The National Theatre, Nigeria is the primary centre for the performing arts in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The monument is located in Iganmu, Surulere,

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

. Its construction was completed in 1976 in preparation for the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in 1977. The National Theatre of Nigeria can be basically described as the NATIONAL HOME OF ENTERTAINMENT. Its management is committed to achieving the objectives for which the National Theatre was established, with regard to the presentation, preservation and promotion of arts and culture in Nigeria. As a partially commercialized Federal Government parastatal, it is determined to broaden its mandate by becoming more innovative and adventurous in order to become more relevant in the competitive market

Design

Construction of The National Theatre was started by the military regime of General

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquishe ...

and completed during the military regime of

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...

. By the year 2021, this edifice had been run by a number of management teams with heads such as Jimmy Folorunso Atte (1991 – August 1999), Prof Babafemi A. Osofisan (2000 – 2004), Dr. Ahmed Parker Yerima (2006 – Aug 2009), Kabir Yusuf (2009 – 2016), George Ufot, (Late) Dr. (Mrs.) Stella Oyedepo, Professor Sunday Enessi Ododo, fsonta, FNAL. The National Theatre exterior was designed, shaped and built to look like a military hat. It originally has capacity for a 5,000-seater Main Hall with a collapsible stage, and two capacity cinema halls, all of which are equipped with facilities for simultaneous translation of 8 languages; among others. The National Theatre, Nigeria was designed and constructed by Bulgarian construction company (Techno Exporstroy). Alhaji Sule Katagum was a co-owner and also their chairman. It resembles the

Palace of Culture and Sports Palace of Culture and Sports ( bg, Дворец на културата и спорта) is an indoor complex for culture and sport located in Varna, Bulgaria. The complex has three sports halls - "Kongresna Hall", "Mladost Hall ...

Varna, Bulgaria Varna ( bg, Варна, ) is the third-largest List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the ...

(completed in 1968); the National Theatre Lagos, Nigeria being the bigger of the two. These really loved tourist centre for culture and performance amongst others is now undergoing a total revamp.

Controversy

In 2005, President

announced plans to privatize the National Theatre. This sparked controversy amongst Nigerian entertainers and playwrights like

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

On 30 December 2014, it was reported that the National Theatre has been sold to a Dubai-based conglomerate for the sum of $40million, and that the building will be converted to a duty-free shopping mall.

Appearance in media

* Filming for the "Keys to the Kingdom" video in Beyonce's visual album ''

Black is King ''Black Is King'' is a 2020 American musical film and visual album directed, written, and executive produced by American singer Beyoncé. It is a visual companion to the 2019 album '' The Lion King: The Gift'', curated by Beyoncé for ''The Lion ...

'' took place at the National Arts Theatre, Lagos. *

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...

performed a medley of his hits "Level Up", "Onyeka" and "Ye" in front of and inside the building, during the Premiere ceremony of the 63rd Grammy Awards, on March 2, 2021. Later that week, his album '' Twice as Tall'' won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album.

References

FESTAC 77
{{Lagos, state=collapsed Theatres completed in 1976 Event venues established in 1976 National symbols of Nigeria Tourist attractions in Lagos Theatres in Lagos Landmarks in Lagos Cultural venues in Lagos Music venues in Lagos