The giant National Theatre up until recently stood there in Iganmu in shame
Stripped of its magnificence and glory after being subjected to serial rape occasioned by financial mismanagement, financial malfeasance and recklessness.
Abandoned and left alone to provide a haven for drug addicts and other such societal leftovers
Even today, after the huge renovations still going on, a walk around the huge complex would bring you down to tears.
The worst hit is the area North of the complex which used to house Artists and which is aptly named Artist Village
Its dilapidated ambience will make you kneel and bow your head to the arrogance of deceit that has led to this sorry state.
The government has, time and again, done the wrong thing with these institutions – which is letting them be run by artists and creative technocrats.
If you take a quick look at the past leadership of the National Theatre, the National Museum and any other facility within the creative, cultural space you will see a long line of creative professionals standing beside a huge landscape of dilapidated monuments and Institutions
If one looks at it very well, one would not want to blame the government
Pressure from the industry to appoint from within the industry the leadership of these institutions is sometimes unbearable, leaving the Government with no option but to kneel to their bidding.
Secondly, people generally do not see the industry as being lucrative, so lobbying for positions in the space amongst party operatives, elite policy operatives, and the general public is usually not that intense.
They would rather go to the more fertile Oil and Gas, Aviation, and foreign affairs and leave culture and Arts to the lightweights.
This has led us to where we are today, where you find a litany of carcases of Government Institutions and facilities littered all over the Country.
What some observers and players, including myself, have been saying is that being an excellent dancer or a brilliant thespian does not automatically mean that you will be a good administrator, project manager or Chief Executive.
This system where we have hugely talented professionals in the industry run these institutions and facilities has failed times without number
I was privy to see an invoice issued by an administrator of a multi-billion Naira cultural edifice located in the Onikan area in Lagos to a client and all that was wrong with the system was firmly established in that document
The invoice had the name of the institution of Government on the top but contained the personal account number of a firm linked to the head of the Government institution
What that document showed was the naivety of the leadership of such a huge complex on things like corporate governance and by extension conflict of interest
It clearly showed that the decision-making process and approval process were clearly not well defined or, if at all, obfuscated, which also now boiled down to a lack of controls and the non-existence of a reporting system.
We all know what happens to monies collected on behalf of the Government into private accounts and its effect on the continued corporate existence of the institution
That is the story of most Government institutions, not only within the Arts and Culture space but almost all over the economy.
To solve this issue, the Government must do two things.
It must develop a thick skin towards the pressure from within the industry to appoint professionals from outside who understand how to administer facilities and who will either work with or head industry professionals who will now focus on the creative part of other job
So for example, a Musuem has a dual management structure involving a CEO who who manages the creative input and a COO who is a professional administrator who who will oversee the facility, its operations and finances
Both of them will now have a direct reporting line to the Board which will have approved income-generating initiatiatuves and expenditures.
Budgets would be cut and Board approved. Internal controls and risk management put in place to ensure that the CEO who is a world famous dancer or actor or director would now concentrate in the artistic areas which will drive traffic and in turn drive revenue which would now be judiciously managed by the COO and his team
That way, the continued existence of the facility, its maintenance, its staff emoluments would be assured and, very importantly, its reliance on Government subvention would be greatly impacted.
One clear thing we have to take note of is the fact that cultural facilities attract grants all over the world but these grants only move towards institutions with a clear structure of corporate governance and transparency in the management of funds.
Would an international donor agency look at a National museum, for example, if the GM’s wife is the sole vendor for drinks on the premises?
Would a donor agency give a grant to an Institution where there is no clear reporting and approval line?
Lets take the Muson Centre for example.
The Muson is an edifice that has stood the test of time, remained profitable and has continued to be maintained with its facilities in shape.
This is because of the structure being run
It has a Board of Trustees put in place by its promoters who now appointed Management made up of tested professional administrators who understand ethics, corporate governance, reporting and the rest.
You can’t use the lawn at the Muson without going thru an approval process laid down by the Board.
Standards have been set and kept. Your refundable deposit is paid two weeks after your show and there is nothing you can do even if the sky falls for you to get that money before then
All payments are receipted and invoiced into Muson dedicated accounts, and strong agreements are issued and pre-signed by all.
This is the reason the Muson has the largest catchment of donor corporates than for example the JK Randle Museum
This is cos of the clear and precise standardisation of its operations.
Finally, if for political exigencies, Government must put creative professionals in these positions then it must now subject them to very stringent capacity-building initiatives that would empower them along the lines that I have suggested
Failure to do these, the swimming pools will die, the grass will be unkempt, the walls will turn dirty, traffic will ebb out, and we will be left with decrepit carcasses of well-thought-out visions.
You may come and beat me now
Duke of Shomolu