Reps investigate alleged illegal property sales at National Theatre

The House of Representatives Committee on Culture and Tourism has placed the National Theatre under status inquiry with a view to carrying out on-the-spot assessment of public properties within the premises which are allegedly being sold illegally.

The chairman of the committee, Mr. Ogbeide Ihama from Edo State gave the ruling after a budget defence session with the management of the National Theatre, during which further deliberation was suspended pending the committee’s oversight visit to the place.

Addressing the management of the Theatre, Mr. Ihama described it as unfortunate for the National Theatre to be sold given its importance to the development of Nigeria’s Culture saying that “The issue of NT is of utmost importance. That edifice is our pride and it is strange to all of us that you are not even working there now, that you had to move somewhere within the premises because they are working due to allegations of property within the NT being sold.”

Mr. Ihama said the committee would halt the consideration of the agency’s 2022 Budget pending the outcome of the lawmakers’ visit to the theatre in Lagos, saying that the Committee and the House, in general, would not allow such monument to be sold for whatever reason.

“We would put the budget of the NT on hold until we have an in-depth understanding of the purported or supposed MOU that was signed according to you in February and have the details in which bankers committee would go into Federal Government property and begin construction on April and expect that we will appropriate public funds to that agency,” the Chairman added.

The DG of National Theatre, Prof Sunday Ododo, had earlier told the committee of how the National Theatre has gone through serious dilapidation and the need to rehabilitate it which was “why the FG with the CBN Bankers Committee came to an understanding. FG in this instance is represented by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.”

The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe in his presentation commended members of the committee, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for their intervention in preventing land grabbers from stealing the land meant for the Abuja National Art and Crafts Village, said to be worth almost N10 billion.

Otunba Runsewe told the committee of his team’s ability to reclaim the landed property of his agency, which was hitherto a subject of conflict between his office and some land grabbers who almost succeeded.

“This is government property that some people want to take over. It is more important than any other because that place can generate over N30 million IGR for us. So I need to make it known today, what happened after your visit to the place,” he added.