It was evident that The National Troupe of Nigeria, (NTN) did a good job of grooming and training the students who were attached to the institution for their Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme, (SIWES) send-forth, which took place last weekend. The evidence was glaring in the performances that were displayed last weekend.

The second edition of the programme had I20 students, drawn from 11 Universities across the country, they showcased the artistic training and skills they acquired during their three to six months industrial training programme in drama and dance at the Artiste Rehearsal Hall National Theatre complex Iganmu, Lagos.

The audience were glued to their seats as they enjoyed a display of talent, creativity and six months of intensive grooming of one performances after another such as Agemese dance, Swange dance, Bata dance, as well as, dramas titled, Colours of Dust, The Incorruptible Judge among others.

Artistic Director/Chief Executive Officer, Hajja Kaltume Bulama Gana, who was unavoidably absent sent a goodwill message to the students via a video call, she said, “The national troupe is delighted to have been part of your journey, keep it up and stay focus with your studies. We are glad to have had you for three to Six months, experiencing the culture of dance, music and Nigerian theatre. We hope you don’t forget what you have learnt, take the lessons home with you and take your career seriously in the performing arts.”

She added, “We look forward to hearing and seeing the report of what all of you have done, congratulations.”
Theatre arts lecturer and dance scholar from the Department of Theatre Arts at Lagos State University, who frequently collaborates with the NTN, Dr Yeside Dosumu-Lawal commended the organisation for staying true to its call, to encourage creativity and excellence in the performing arts and to discover, nurture emerging talents.

“What you started in 2025 has been expanded to accommodate more students from many universities across the country, it is laudable and it is part of nation building, She said.

On the part of the students, she counted them privileged, because according to Lawal, “In the past, many students do SIWES just to sign out but here, you have been given what many theatre graduates don’t get in four years, practical exposure to the professional world of dance, drama, music, costume, stage craft and cultural administration under seasoned instructors of NTN. You have been taught, not just theory but discipline, team work and creativity that define world class performance. I have watched today’s performances and I must say I am impressed. What you have displayed on stage is a clear translation of knowledge to creativity. You have proved that if given the platform, Nigerian youths can create excellence.”

“This programme has educated you beyond classroom, it has taught you confidence, public speaking, cultural intelligence, entrepreneurship, take this experience home and teach others.

“Theatre arts has become a weapon for cultural preservation, in your dance steps today, I saw Yoruba, Igbo Hausa and other tribes, I saw Nigeria, you are now custodians of our culture in an age where our identity is threatened by foreign influence, from today, you have a big role in the quest to preserve your own culture.

“As youth development, you came as students but you are leaving as young professionals, the creative industry is waiting for you, music, acting, content creation. The world now pay for talent, go out there and prove yourself as great talents,” she concluded. the National Troupe of Nigeria, who also supervised the students, Mr Adejumo Emmanuel said, “With the impact I have seen within this short period, I will say, “this is a programme that needs to be sustained, encouraged and structured better with the NTN. Universities should send their students here for their SIWES so that they can learn the nitty gritty of the profession.

“In school it is mostly theory and when they teach the practical, it is not in basics like this, so I will suggest they should always do this for better understanding of their study.”

Commenting on how the acceptance of students for the SIWES programme began at NTN, Adejumo said, “The idea to start accepting students for SIWES was Gana’s. She suggested that we should extend our experience to the universities, to the students as one of our objectives of encouraging young students in the field of theatre which is a tool for culture propagation and so we began last year, it was smaller than this but this year, it has grown bigger than we expected. We are hoping that it will be bigger because we have the manpower to handle it.”
Adejumo said the students came from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Tai Solarin, Osun state, Kogi state, Abubakar Audu university Ayingba, Federal University of Oye Ekiti, Alvan Ikoku, and others. They were 120 students in all, they were divided into five groups and were given instructors to handle each group in theatre, music and dance and other departments.

“We began the day at 7am with jogging round the theatre severally before going on to other events of the day, and they were very cooperative.”
Awards were also given to some outstanding students such as Best Student of SIWES, for his sportsmanship, which Sunny Oludesola won, Distinguished student for her positive attitude towards others, went to Eleto Ayomide, Outstanding award went to Ajesa Adesoji. He was said not to know how to dance at all when he came but at the end of the programme, he learnt many dances.

The most versatile award went to Adeniran Ayoola Precious who played all the instrument very well, while Victor Akpan took the award for punctuality, he didn’t miss a day. Rising star went to Ada Eneojo, Most discipline went to Agoro Kehinde, Most creative went to Akinpomowo Gbemisola and Team spirit went to Aliyu Ibrahim Saidat’

The NTN’s overall best award went to Blessing Bankole.
The students who were elated thanked their teachers at NTN, they showed gratitude by presenting a gift of a standing fan to the organisation and promised to make good of what they learnt.