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By Kayode Olopade
In preparation for the annual Yuletide December festivities , Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, is putting measures in place aimed at ensuring a successful exercise.
This was the highpoint at a Tourism, Hospitality and Creative Stakeholders’ Engagement Summit held at Victoria Island, Lagos where tourism experts, practitioners, investors, policymakers and creative investment in the sector were in attendance.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka said, "Today’s gathering reflects the Lagos State Government’s steadfast commitment to positioning Lagos as a leading, globally competitive tourism destination. Our vision requires collaboration, shared understanding, and continuous dialogue, which is what this summit embodies.
"The theme for today’s gathering, “Unlocking the Potentials and Opportunities of Lagos Tourism: Collaboration and Partnership for a Greater Lagos,” captures the core of our collective mandate. The future of tourism in Lagos depends on strong alliances, shared responsibilities, and a unified commitment to innovation, sustainability, and destination development.
"Your presence is evidence of your passion and commitment to building a vibrant, sustainable, and investment-friendly tourism landscape for Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.
"Lagos is blessed with immense tourism value. It is home to people from across Nigeria and the world, creating a rich cultural mosaic celebrated through festivals, events, arts, cuisine, and entertainment. The continued positioning of Lagos as a top international destination for leisure, business, and cultural experience is a collective effort, and your roles are indispensable."
She added that the Summit has been convened to achieve several strategic objectives, which include strengthening partnerships across the tourism, entertainment, and hospitality value chain; to enhance service delivery and improve destination competitiveness; to explore new and sustainable tourism opportunities across the state and to harness the vast potential within the tourism, entertainment, and creative sectors.
"As a government, we understand that meaningful stakeholder collaboration is essential for building a tourism ecosystem that is accessible, attractive, and impactful. Under the leadership of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, we are committed to providing the enabling environment that supports investment, innovation, and global best standards in this sector
"We must ensure that our systems are efficient, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving needs of a dynamic global tourism industry. Your contributions would shape how ready we are to welcome the increasing number of visitors, tourists, and investors exploring the heartbeat of Nigeria, This is Lagos.
"Together, we have the capacity to unlock the cultural, economic, and creative treasures that define Lagos and strengthen its position as the tourism hub of Africa and a gateway to the world.
"Let me conclude that our decision here today will decide our readiness for the festive season in Lagos State," the Commissioner noted.
In his speech, Director General, Lagos State Safety Commission, LSSC, Lanre Mojola who was represented by Mrs Olubunmi Jegede said, the commission works under four Es: Engineering, Education, Enforcement, as well as Evaluation.
She added, "We evaluate what you put in place and then we set new targets for ourselves to ensure that we keep improving everyday.
"And to ensure a safe environment, we have quite a number of strategies that we have employed as a government entity to ensure we keep in touch with all our activities within the sector.
"One of these is the registration of hospitality facilities. 90% of the hospitality facilities within Lagos State have been captured by the Lagos State Safety Commission. A lot of them have registered through our portal. Some of them we are still waiting for them.
"We know they keep evolving every day. We have new ones opening day by day. And then each time we find out that some have been reopened or opened, we go there and expect that they will do their own registration too on our platform.
"We also carry out the audit inspection of these facilities. It's a continuous process, it's what we do day by day to just ensure that we assess their risk, identify others and make sure that people that are coming and going out don't have accident."
In his comment, the General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki noted the purpose of LASTMA is to ensure seamless mobility within Lagos, saying "at times, our eervice extend to neighbouring states."
Bakare-Oki added, "It was a paradigm shift in Lagos during last year's December activities where we had a lot of hospitality business. This year, we are assuring that we will deploy 2,500 of our men to take care of major routes on the Island, Lekki-Epe, Victoria Island and Ajah.
"I'm giving the assurance that those who are coming from the diaspora will be having seamless mobility," he stated.
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