Lai Mohammed Promises To Compensate Affected Artists

On Saturday, January 23 at about 6:00 am, the General Manager of the National Theatre of Nigeria Kabiru Yusuf Yar Adua invaded the National Council for Arts and Culture Artists’ Village which houses arts studios, workshops, dance studios and some service contractors with a caterpillar from CCECC and two truckloads of armed policemen. Some of the demolished structures belonged to the NCAC whilst others built by artists had approval of the NCAC.

Federal minister of information and culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed,

The minister for information and culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed addressed and reassured the resident artists of the NCAC Artists Village. He promised that the injured will get support for their treatment in hospital and that those who are legitimate residents will be duly compensated for damage done to their structures. He also confirmed that he asked Kabiru to demolish shanties at the back of the Artists’ Village along the canal that has been a route for miscreants and not Arts Studios and structures in the NCAC Artists’ Village. 

Kabiru Yusuf Yar Adua leading armed policemen to demolish Artists’ Village

What the artists want from the minister:

1. That the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture makes good on his promise regarding injuries to affected Residents and damages to property.
2. That temporary accommodation be provided for artists whose structures have been demolished pending compensation and rebuilding of such structures. The offices of the National Film Corporation (NFC) and the Centre for Black Arts and Africa Civilization (CBAAC) at the National Theatre are vacant. We implore the Honourable Minister to use his good offices to relocate the displaced Artists and their materials and works to these offices.

Smart Ovwie, shot artist

3. That the Honourable Minister takes active steps to stop Kabiru Yusuf Yar Adua from further preventing the National Council for Arts and Culture from carrying out her statutory obligations to Artists and the Arts Community.
4. That the Honourable Minister should as a matter of urgency, remove Kabiru Yusuf Yar Adua from office as he has become an embarrassment to the current Administration. The Nigerian Culture Sector is already in deep crisis as a result of a lack of leadership and direction from the Public Sector. Kabiru must be prevented from further demonstrating vestiges of misrule which characterized the last Administration.

Artists believed Kabiru carried out the vindictive demolition without allowing the artists and business owners the opportunity to salvage artworks and belongings and as a result caused extensive damage to property and valuables.

Meanwhile, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka had called for an inquiry into what exactly happened, compensation and punishment for erring individuals that has a hand in the Artists Village.