Soyinka, who spoke at the reopening of the newly christened Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts(formerly National Arts Theatre, Iganmu), confessed that he never believed the monument could be restored to global standards after years of neglect.
“I have to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t seem very well for me,” he said. “But if eating my words is the price for what the Bankers’ Committee has delivered, I accept.”
The literary icon recalled the theatre’s dilapidated state before the recent N68 billion renovation, citing leaking roofs, exposed electrical wires, and safety hazards. According to him, he once “nearly electrocuted two actors” during rehearsals in the complex.
Soyinka commended the Bankers’ Committee for breathing life back into the structure, saying Nigerians can now enjoy world-class African theatre without travelling abroad. “This building belongs to me, it belongs to all of us,” he added.
At the event, President Bola Tinubu praised Soyinka’s enduring contributions to arts and culture, declaring him a “global asset.” The President also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to establish a National Arts Theatre Endowment Fund to guarantee sustainable maintenance of the edifice.
“No one else deserves this honour more,” Tinubu stated, urging Nigerians to embrace optimism. “Let us come together to rebuild Nigeria. The youth should renew their hope in this country.”
CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, who coordinated the project, emphasised that the N68 billion investment by the Bankers’ Committee was not corporate social responsibility but a deliberate effort to preserve Nigeria’s cultural future.
He noted that the renovation preserved the iconic silhouette of the theatre while upgrading it with modern facilities, including performance halls, cinema spaces, exhibition galleries, an African literature library, rehearsal rooms, medical units, and improved access linking the site to Lagos’ Blue Line rail system.
Other dignitaries present included First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, and Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.
The project, observers say, represents a model of public-private collaboration and a major milestone in repositioning Nigeria’s creative industry on the global stage.
