Soyinka Accepts National Arts Theatre Renaming After Landmark Renovation

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has accepted the renaming of the National Arts Theatre, Lagos, after him, following a major renovation by the Bankers’ Committee.

Speaking at the reopening of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Soyinka revealed that he had long doubted the possibility of restoring the iconic structure, describing it as “irredeemable” until the recent revamp.

The playwright and activist admitted that he approached the honour with mixed feelings, recalling his past criticism of leaders who appropriated public monuments for personal gain.

“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, adding that he was prepared to “eat his words” if the theatre’s transformation justified the renaming.

The ceremony, attended by government officials and cultural stakeholders, underscores renewed efforts to preserve and promote Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage.