Ambushed And Cornered – Soyinka Reveals Truth Behind National Theatre Renaming

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has revealed why he accepted the renaming of the National Theatre, Lagos, in his honour, admitting he did so with mixed feelings.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking at the reopening of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (formerly the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos), Soyinka confessed that he never imagined the monument could be revived after years of decay.

The playwright, known for his sharp criticism of leaders who appropriated public monuments, said the gesture initially made him uneasy.

“I had to stand there in public and watch my name being added as yet another appropriator. It didn’t sit well with me,” he admitted.

Soyinka, however, acknowledged that the extensive renovation, led by the Bankers’ Committee, had proven him wrong. “Before this turnaround, I thought the structure was beyond redemption. But the Bankers’ Committee has made me eat my words,” he said, praising the ₦68 billion investment that restored the edifice to global standards.

With the new look, he noted, Nigerians can now experience world-class theatre at home instead of seeking it abroad.

Sharing a personal memory, Soyinka recalled the theatre’s sorry state before the renovation. “I nearly electrocuted two of my actors. Water pooled everywhere from the leaking roof, and exposed wires lay about,” he recounted.

He added that nostalgia and a sense of belonging also influenced his acceptance: “I remember when this building first went up—we even called it the General’s Hat because of the roof’s shape. In the end, I felt ambushed. But then I decided, this building belongs to me. It belongs to me.”

The event was attended by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to establish a National Arts Theatre Endowment Fund to guarantee the facility’s long-term maintenance.