Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, last week, paid a working visit to La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Ikegun Village, Ibeju Lekki. The resort has been noted for hosting high-profile visitors from across the globe but on this day it was the governor of Lagos State, Sanwu-Olu, who decided to grace the resort with his presence.
The resort was aglow with colours and turbocharged excitement. The atmosphere was that of celebration and ecstasy as the management of the resort, led by its president, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, put up a brilliant performance. Atunda Entertainment was at its best as it treated the governor and his team to a classy presentation, spanning musical instrumentation, choreographed Zulu dance and singing, with Ara Thunder, the lady talking drummer and songstress, putting up a star performance. For close to three hours, the governor explored and felt the pulse of the enigmatic and creative pulse of Akinboboye’s savoury entertaining broth that was designed to treat him to the legendary offerings for which the resort is famed.
Besides the entertainment and engaging session, the governor had a parting word for the people as he commended Akinboboye for his huge investment and keeping faith with his passion, which has kept him afloat over the three decades of the existence of the resort. He went down memory lane recalling the humble beginnings of the resort and his close association with the resort over the years.
‘‘I am sure that a lot of you don’t know that Wale Akinboboye, started La Campagne on Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja. I was a young man like a whole lot of you or maybe even much younger. What this man stood for then was not here where we are now. He started from a building on Adeniyi Jones and that was our amusement park then because it was a wonderful park at that time.
‘‘But over the years he moved here. I have been here before and I have slept in your chalet here many times. But coming here this evening, I am excited with the level of development.” Then turning his gaze to the group of people that had entertained him, he said: ‘‘But it is really not about what this place is about alone, but about the energy that I saw in all of you. The originality of your music, how you have danced, because dancing is joy and I can see that reflected in all of the things that you have done.
‘‘The choreography is about what you are about and what you are building. I can see the passionate drive.’’
He further admonished them to be masters of their craft, while pledging his commitment to develop the entertainment and tourism that the people represented: ‘‘There is no shortcut in business or life. Whatever you find yourself doing, just make sure that you are the best and do it with all your energy and your heart because somebody somewhere is looking at you. And you will be great.’’
He ended his address by expressing appreciation to them for the fun and fulfilling moments he had with them.
Akinboboye, delighted by the visit, expressed appreciation to the governor for the visit, which he said was historic: ‘‘In all these years that I have been here transforming this zone, creating jobs and various opportunities for the people and community to develop, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is the first governor of Lagos State to come and sit down with us and honour us like this.’’
He also latched on the occasion to appeal to the governor to create a tourism zone along the Lekki corridor. He further described that the governor’s visit as: ‘‘Very timely, encouraging and that is what I believe is part of the encouragement infrastructure that government should give to the private sector to thrive and push them to do a lot more for the industry.’’
He concluded by saying that the visit was a demonstration of Sanwo-Olu’s belief and commitment to the tourism sector.
‘‘I thank you tremendously for coming and it is because of your belief in tourism and youth development,” he said.
