FG remains committed to deliver world-class National Theatre – GM

General Manager, National Arts Theatre Complex, Iganmu, Lagos, Prof. Sunday Ododo, said the Federal Government remains committed to make the theatre a world-class monument.

Ododo, during an interview with the  News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)Tuesday in Lagos said that work was ongoing in the surrounding environment of the complex as well as the 5,000 capacity main-bowl.

“This year up to the quarter of next year, a lot would have  happened here.

“The environment is also taking a turn, you can see that a lot of landscaping is going on, the ambience  that leads you into the theatre should also be very friendly.

“We now have the multilayered  motor park gradually coming up. We are also concluding our design and take-off of our radio station.

“The design of work to be done at the beginning keeps changing and transforming as the work progresses, you begin to see that the original plan has to be deepened.

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“The Ministry of Information and Culture, which is representing the federal government in this partnership, is also very consistent and insistent that world-class projects must be delivered,” Ododo said.

According to him, day and night work is progressing and the quality of work being delivered is topnotch.

“The major work at hand now is the main-bowl, which sits about 5,000 capacity with a stage. That itself constitutes about 35 percent of the entire job to be done there.

“The focus is clear, the parties involved understand themselves and they are resolute that only the best is good for Nigeria.

“You remember November last year, we unveiled part of what was ready and we were all impressed with what we saw,” he said.

He said that the theatre when completed would be  50 per cent or more technological driven.

“The only challenge is how to make it better than what was conceived.

“That is why we have this delay. Why rush to deliver and still come back with a lot of problems, errors, complaints.

“So, it’s a work that is futuristic. This is the first time this massive intervention on the state of the arts theatre is being engaged. So, we want this to stand the test of time even for the next 20 years.

“I am confident that when this is delivered, nothing will go wrong with the edifice in its new state in the next 20 years,“ he said. NAN