The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over ₦279 million recovered from a contract fraud case to the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre Lagos.

The handover ceremony took place on Friday at the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 in Ikoyi.

According to a statement by EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the case dates back to 2009 following a petition by Kabir Yusuf, then General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the National Theatre.

The petition alleged financial irregularities in a contract awarded through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation to Techno Exportstroy Nig. Limited.

The contract, valued at ₦299,707,828, was meant for the construction of five gates, sand filling and reclamation works at the National Theatre.

Investigations revealed that Yusuf Ahmed Atai, while serving as Acting General Manager of the National Theatre, authorised the release of ₦334,229,794.24 to the contractor—an amount exceeding the original contract sum by ₦34,521,966.

Further findings showed that the contractor executed work valued at only ₦55,910,744, leaving ₦243,799,132.25 in uncompleted work while also failing to refund the excess payment.

Following investigations and prosecution, the EFCC recovered a total of ₦279 million from the defendant on behalf of the institution.

Speaking during the handover, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede—represented by Acting Zonal Director of Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Bawa Usman Kaltungo—reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to ensuring that stolen public funds are recovered and returned to the rightful institutions.

He urged the management of the centre to ensure the funds are properly utilised and warned that the EFCC would monitor how the money is spent.

Receiving the bank drafts on behalf of the centre, Head of Finance and Accounts Jatto Kabiru thanked the commission for the recovery and assured that the funds would be used judiciously.

The cultural facility was renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in July 2024 in honour of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.

Renovation of the centre was funded and overseen by the Central Bank of Nigeria in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee Nigeria, while the Federal Ministry of Arts Culture and Creative Economy Nigeria provided policy direction for transforming the facility into a hub for Nigeria’s creative industries.