National Theatre: Don’t Wipe Our History, Fashola Tells FG



 Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, condemned reported attempt by the Federal Government to convert the National Theatre into a five star hotel, saying "stop wiping away history." Fashola also stressed the need to allow private sector manage ports activities in the country. He, however, warned all property owners whose structure had turned to hideout for criminals, to develop it or risk losing such buildings to the government. Fashola, who spoke at the 2nd Lagos Corporate Assembly held at the Lekki Free Zone, LFZ, Ibeju-Lekki Local Council Development Area, LCDA, on BRF Meets Business, said the sale of the edifice would lead to erasing a heritage that had lasted for years. It will be recalled that the Federal Government had earlier issued a circular to the occupants of the 36-year-old edifice, to vacate the place within two weeks. Fashola said: "I heard that the National Theatre is up for sale. And I wondered which kind of people offer to buy the edifice and how they make the money. "If someone, who had visited the country in 1977 for FESTAC '77, come back and wanted to see the National Theatre, we would then say that it has been turned to a hotel." Fashola said: "There is a land already provided by the state government to build its own trade fair complex. And the construction of the place would be a Public Private Partnership, PPP, initiative. "This will give the private sector the opportunity to control the activities in the zone. It will not be a public structure that would be built in the morning and auctioned in the evening."