AUPCTRE Condemns Sale of National Theatre, Says Complex Now in Good Shape 

Solomon Elusoji
The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) on Tuesday condemned the idea of selling the National Theatre, Iganmu, to fund parts of the 2018 budget.

This idea had been floated by the Director General of Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze, when he appeared before the House of Representatives Joint Committees on 2018-2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper in late November.
The national assets to be sold, according to Akabueze, also include the Tafawa Balewa Square, and some selected power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP).

Akabueze had argued that these assets were “generating too little revenue” for the government to continue operating them under the current fiscal weather.
But AUPCTRE, which held a vociferous rally at the National Theatre yesterday protesting the move, described the planned sale as insensible.
National Theatre Branch Chairman of AUPCTRE, Mr. Dayo Akogun, noted that this was not the first time the federal government was attempting to sell the historic monument.

In 2001, the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration tried to sell off the Theatre which was in a dismal state with humid halls, dirty toilets, and overgrown lawns. But the move sparked outrage among Nigerian artists, according to the BBC.
However, Akogun pointed out that the public perception of the National Theatre as a show of shame mismanaged by civil servants was now outdated as the edifice had received a facelift within the eight months tenure of the new Artistic Director, Tar Ukoh.

“They told a great lie that there is no water, no electricity, no air conditioning in the National Theatre,” Akogun said. “National Theatre can work if you have the right persons in the right places.”

Before the rally swung into full gear, Akogun led a team of journalists through the Theatre’s multiple conference rooms and cinema halls, which dazzled with light and cold comfort from the air conditioning. However, at a point, the power supply was interrupted and it took several minutes before the generators kicked in.

 In a statement made available to journalists yesterday, AUPCTRE’s National General Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Zambuk, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to keep to his 2015 promise “that historical assets will not be sold for any reason to any private interest.”

“We passionately appeal to President Buhari to intervene and stop the proposed sale of national historical assets and other national monuments to fund an annual budget,” Zambuk said.
AUPCTRE, formed in 1996, is a coalition of the former Civil Service Technical Workers Union, National Union of Public Corporations and Recreational Services Employees Union.