National Theatre crying for renovation -Hon. Ben Nwankwo

 

Hon. Ben Nwankwo (Photo by ADA DIKE)

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Hon. Ben Nwankwo, in this interview with ADA DIKE tells us about their findings during the committee’s oversight function to the National Theatre, Lagos.

What is your impression about the National Theatre?

Our impression is that this is a national cultural monument or heritage or asset which has been there since 1976 or thereabout and became functional in 1977 on a very large expanse of land, very susceptible to private and individual encroachment. The government is desirous of transforming the entire premises into entertainment city, that will be a signature  entertainment centre in Africa, such that it’s capable of generating employment, creating wealth and making Nigeria realise its cultural mandate and of course, taking up the role of culture and tourism sector in Lagos and boost national economy.

What is your view about the state of the facility?

The state of the facility is crying for renovation, rehabilitation or if you like change entirely. The place craves for attention and government doesn’t have unlimited resources to tackle these challenges, that is why it is also looking at Public-Private Partnership (PPP) option. This place requires renewal. The plan that is on ground being set out, which is the renewal of the entire place (the building and the facilities around it) is necessary. Everything will be dimensioned into the project being envisaged.

As House of Representative members, how do you want to do it so that successive government will key into it?

The successive government would be bound by agreement. The PPP arrangement, although they may be some political risks as you may know, but it has been mapped and dimensioned into the plan and the best thing we can do is to box in everybody into the agreement. I don’t see the reason why successive government won’t continue with it until the investors realised their money.

It is a thing that I think any progressive government and any progressive mind should be very happy about and there won’t be any reason to fear. What is going to happen here is going to prove the subjective perception of individuals wrong in the national interest and people should act along that line.

 

(L-R) Hon. Ben Nwankwo being addressed by the General Manager of the National Theatre, Mr Kabir Yusuf (Photo by ADA DIKE)

So are you very comfortable with the programme?

What I have said so far suggests so. It is not a matter of comfort but a matter of division, it is a matter of the goal and what we have set out to achieve. What we think is that, culture and tourism should play a key role in the transformation agenda. World over, it is no longer oil and gas thing, it is what you are able to conceive, the creativity and how you are able to carry the cultural creativity forward. It can also inspire the people. The twentieth century is a tourism world. While they are talking about various functions of transformation, we should be talking about tourism transformation in Nigeria.

How much did the government budget for National Theatre this year?

We are not here to talk about budget but for an oversight function. We are here to look at the whole concession arrangement of the National Theatre, that is, the goals of concession, the vision of the concession, implementation plan, how transparent it is going to be, what would be Nigerians’ take and so on. We are not here to talk about. But if you asked me my opinion about budget and its implementation in Nigeria, I think it has been a little bit slow in the past two years. Budget by the way, defines the contract between the people and the government in a particular fiscal year, and without being fully implemented, you have as far I am concerned derailed. The fiscal institution owes it a duty to be bound by the budget that is signed into law. In other words, 100 percent implementation has no option. It is no favour that you are doing to Nigerians. You are doing what is expected of you, what you have signed and have agreed to do, the mandate which people has given to you being expressed in budgetary outcome.