Theatre workers and allied agencies operating inside the main bowl of the National Theatre in Lagos, on Friday, began to remove their property to allow for rehabilitation of the complex.
This followed the dateline given by the Federal Government for that purpose.
The marching order was given to the workers to quit and pave the way for the renovation of the about 45-year-old complex.
The Bankers’ Committee, led by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, had on Sunday, February 14, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government for the handover of the theatre complex.
On July 12, 2020, the Federal Government handed over the complex to CBN and the Bankers’ Committee for restoration and development of the 134 hectares of fallow land on the premises.
A visit to the main bowl of the complex showed that many of the workers were seen removing their office materials in a frenzy to beat the deadline.
Affected tenant agencies such as the National Gallery of Art and National troupe staff members were seen moving their items out of the arena.
Dr Celestine Agoziem, the Head of Documentation and Monitoring at the theatre confirmed the development.
Agoziem, however, complained of the short notice, saying that such a notice should have come earlier to enable proper mobilisation of men and resources for effective movement.
He said, however, that so far, affected agencies had complied substantially with the directive, saying that the hasty and uncoordinated approach being displayed by the staff was a reflection of the short notice.
He commended the government’s policy of giving the theatre a new
nomenclature and facelift.
Also, an official of the National Theatre said that contractors had yet to arrive on the premises for the renovation works.
“But staff members are already moving out in preparation for their arrival.
“People need to vacate the complex so that the contractors can easily access the building.
“That is what is being done presently, for safety reasons.
“You know we have the National Troupe staff within the complex and they needed to move their things to the Artistes Village nearby,’’ the officer said.
He added that members of staff would be working from other buildings around the complex pending the completion of the renovation works on the main bowl.
Minister for Culture and Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during the handing over, reiterated that the National Theatre would still remain the nation’s heritage.
Mohammed said that his ministry would continue to hold the keys to the iconic national heritage in spite of the Public-Private Partnership arrangements between the Federal Government and the CBN.
He added that the project would not lead to any job loss but rather create no fewer than 46,000 jobs during the construction phase while the completed project could generate additional 6000 jobs.
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