Bankers’ Committee, CBN to Spend About N25bn on National Theatre

The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bankers’ Committee on Sunday said they plan to spend as much as N25 billion on Nigeria Creative Centre at the National Theatre, Lagos and three other states in Nigeria.

Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, who spoke during the official handing over of the National Theatre to the Bankers’ Committee for renovation and upgrade on Sunday, thanked President Buhari for the approval and eventual handing over of properties Bankers’ Committee.

He said: “Given our dependence on crude oil as a major source of government revenue, as well as for our foreign exchange earnings, these challenges have served to reinforce the need for stakeholders to promote policies and programmes that will enable greater diversification of the Nigerian economy.

“A diversified economy that supports increased productivity in agriculture and manufacturing sectors, while harnessing the talents of our youths in the creative industries will lead to the build-up of a more resilient economy, which is better able to withstand external shocks, while creating wealth and jobs for our growing population,” he said.

The CBN Governor, who also doubled as the Chairman of the Bankers’ Committee, said in about 18 months, the Bankers’ Committee would have transformed the facility into Nigeria’s creative industrial centre.

“The creative centre, which comprises music, movies, fashion and ICT, can be a key source of growth for our economy creating up to one million jobs for the country’s teeming youths,” he said, adding that it would also aid the objective of reducing the country’s dependence on revenue from crude oil.

Emefiele explained: “India for example in 2018 generated over $240 billion from exports of IT, movies, music and fashion related goods and services. This amount is over five times our annual earnings from the sale of crude oil. With our human capital resources and an enabling environment that will help harness the creative talents of our youths, Nigeria has the potential to earn over $20 billion annually from the creative industry.

“With the growing demand for Nigerian music, movies and fashion, across Africa and in various parts of the globe, our creative industries are spurring innovation, creating jobs, and helping to shape perceptions of Nigeria, as a nation with a strong spirit of creativity and ingenuity.

“We must do more to encourage the innovative works of these young talented Nigerians as they can make significant contributions to the growth and development of our country.

“Second, given our growing population of close to 200 million people, out of which 60 per cent are under the age of 35, it is imperative that we strive to create opportunities that will keep our youths engaged, as it would portend great dangers for the progress of our nation if we allow these talents go to waste.”