The Nigerian Government on Tuesday disclosed plan to rename the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos State, which is under renovation, as Lagos Creative and Entertainment Center, upon completion.
Penpushing reports that Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made this known while signing an agreement on Nigeria’s hosting of the first Global Conference on Cultural Tourism and Creative Industry, in Madrid, Spain.
The Minister disclosed that the global conference, which would hold from November 14 to 17, would be the first event to be staged at the newly refurbished edifice, adding that the renovation is iconic in over forty years of the existence
“Nigeria will be hosting the event at the National Theatre in Lagos, which is currently being renovated for $100 million under a partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Bankers’ Committee/Central Bank of Nigeria, he said
“It is the first of such renovation of the iconic edifice in over four decades. In addition to the renovation, new hubs are being constructed, within the premises of the National Theatre, for fashion, information, technology, film, and music’ Mohammed stated
“With that, the National Theatre is now known as the Lagos Creative and Entertainment Centre. In addition, the Lagos surface rail system, to serve the National Theatre, will be commissioned ahead of the Global Conference,’’ he said.
Penpushing further reports that, Mohammed added that the signing of the bilateral agreement with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at the organisation’s headquarters signified Nigeria’s commitment to host the event.
The Minister directed that the contractors handling the reconstruction project must ensure its prompt delivery for the global event, adding that to ensure that the complex is ready for hosting in November, he recently undertook an inspection tour of ongoing work there with stakeholders.
Penpushing also reports that, Mohammed assured that there was every sign that the venue would be ready early enough to host the global conference, adding that the stakeholders on the inspection tour, include, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu;of Lagos State, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Godwin Emefiele; and the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare.
The Nigeria Ambassador to Spain, Ademola Seriki, in his remarks assured that work of the project would be complete before the global event and thanked the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for giving Nigeria the right to host the maiden global conference.
Penpushing reports that, Seriki who said he is a member of the Board of Directors of the company handling the reconstruction project and accompanied the minister to the bilateral agreement signing ceremony, said the conference would bring a huge reputation to the country and assert Nigeria’s lead in music, theatre, and other areas of entertainment in Africa.
The Nigerian Government, it is recalled completed the construction of the monument in 1976 to prepare for the Festival of Arts and Culture hosted in 1977, and has remained a reference to theatre and culture.
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