The Federal Government says it will take possession of the National Theatre, Lagos from the contractors handling its renovation on November 4, in preparation for the hosting of the Global Tourism Confab.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed disclosed this on Thursday in Arusha, Tanzania, at the 65th Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)’s Regional Commission for Africa.
Nigeria will be hosting the UNWTO maiden global conference on “Linking Tourism, Culture, and the Creative Industries’’ at the National Theatre, from November 14 to November 16.
Delegates from 166 member countries of the UN world tourism organisation are billed to participate in the conference.
Speaking on the country’s preparedness for the global event, the minister said that the national theatre would be ready for the hosting of the event.
The national theatre which is the hub of Nigeria’s creative industries and the symbol of Nigeria’s creativity and culture is being renovated with 100 million worth of funding by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Banker’s Committee
“From the meeting we had with the contractors and consultants, we are very confident that by November 4, the national theatre will be handed over to us.
“The installation of all the facilities and infrastructure needed in preparation for the hosting of the event will commence,’’ he said.
Mohammed said the Arusha CAF meeting was very crucial being the last one, before the Lagos conference.
“We use the opportunity of this meeting to sensitize CAF and the UNWTO in general to the level of preparation we have made to host this global conference.
“I also hold meetings with several of my colleague ministers in Africa and the representatives of the UNWTO from other blocs of the globe.
“The meetings have been very successful because virtually all the ministers that I met expressed their willingness to come to Lagos,’’ he said.
Mohammed expressed gratitude to the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili for the public support he gave on the need for member countries to attend the Confab. (NAN)
