National Theatre: Hard times hit Abe-igi tenants

Empty tents at Abe-Igi

Against the backdrop of planned redevelopment of the National Arts Theatre, operators of shops at the popular Abe-igi joint bemoan poor sales, writes CHUX OHAI

 It is difficult for many ‘Lagosians’ to imagine visiting the National Arts Theatre complex in Iganmu, Lagos without attempting a stop-over at the popular spot known as Abe-igi.

Named after a grove of sturdy shade trees, the spot is located directly opposite the sprawling complex. It consists of a row of kiosks, which originally served as ticketing booths during the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, hosted by Nigeria in 1977.  Here food and drinks are sold at reasonably affordable prices.

The spot was initially used as a point of rendezvous by Nollywood actors, producers and directors, as well as other artists. At the outset, the subject of attraction was the shade provided by the trees and the cool ambience of the entire spot.

Soon, the regular convergence of the artists and resulting activities attracted food sellers, hawkers of different items and itinerant musicians to Abe-igi. Eventually, the place rose from being a ‘watering hole’ of sorts to a full-scale leisure spot.

The spot was transformed in 2006 when the management of the National Theatre entered into a mutually beneficial partnership with the Nigeria Breweries Plc to give it a face-lift. The latter had rebuilt and branded the kiosks and handed them over to the former tenants.

 In addition, NB built a new block of kitchens and installed two big generators, with a view to providing electricity constantly.

“Abe-igi is the first port of call when you are visiting the National Theatre. The place was going down at a point. So when I came on board and the discussion with Nigerian Breweries Plc to bring it back to life was on, I did not hesitate to facilitate it. In the end it was repackaged and rebuilt. Those who had shops got them back. All we have to do now is provide security and maintenance to the place. NB will be paying us some amount of money for the rebranding. And with this, it is only their products that will be sold there,” the then General Manager of the National Theatre, Prof. Ahmed Yerima, had said during the formal opening of the new-look Abe-igi.

Apart from introducing a lively dimension to activities at the National Theatre complex, Abe-igi also provides a temporary refuge to motorists fleeing from the usually hectic gridlocks on Lagos roads.

The spot experienced a boom for some years. It was so popular among fun seekers at a point that most weekends the operators of the kiosks had a problem coping with the increase in demand for food and drinks.

“Sometimes we had more customers than we could handle. Anytime there was an event next door at the National Gallery of Art or inside the National Theatre, this place would be filled up. During festive periods, it was tough coping with the demand from customers. I recall that on one occasion I virtually ran out of food and drinks. I had to source more supplies from some of my fellow operators here,” an operator, who gave her name as Joy, told our correspondent on Monday.

But Joy lamented, in the same breath, that Abe-igi was no longer what it used to be. “Those were the good old days. Now everything has changed. Many of our old customers have stopped coming and business has really gone down,” she said.

Indeed, a visit to Abe-igi on Saturday by our correspondent showed that time had taken its toll on the popular hangout. Although a few cars were parked in front of the kiosks, most of the tents were empty and only a handful of bored customers were seen dawdling over a few bottles of beer. There was no live entertainment, no laughter, and none of the loud, animated conversations that used to liven up the atmosphere at the spot.

The same complaints of low patronage and poor sales echoed through the row of kiosks on that Saturday afternoon. But a Beninois steward said, on condition of anonymity, that the ban on sale of products not produced by Nigeria Breweries was partly responsible for the shortfall in sales and patronage currently experienced at Abe-igi.

“I think some of the people got tired of being served only a particular brand of beer. So they had to try other places, especially new spots under a bridge not far from here. Apart from those joints under the bridge, there are others at the Red Brick. All of them are taking our customers away,” he said.

Joy blamed the dwindling fortunes of the kiosk operators on the lack of activities in the National Theatre itself. “I noticed that sales also dropped when people were no longer coming to watch films at the cinema halls,” she said.

A few months ago, the operators protested an increase in the rent for the kiosks from N190,000 to N250,000. But the protest was suppressed and the kiosks were shut down for a few months by the management of the National Theatre. The spot was reopened to the tenants on condition that they would abide by the instructions of the management.

Also, reacting to the plan by the Federal Government to convert a part of the theatre complex to a five-star hotel, some of the operators said they had no idea how it would affect them.

“We don’t know if it is true. Let us wait and see what happens. But if they ask us to leave, we will obey them. Life continues,” Joy said.

But, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Monday, the Personal Assistant to the General Manager of the NT, Mr. Toyin Mohammed, said neither the Abe-igi kiosks nor the operators would be affected.

“What the government intends to do is simply convert a part of the complex into a hotel. It has nothing to do with Abe-igi or the tenants. Nobody is planning to demolish the National Theatre complex or to ask the tenants to leave,” he said