{"id":76005,"date":"2025-10-02T13:45:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T13:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=76005"},"modified":"2025-10-02T13:45:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T13:45:04","slug":"tinubu-sanwo-olu-stress-unity-at-reopening-of-renovated-national-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/10\/02\/tinubu-sanwo-olu-stress-unity-at-reopening-of-renovated-national-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu Stress Unity at Reopening of Renovated National Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Adenike Lawal<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday emphasized national unity and cultural pride as central to Nigeria\u2019s growth during the grand reopening of the refurbished National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos.<\/p>\n

Tinubu reaffirmed his belief in Nigeria\u2019s indivisibility, pledging that under his leadership the country would evolve into a thriving, inclusive economy.<\/p>\n

He urged citizens to embrace optimism and protect the nation\u2019s image.<\/p>\n

The reopening marked the formal inauguration of the renovated National Theatre, now renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in honour of Nigeria\u2019s Nobel Laureate.<\/p>\n

The president announced the renaming in July 2024 as a tribute to Soyinka\u2019s lifelong contributions to freedom, culture, and nation-building.<\/p>\n

The multi-billion-naira renovation was delivered through a collaboration between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Bankers\u2019 Committee, the Lagos State Government, and the Federal Government.<\/p>\n

The transformation aims to position the once-neglected monument as a modern cultural hub and catalyst for Nigeria\u2019s creative economy.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the theatre\u2019s history, Tinubu recalled its role as the centrepiece of FESTAC \u201977, describing its restoration as a cultural renaissance rather than just an infrastructural upgrade.<\/p>\n

He proposed the establishment of an endowment fund for its sustainability and pledged personal support.<\/p>\n

Highlighting the reopening\u2019s coincidence with Nigeria\u2019s 65th Independence anniversary, the president described the event as \u201ca convergence of culture, history, and national pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

He commended CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, the Bankers\u2019 Committee, and other stakeholders for their commitment.<\/p>\n

Cardoso revealed that the project began in 2020 and attracted \u20a668 billion in funding from the Bankers\u2019 Committee alone.<\/p>\n

He praised Tinubu for expanding the restoration into a broader vision for cultural and economic renewal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis centre is more than bricks and mortar; it\u2019s a declaration that Nigeria\u2019s stories, talent, and heritage deserve global recognition,\u201d he said, stressing the creative sector\u2019s potential to generate billions in revenue and millions of jobs.<\/p>\n

Governor Sanwo-Olu echoed these sentiments, describing the theatre as the heartbeat of Nigeria\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

He recalled the spirit of unity during FESTAC \u201977 and noted that such cultural energy must now drive national development.<\/p>\n

He also highlighted Lagos State\u2019s infrastructural support, including a dedicated Blue Line Metro station at the theatre complex.<\/p>\n

As the curtains rise again on the National Theatre, its rebirth stands as both a cultural milestone and a declaration of Nigeria\u2019s unity in diversity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Adenike Lawal   President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday emphasized national unity and cultural pride as central to Nigeria\u2019s growth during the grand reopening of the refurbished National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos. Tinubu reaffirmed his belief in Nigeria\u2019s indivisibility, pledging that under his leadership the country would evolve into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":76006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76005"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76007,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76005\/revisions\/76007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}