The National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, is Nigeria’s main performing arts center, four times larger than the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria. It was completed in 1976 for the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC). In July 2024, in honor of Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka’s 90th birthday, President Bola Tinubu renamed it the Wole Soyinka Theatre of Arts and Culture.
Gen. Yakubu Gowon initiated the construction, which was completed during Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo‘s military regime. The National Theatre was designed and built by Bulgarian construction company Techno Exporstroy, with Alhaji Sule Katagum as co-owner and chairman.
The National Theatre in Nigeria shares similarities with the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria, completed in 1968. In 2005, President Olusegun Obasanjo announced plans to privatize the National Theatre, which created some controversy among Nigerian entertainers and playwrights. In 2014, the National Theatre was reported to be sold to a Dubai-based conglomerate for N31.5 billion and converted into a duty-free shopping center.
On Sunday, February 14, 2021, the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria/Bankers Committee signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Revamping and Restoration of the National Theatre. The renovation is now complete and awaiting commissioning for use.
The National Theatre has been featured in media, including filming for Beyonce’s “Keys to the Kingdom” video in his visual album Black is King and performing a medley of his hits during the 63rd Grammy Awards.
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