FG to Establish National Museum, Theatre in Abuja, Says Musawa 

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja 

The Federal Government has said it plans to establish a National Museum and a National Theatre in a creative city to be located in Abuja.

The Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, disclosed this when she presented the 2024 Appropriation Budget draft to the Senate Committee on Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

She stated that the establishment of the two edifices were top on the list of projects of the ministry, which is intended to create employment, not only for creatives but also for Nigerians in general.

The attainment of this objective, she noted, will be subject to the approval of 2024 appropriation budget by the Senate.

Musawa further stressed that the ministry has been grossly underfunded and appealed to the Senate Committee to upscale its allocation in the 2024 budget.

“The ministry has been grossly underfunded and we will be unable to achieve anything of significance without the right funding. The  potential of this ministry is astronomical if we tap into that so we would like to see what we can do at the legislative level to give the ministry the kind of funding and support that we require to achieve our vision within the roadmap, to be able to achieve the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President,” Musawa said.

She asserted that in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the ministry is aiming to contribute N100 billion to the nation’s GDP by 2030 and also to the establishment of major projects, which include the building of a National Theatre and National Museum in Abuja, among other projects.

She explained that the Creative Economy is important to the ministry’s core functions which include attracting foreign investment, cultural promotion and preservation, among others, in line with section 21 of the 1999 Constitution.

“We have set high Key Performance Indicators for the ministry and we are ready to hit the aspirational targets which we have set for ourselves. This is a new ministry which is also trying to create jobs and in addition, establish an Intellectual Property Framework which will harness the culture and creativity of Nigeria.This, therefore will require adequate financial provision,” Musawa stated.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, applauded the minister for her initiatives to establish a National Museum and Theatre in the FCT, while stating that the budget review was to aid her in discharging her duties efficiently and realise her dreams for the ministry.

“The committee encourages frequent interactions over the course of the year to achieve more synergy and ensure enhanced collaboration with the Senate,” Onawo said.

A member of the committee, Senator  Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central, also alluded to the poor budgetary allocation, raising concerns on how the ministry intended to execute major projects with the meagre allocation.