REPORT ON THE INVASION OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND
CULTURE ARTISTS’ VILLAGE ON SATURDAY
23RD OF
JANUARY, 2016
(Presented on Tuesday, January 26, at the Press Conference called by the
Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka to address the Demolition of the Artists
Village)
On Saturday, 23rd of January, 2016 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 Artiste’
Village which houses Arts Studios, Workshops, Dance studios and some service
contractors with a caterpillar from
CCECC and two truckloads of Armed Policemen.
The padlock and
chain used to lock the gate were broken and Kabiru entered the premises with
his Demolition Squad. The noise generated by the forceful entry attracted the
attention of the Residents who watched
as Kabiru and his team which included ‘thespians’ such as Steph Ogundele
and Biodun Abe, ordered the demolition of Arts and Dance Studios, Galleries and
restaurants servicing the community. Some of the demolished structures belonged
to the NCAC whilst others built by Artists had approval of the NCAC.
The NCAC is one of
the parastatals in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and the NCAC
Artists Village is one of her flagship projects. The NCAC policy that
established the Artists Village has turned out to be one of the best policies
to have come out of the Public
Sector in Nigeria because it clearly demonstrates trickledown of Government
Spending in the Arts. This is critical because Research Grants, Travel Grants
and Support for New Work and Productions from Government have all but dried up.
The Resident Arts
practitioners who represent some of the best in practice in the Nigerian
Culture scene had no prior notice of the exercise and our landlord, the NCAC
was not informed. Kabiru carried out his vindictive demolition without allowing
the Artistes and Business owners the opportunity to salvage artworks and belongings
and as a result caused extensive damage to property and valuables.
One of the Artists
Mr. Smart Ovwie a sculptor who arrived the scene later and saw the destruction
of his properties lamented to Kabiru asking what he did to be oppressed this way,
in response, the policemen harassed him and fired shots which sent bullets that
got Mr. Ovwie in the leg.
It was truly tragic
to see Government officials who have been statutory responsibility to promote
and develop the Arts and Culture brutalizing Artists and destroying Government
property with impunity. It was indeed a clear manifestation of the misrule that
Nigerians have been subjected to in recent years
Later that day, the
Honorable Minister for Information and Culture came to address and reassure 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. The
Honourable Minister 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.
We wish to use this
opportunity to thank the Honourable Minister for demonstrating a remarkably
responsive leadership and for his assurances. We feel a lot better after the
trauma of the experience and we have him to thank for that. We are taking
active steps to deescalate tensions in the environment in our belief that due
and just process will take its cause.
It is important to
inform at this point that Kabiru hid behind the orders of the Honourable
Minister to settle old scores with a Community of Artists that stood staunchly
against the plans of the last Administration to privatize or concession off the
Management of the National Theatre of Nigeria.
Our Prayers
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.
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.
Thank you.
Aremo Tope Babayemi
Coordinator,
NCAC Artists’ Village
26 01 2016
Photospeak
Below, the man that
runs the Nigeria’s National Theatre of Nigeria and his goons….a bull in the
china shop!
.
K
Gunshot wound suffered by Sculptor Smart Ovwie
Kurio
K
