Demolition of Lagos Artistes’ Village, an order carried too far, says Mohammed

• Soyinka leads The Pre-emptive Bulldozer on Tuesday
INFORMATION and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has expressed displeasure over the large extent of destruction incurred in the wake of demolition exercise carried out at the Artistes’ Village tucked within the premises of the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

The demolition on Saturday morning, was said to have been ordered by the General Manager of the National Theatre Complex in which the Village is situated, Mallam Kabir Yussuf, who had been having running battles with the artists’ community.

No sooner had the bulldozers invaded the village tearing down structures that housed audio-visual studios, dance studios, drama rehearsal rooms, visual arts studios, craft-making and textile workshops whose rough estimate has been put at N100 million than the social media feasted on it generating varied reactions globally.

Meanwhile, the matter is taking a new dimension as Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka will be leading an “urgent exchange” tagged, The Pre-emptive Bulldozer on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos.

A statement announcing the event said:“The venue of this exchange could not be more symbolic and pertinent, since Freedom Park itself is the product of a spirited struggle by a few individuals who were committed to a creative option for the disposition of national landmarks, pitted against real-estate developers.”

Mohammed who rushed to the scene Saturday night was dismayed at the extent of destruction and said there was no need for such excessive use of force, which led to shooting by policemen.

He appealed for calm and urged the artistes not to do anything that would undermine peace in the area.