The Nigerian government led by the Minister of Information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has entered into an agreement with the Bankers Committee, led by Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, for the renovation and revamping of the National Arts Theater into the Lagos Creative and Entertainment Centre. In the statement of Emefiele:
“The idea behind the project christened: “Lagos Creative and Entertainment Centre,” is simple. Firstly, we seek to restore the glory of an iconic building by aligning most of the fabric and equipment, and facilities in the building with the aesthetics of the 21st century, and secondly to develop an ecosystem of creative hubs on the adjoining 44 Hectare parcel of land. This new facility will complement and enhance the National Arts Theatre.
“The Bankers’ Committee is providing funding for a prototype cluster located to the north of the National Arts Theatre, a development which we have labelled the “Signature Cluster”. This facility will be a convenor – providing space, support network, business development, and community engagement for the creative, cultural, and technology sectors. The Signature Cluster will consist of a building each for Music, Film, Fashion, and Information Technology verticals. In addition to these, a Welcome/Visitor’s Centre, Police and Fire Stations, and structured parking for up to 500 vehicles will be built.
“We anticipate that there would be at least 10,000 direct and indirect jobs created during the construction of the Lagos Creative & Entertainment Centre. We also project that over 25,000 people would be engaged in different sections of the centre when the Signature Cluster is completed, with an anticipated multiplier effect of other job opportunities.”
