Soyinka honoured as Tinubu unveils N68bn refurbished national theatre.
In a ceremony that also marked Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu was officially recommissioned on 1 October 2025 and renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, following a multi-year public–private restoration.
The restored complex, whose silhouette has been preserved while its interiors were transformed, now houses world-class performance halls, cinema spaces, exhibition galleries, an African literature library, rehearsal rooms, media and medical facilities, landscaped grounds, and direct integration with the Lagos Blue Line rail.
Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said the project was delivered through an extraordinary partnership between the Central Bank, the Bankers’ Committee, the Federal Government, and the Lagos State Government. He noted that the Bankers’ Committee committed approximately ₦68 billion to the project, framing the funding as a deliberate investment in the nation’s cultural future rather than a mere act of corporate social responsibility.
“This is more than a renovation; it is a rebirth,” Mr Cardoso said, adding that the centre must be protected to prevent a return to years of neglect.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State described the reopening as a homecoming for a city that hosted FESTAC ’77. He said the state played a key role by ensuring a dedicated Blue Line stop and contributing additional land to expand the creative hub. “Today’s commissioning is only the beginning,” he said, urging that the complex become a focal point for artistic excellence and urban renewal.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who performed the commissioning, urged Nigerians to speak positively about the country and to “lift Nigeria” by believing in its potential. The President also pledged to contribute to an endowment fund to guarantee maintenance, accessibility, and job creation at the centre.
Professor Wole Soyinka, who expressed mixed feelings about having his name affixed to a public monument, accepted the honour and reflected on the theatre’s storied past, from its 1976 completion and FESTAC ’77 glory to the decades of decline that preceded the restoration. “If a group of bankers got together, using some of my money also… in order to honour me, what’s wrong with that?” he joked, before urging that the centre serve future generations of artists.
Officials and cultural stakeholders lauded the project as a tangible union of culture and commerce, an effort to harness Nigeria’s creative industries for jobs, revenue, and soft power. With renewed facilities and a declared commitment to upkeep, the Wole Soyinka Centre is being positioned as a national landmark intended to keep Nigeria’s creative voice on the global stage.
In a ceremony that also marked Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu was officially recommissioned on 1 October 2025 and renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, following a multi-year public–private restoration.
The restored complex, whose silhouette has been preserved while its interiors were transformed, now houses world-class performance halls, cinema spaces, exhibition galleries, an African literature library, rehearsal rooms, media and medical facilities, landscaped grounds, and direct integration with the Lagos Blue Line rail.
Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said the project was delivered through an extraordinary partnership between the Central Bank, the Bankers’ Committee, the Federal Government, and the Lagos State Government. He noted that the Bankers’ Committee committed approximately ₦68 billion to the project, framing the funding as a deliberate investment in the nation’s cultural future rather than a mere act of corporate social responsibility.
“This is more than a renovation; it is a rebirth,” Mr Cardoso said, adding that the centre must be protected to prevent a return to years of neglect.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State described the reopening as a homecoming for a city that hosted FESTAC ’77. He said the state played a key role by ensuring a dedicated Blue Line stop and contributing additional land to expand the creative hub. “Today’s commissioning is only the beginning,” he said, urging that the complex become a focal point for artistic excellence and urban renewal.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who performed the commissioning, urged Nigerians to speak positively about the country and to “lift Nigeria” by believing in its potential. The President also pledged to contribute to an endowment fund to guarantee maintenance, accessibility, and job creation at the centre.
Professor Wole Soyinka, who expressed mixed feelings about having his name affixed to a public monument, accepted the honour and reflected on the theatre’s storied past, from its 1976 completion and FESTAC ’77 glory to the decades of decline that preceded the restoration. “If a group of bankers got together, using some of my money also… in order to honour me, what’s wrong with that?” he joked, before urging that the centre serve future generations of artists.
Officials and cultural stakeholders lauded the project as a tangible union of culture and commerce, an effort to harness Nigeria’s creative industries for jobs, revenue, and soft power. With renewed facilities and a declared commitment to upkeep, the Wole Soyinka Centre is being positioned as a national landmark intended to keep Nigeria’s creative voice on the global stage.
Soyinka honoured as Tinubu unveils N68bn refurbished national theatre.
In a ceremony that also marked Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu was officially recommissioned on 1 October 2025 and renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, following a multi-year public–private restoration.
The restored complex, whose silhouette has been preserved while its interiors were transformed, now houses world-class performance halls, cinema spaces, exhibition galleries, an African literature library, rehearsal rooms, media and medical facilities, landscaped grounds, and direct integration with the Lagos Blue Line rail.
Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said the project was delivered through an extraordinary partnership between the Central Bank, the Bankers’ Committee, the Federal Government, and the Lagos State Government. He noted that the Bankers’ Committee committed approximately ₦68 billion to the project, framing the funding as a deliberate investment in the nation’s cultural future rather than a mere act of corporate social responsibility.
“This is more than a renovation; it is a rebirth,” Mr Cardoso said, adding that the centre must be protected to prevent a return to years of neglect.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State described the reopening as a homecoming for a city that hosted FESTAC ’77. He said the state played a key role by ensuring a dedicated Blue Line stop and contributing additional land to expand the creative hub. “Today’s commissioning is only the beginning,” he said, urging that the complex become a focal point for artistic excellence and urban renewal.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who performed the commissioning, urged Nigerians to speak positively about the country and to “lift Nigeria” by believing in its potential. The President also pledged to contribute to an endowment fund to guarantee maintenance, accessibility, and job creation at the centre.
Professor Wole Soyinka, who expressed mixed feelings about having his name affixed to a public monument, accepted the honour and reflected on the theatre’s storied past, from its 1976 completion and FESTAC ’77 glory to the decades of decline that preceded the restoration. “If a group of bankers got together, using some of my money also… in order to honour me, what’s wrong with that?” he joked, before urging that the centre serve future generations of artists.
Officials and cultural stakeholders lauded the project as a tangible union of culture and commerce, an effort to harness Nigeria’s creative industries for jobs, revenue, and soft power. With renewed facilities and a declared commitment to upkeep, the Wole Soyinka Centre is being positioned as a national landmark intended to keep Nigeria’s creative voice on the global stage.
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