Main bowl of national theatre to be completed in March – Emefiele

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that the amphitheatre (main bowl) of the National Art Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, would be completed in March 2023.

Mr Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor, said this during the commissioning of the Phase A of the facility, on Tuesday in Lagos.

“We are really proud to be part of this project and we really want to commend the Bankers Committee for funding this initiative.

“This is just the Phase A of the grand plans we have, we will be completing the theatre in March, where we will have the main bowl which will take about 5,000 people capacity.

“It is going to be just as good as anything else you have seen around the world,” he said.

Emefiele was represented by Mrs Aishah Ahmad, Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability Directorate, CBN.

The apex bank governor said that the theatre would have four verticals focused on IT, fashion, music and movies.

According to him, these verticals will be providing the enabling platform for young Nigerians to unleash all their creativity across the world.

Emefiele appreciated the support of President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, for their commitment to the creative industry and tourism, adding that the industry would help to build bridges and promote economic growth.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to look forward to coming back to the facility to enjoy all sorts of exciting events.

He said, “coming here, there are three cinema halls within this building, coming here to enjoy the cinema or coming for an art exhibition, so you could, once the tech space is ready, you could go there for hackathons.

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“The possibilities are endless and I think it’s a befitting monuments to just how much Nigerian arts and Nigerian creative industry have pivoted themselves to the world.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rehabilitation of the facility by the CBN, which started in 2020, is conducted in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee and over N65 billion has been invested to return the theatre to its former glory.