President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary with the inauguration of the remodelled National Theatre in Lagos, now renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, in honour of Africa’s first Nobel laureate in literature.
Tinubu arrived in Lagos on Friday on a working visit as the country prepares for what the Presidency has described as a deliberately low-key anniversary celebration.
His trip comes shortly after he attended the coronation of Oba Rashidi Ladoja, as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland in Oyo State.
The President will on October 1 formally commission the refurbished National Theatre, which has been transformed into a modern hub for arts, culture, and creative enterprise.
Renaming the historic landmark after Soyinka, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest cultural icons, is intended to highlight the nation’s pride in its artistic heritage while also projecting the creative economy as a driver of growth and national unity.
Soyinka, a playwright, poet, essayist and human rights advocate, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, becoming the first African to be so honoured.
His works, which include Death and the King’s Horseman, The Man Died, and A Dance of the Forests, have been celebrated worldwide for their profound engagement with themes of justice, freedom, and African identity.
Naming the centre after him is seen as both a tribute to his global stature and a symbolic statement about the role of culture in Nigeria’s future.
While in Lagos, President Tinubu will also hold meetings with private sector leaders and senior government officials, underscoring his administration’s continuing focus on economic reform and investment.
He is scheduled to proceed to Imo State on Tuesday, September 30, where he will commission projects executed by Governor Hope Uzodimma.
