...Soyinka is one of the Greatest Assets of the World, Renaming could not have gone to Anyone Else- Pres. Tinubu
By Olawale Lamina, (Editor-in-Chief )
Professor Oluwole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate on Wednesday accepted the honour of renaming of the National Theatre, Lagos after him, ( now being referred to as Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly National Arts Theatre), explaining that it was with mixed feelings as he never believed that the monument could ever be revamped.
Soyinka acknowledged that he was a critic of many past leaders, who appropriated public monuments.
He stated this at the reopening of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Iganmu Lagos, admitting that with the change in the name of the national monument he had accepted to eat his words, if the monumental revamping of the theatre complex is what he would get in return.
The playwright said that he thought the edifice, based on the way it was was irredeemable, stressing that the Bankers’ Committee ( which was charged to carry out the turnaround) “made me eat my words.”’
Expressing his feelings, the bard said: “I have to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t seem very well for me.”
He commended the Bankers’ Committee for doing a great job of bringing monumental edifice to global standards, emphasizing that, with its current befitting status, Nigerians can now watch Africa Theatre at home instead of making a trip abroad.
Recalling certain moments in the past and part of his further reasons for accepting the renaming, Soyinka said: “And one of the reasons was I nearly electrocuted two of my actors. That is how they crept into my car. The roofs were leaking, so the pools of water were everywhere. And of course, there were electric wires also.
“One other reason is nostalgia. I remember this building when it was first erected, when we did it originally. I think we called it General’s Hat, because of the shape of the roof. There’s a constant re-conception very little of what I call the African architectural intelligence in it.
“Then there’s another reason why I thought I should accept.
“Well, I was already ambushed. They shaved my head behind me. I would have raised a squawk. But, then I decided, this building belongs to me. It belongs to me.”
It would be recalled that, to ensure a standard turnaround redesigning, The Bankers’ Committee earmarked N68 billion into the project.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was at the reopening of the center with other public figures issued a directive to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to float a National Arts Theatre Endowment Fund, as a way of ensuring the maintenance of the edifice. He promised to contribute to the endowment fund.
The President hinged the suitability of renaming the national asset after the literary icon declaring that no controversy in the National Theatre being renamed, as he considered Prof. Soyinka’s significant contributions to the arts and culture.
Tinubu said:“Prof. Wole Soyinka is one of the greatest assets of the world. So, the renaming could not have gone to anyone else.”
He seized the occasion to appeal to Nigerians, especially the youths, to always be positive about the country.
“Let us all come together to rebuild Nigeria. The youth should also renew their hope in Nigeria and work together for its continued greatness,” he said.
The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CNN, Olayemi Cardoso revealed that the Bankers Committee alone was committed to spending N68 billion in remodelling the edifice, apart from other interests in the revamping of the edifice.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria, the Bankers’ Committee, the Lagos State Government, and the Ministry of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy came together with a shared purpose to deliver this national project, with the Bankers’ Committee alone committing approximately N68 billion, not as corporate social responsibility but as a deliberate investment in Nigeria’s cultural future,” Cardoso said.
Cardoso stated the fact that the outcome of the project underscored a proof that when the public and private sectors unite behind a shared national purpose, there is no limit to what nation can achieve.
He noted that 65 years after our Nigeria’s nationhood, its creative spirit still remains alive, pervasive and shaping global culture.
“This edifice has stood for nearly half a century as a proud symbol of our heritage. Completed in 1976 and inaugurated at FESTAC ’77, it became a beacon of African creativity and a repository of our shared history,” he said.
The CBN boss said that by renaming the National Arts Theatre as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in July 2024, ‘’President Tinubu charted a bold course to place creativity at the heart of Nigeria’s renaissance.”
He further explained to what usethe newly refurbished Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts could be made to serve, saying that, “Its iconic silhouette has been preserved while delivering world-class performance halls, cinema spaces, exhibition galleries, an African literature library, rehearsal rooms, media and medical facilities, and fully modernised infrastructure. The surrounding grounds now offer gardens, outdoor exhibition areas, upgraded access, and seamless integration with the Lagos Blue Line rail, placing culture at the heart of city life.”
Dignitaries at the event included First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, who coordinated the Bankers’ Committee, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, who is a former CBN governor; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, among others.
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