- Centre will favorably compete with international arts theatres as tourist attraction – Gov’s Aide
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday expressed satisfaction with the level of ongoing work on the newly refurbished Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, Iganmu, in Lagos.
He said the Centre, formally known as the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, would soon be completed and ready for public use.
Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke on Sunday during an interview with journalists after he led some state officials and stakeholders on a tour of the theatre in Iganmu.
Sanwo-Olu said the newly transformed Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, which can be compared to the World International Centre, would be completed in about four months.
The Governor also commended the Bankers Committee and stakeholders in the creative sector, which collaborated with the Lagos State Government to transform the National Arts Theatre to bring back the glory of the edifice to meet international standards.
Governor Sanwo-Olu who was very excited by the transformation in the Centre in the last four years, said that when completed, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts would promote arts, tourism, and culture, adding that it would also be a place where the international community could converge for conferences and host world-class performances, among other activities.
He said: “I am truly excited at the work the Bankers Committee has been able to do. They have truly shown us that when we put our minds to things as a country and as a people, we can get the best out of ourselves.
“When we all came here four or five years ago, we were discouraged and saddened by what we saw at one of our national treasures. But what has happened in the last four to five years, and with what we see today during our tour, we have brought back the old glory even in a bigger, better, and more transformative way. I commend all the professionals and companies that have put this together.
“I think it is going to be a place where international audiences will see that we are ready to take the world by storm in entertainment, tourism, creativity and, more importantly, business conferences and seminars that we all go to attend in other parts of the world.
“It is a one-stop shop that has everything you can imagine, comparable to any other world conference centre. It also has an additional flavour of arts and culture. By the way, the Blue Line train that we built all around here speaks to the entire infrastructure that has made this place a complete stop for Nigerians.
“The newly rebirth Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts is on the way to open its door to the public, courtesy of the Lagos State Government and the Bankers Committee that have done the work.
Also speaking to journalists, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe, said the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, when completed, would compete favourably with the international community as a tourist attraction.
Aregbe said it would also promote the entertainment industry, take a lot of youth off the street, and generate employment opportunities for many Nigerians in the creative industry.
He said: “We are doing everything possible to ensure that the tourism, entertainment, and creative industries in Lagos are truly rising. Governor Sanwo-Olu is doing a lot for the people. The Centre is a huge one for citizens of Lagos.”
