Welcome to Ada Dike's Blog: Intrigues as FG rebrands National Theatre

Plans made to spice up a theatre are usually geared towards meeting the demands of its stakeholders. ADA DIKE looks at how Federal Government’s recent plan to follow the National Theatre’s original master plan has provoked curiousity.

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The world of theatre all over the world has flourished to include many facets. Some to spice up shows to capture the interest of the viewers and more importantly, to ensure that the environment where plays and other interesting shows take place is conducive and modern to attract a large number of target audience.

For the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, which the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, has approved the development of her land in accordance with the original master plan with infrastructures which include a five-star hotel, shopping mall, multi-level car park, land and water restaurant, offices and so on, observers agreed that the arrangement will boost socio-economic activities there if the project is judiciously executed.

Some people describe the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, as a lonely planet that needs neighbours. This monumental edifice supposed to be bubbling with activities on daily basis, but there was no event on the day this reporter visited National Theatre, except administrative activities going on in different offices and about four people doing rehearsal inside it.

Under a tree within the premises, two men were selling artworks including beads of different kinds and shapes, as three ladies and a middle age man purchased assorted beads from them. Few metres from there, a handful of students from the Universal Studio of Arts were under an almond tree, drawing beautiful masterpieces using paints and brushes on canvas.

A source who pleaded anonymity complained that the only two busy spots at the Theatre premises were customised kiosks where food vendors were busy attending to their numerous customers who purchased drinks and foods and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), where companies hold their annual general meeting and other special event take place.

He claimed that all the activities being seen within the premises supposed to be happening inside the theatre that is why government planned to transform the theatre.

He stresses: “Imagine an agency whose job is to gather and disseminate news has turned their media centre to an event centre, where many individuals and oraganisations pay stipend to host their annual general meetings, conferences, thereby making money at the detriment of the theatre. Some refreshment centres there are also making millions naira on a daily basis due to the number of people that patronize them while few events are being hosted inside the gallery. Why should we fold our hands and continue to watch all these things happening when at the actual sense, all these events supposed to be happening inside the gallery? Where do they expect the theatre to make money from for her maintenance? Individuals and organisation patronise them, thinking that it would be expensive to hire a space inside the theatre. No, it is cheaper. We want to take National Theatre to the next level to make it one of the best tourist centres in the world. The Lagos Rail Mass Transit Project Blue line being constructed by Lagos State Government under a public private partnership (PPP), from Marina to Okomaiko passes through the National Theatre. So many tourists will stop by and relax at the hotel, attend shows at the theatre before leaving Lagos.”

Commenting the rumour concerning the turning of the theatre to a hotel, this anonymous speaker said he’s surprised with the way people mis-interpret issues without confirming the truth from the right source. He said that the Minister for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke, and The General Manager of the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, Mr. Kabir Yusuf have granted interviews and had a press conference where they explained that there is no plan by the government to turn the National Theatre to a hotel. “There was a time we were constructing entrance and exit gates to improve security system in the National Theatre, people misconstrued our gesture said we wanted to be collecting toll fee. That is not fair,” he said.

Daily Newswatch tried to find out from some of the organisations that were given quit notice about their next plan, but most of them declined comment, saying the organisations they are working for are funded and established by government so they cannot comment on that.

Meanwhile, Registrar and Chief Executive of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Alhaji Garba Kankarofi said that government did not give quit notice to APCON because it is situated at the edge of the premises. He said: “The director said they are dealing with internal issues. What makes it internal is the master plan. The quit notice, according to what I learnt, affected the offices that are within the area they want to develop. Whoever said that APCON was giving a quit notice is not saying the truth.”

But, the Head of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Lagos, Mr. Isaac Ighure said he had rumours to that effect, “but they are not rumours that I can confirm. Colleagues from other establishments around here granted an interview concerning the issue but when we tried to verify their claims, we could not find any document. Even an official of one of the establishments who promised to get the letter from Abuja did not bring it.

“I head the Lagos office of NAN, my management has not received anything to that effect so I want to believe that it is not true. You may wish to know that NAN has been here since 1976. It was established by decree 19 of 1976 and we became fully operational in 1978. It was from here our headquarters actually moved to Abuja under General Sani Abacha Administration. I shouldn’t be in a position to comment on this because I expect information from my headquarters on this kind of issue. My managing director should be able to throw more light on this issue if you contact her,” he said. But Daily Newswatch’s effort to speak to NAN’s managing director was not successful.

At the Nigerian Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Lagos, students were in their classes studying while some staff members at the Admin section were busy with their works. Commenting on the issue of relocating their office, Director, NICO Lagos Zonal Office, Mrs. Brigitte Yerima, who took over from Prince Bamidele Olusa, said she has just resumed newly and does not know anything about it. “I heard that a letter was brought here and was forwarded to Abuja.”

The Assistant Director, Admin of National Council for Arts & Culture ((NCAC) also known as Artistes’ Village, Mr. Patrick Ajufo, said he could not comment on the issue “because the letter of relocation did not come to me. But, I believe that the issue is internal because we are employees of the federal government. He referred the reporter to Zonal Head of NCAN, Mrs. Abana who also declined commenting on the issue comment.

Recall that the 37-year-old edifice was inaugurated on September 30, 1976, by the then Military Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, and was commissioned few months before the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) in January/February 1977.

Shaped like a military hat, the 5000-seater theatre’s main Hall has a collapsible stage, and two 700-800 capacity cinema halls all of which are equipped with facilities for simultaneous translation of eight languages.

In 2001, the then president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo announced plans to privatize the National Arts Theatre and this sparked controversy amongst Nigerian entertainers and playwrights including Professor Wole Soyinka.

Consequently, the recent Federal Government’s plan to engage Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the management of the facility was greeted with protests and outcry after a quit notice was issued to National Gallery of Arts (NGA), National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN). Many people accused the government of turning the theatre to a hotel, while some people became sceptical, alleging that few people might be interested in building structures in the theatre premises.

Sources stressed that often times, they would hear that government has privatised a project or property and few individuals would end up using pseudo names to acquire such property for themselves.

But, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, earlier debunked that allegation and said that Transaction Advisor was engaged, to, among others give Transaction Advisory Services for the application of Public-Private Partnership option for the delivery of the necessary services on the land.

He also said that a committee that consisted of representatives of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Infrastructural Regulations Committee and Surveyor General, was set up in September 2012, to look into the possibility of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the management of the facility and revealed that the committee engaged VGL Consultants, a foreign consulting firm, to look into ways of turning around the surroundings of the theatre.

“The theatre ground had empty space with smelly water, which should be rehabilitated and the land turned into a five-star hotel, a shopping mall, offices, leisure spots and car parks. This was designed 37 years ago, when the theatre was built but because of lack of funds, the plan did not come up,” he said.

The General Manager of the National Theatre, Mr. Kabir Yusuf also revealed that the main bowl of the National Theatre needs about N4 billion to put it back in shape but there is no fund to make it work. “All over the world, no theatre stands alone. So, we have to source for funds, we can’t allow an edifice like that to die just like that. It is a symbol of culture,”

He was asked if they have made any arrangement for the organisations that were asked to vacate from the premises and he said many of them have submitted letters of “Submission of Nominal Roll” for allocation of spaces where the management earlier planned to make available for them.

Stressing further, he said that the affected offices have their headquarters in Abuja, that the offices they are occupying in Lagos are shanty houses and the land belongs to National Theatre.

“All the structures they occupied in the National Theatre are temporary structures. The government did not wake up one day and decided to build a hotel, shopping mall and a car park at the National Theatre.”

He showed the reporter a voluminous bound document that proved that the idea was documented in April 1983. “The contractors will build these structures and use for 20 years to recoup their money, after which it becomes government property.”

Observers therefore, advised the government to ensure that the arrangement is done with transparency to enable both Nigerians and foreigners derive maximum satisfaction from National Theatre.