My brother, it’s like people who are not very happy with you and your Board are afraid to come to you
For those of you who don’t know this fella and his Board, he is the chairman of the rejuvenated National Theatre now called the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and something
The Board, I have learnt, is representative of the Bank Committee, which threw up N68b for the renovation, the Government and other stakeholders
But ever since the Board was inaugurated and the Centre opened, ears have not rested from complaints by culture stakeholders
Their main argument is that the Centre has been overpriced and is out of their reach, and as a result, ultimately the main aim of having such an iconic edifice has been defeated
In an essay that I just read this morning, the author, a well-respected stakeholder, wondered if it is was chandelier we would be coming to see at the National Theatre
I have defended you and your Board tire and I’m exhausted.
I have told them that may be its the recovery of the N6 8b that is upper most in your head right now
I even went further to tell them that the terms of the funds at 21 years and interest-free is almost like a dash all to no avail
They say your Board is not a listening Board and that all proposals they have sent to you, you refuse to listen.
They say you especially are very cocky and arrogant, and walking around like you know it all
You know your people, na. They will not say it to your face, but they have finished you in their respective WhatsApp groups and in calls to people like me
The other night, one well-respected stakeholder called me for two hours and tore you apart
He concluded by saying that he has adopted a siddon look approach as you carry on with your big head with the Centre
My egbon, I don’t know you o and only read about you as Eco Bank Chairman and Commissioner in Lagos and as something in Ogboni and have been trying my best to defend you and your Board from a pure mercantilist position
For my efforts, I have been called a sort of names, abused, and even ine cross eyed goon called me a con man. Honestly, I am tired of defending you, hence this my write up
Our elders used to say – Cock crow at dawn, whatever that means, but let us even listen to the cries of the stakeholders
Why not convene an all-parties meeting if this has not been done already to put heads together to forge a middle ground where both tendencies can be satiated? I fear that, with the way it is going, the place would most likely be turned into one huge beer parlour or huge owambe venue like Freedom Park, and at that time we will all rest na
So. My egbon Holloway let’s work together to see the vision of the National Theatre come to life.
Maybe na the name dey even worry am.
Wole Soyinka too stubborn na why dey call am Kongi and na that stubbornnes dey disturb all of una
But wait, may be its even Obasanjo’s head that is causing this confusion
The man envisioned the FESTAC 77, built the National Theatre, Soyinka was there doing his normal criticism and decades after, you name the place after Soyinka while Obasanjo is still alive, and you think OBJ has not carried juju to curse you people?
My brother, I’ve said my own, call all these people and put heads together and solve this problem once and for all abeg
I’m tired
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: July 20, 2026
