The Federal Government has explained how the planned restoration and upgrade of the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, will generate about 10,000 jobs during and after the restoration.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed gave the explanation on Sunday in Lagos during the formal handover of the edifice and the adjoining 134-hectare fallow land to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bankers’ Committee.
”The good news is that this project will not lead to a single job loss. Instead, it will create more,” the minister was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi.
He added: “Some 6,000 jobs will be created during the construction phase while the completed project could generate up to an additional 600 permanent and 2000 to 3000 call-on/call-off jobs. This is as good as it gets.”
Mohammed faulted the claims of a plot by the government to sell the facility, saying there was no plan of such.
He clarified that rather, the government has decided to bring life back to the edifice at a cost of N25 billion under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) tagged the Lagos Creative and Entertainment Centre Project.
According to the minister, the project will be executed in two phases – with the first being the restoration and upgrade of the National Arts Theatre to its glory days at a cost of N7 billion and the second which entails the development of the adjoining fallow land at a cost of N18 billion.
“This iconic National Theatre remains a national heritage and will not be ceded to any person or group, as some have chosen to frame what we are doing here today,” he said. “What we are here to do is to hand over the National Theatre for restoration and upgrade and the fallow land within the premises to the Central Bank and the Bankers’ Committee for development.”
”The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture holds the keys to the National Theatre on behalf of all Nigerians.”
