governor Sanwo-Olu is doing a lot for the people. The Centre is a huge one for residents of Lagos.”
