Some residents of Isolo, Ejigbo and Ikotun areas of Lagos have called on the state government to pay greater attention to the area as, according to them, “this is the tourism corridor of the state.”
They said that they were disappointed when all the beautification projects to improve the aesthetics of Lagos were done outside the area.
One of the residents of Isolo, Mr. Keyinde Olajide, said he was among those that were elated when the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode government embarked on massive facelift of Lagos as part of activities to mark Lagos @ 50 event. Iconic statues were erected at key locations like under the flyover of the National Stadium, Surulere, Falomo in Ikoyi and other parts of Lagos, which were given facelift.
“All these have added to the appeal of Lagos and I am sure they give positive vibes about Lagos to tourists and visitors. But why was this axis not included? Most tourists on religious pilgrimage to the Synagogue Church of All Nations of Pastor T.B. Joshua pass through Isolo. So, any project sited in this axis would have positive impact on the image of the state, but none was sited here. It is really unfortunate,” he said.
Another resident of Ikotun, Mr. Sunday Obot, said: “In terms of inbound tourist traffic to Lagos, no area in Lagos attracts more tourists like the Isolo-Ejigbo-Egbe-Ikotun area. From available statistics, close to 40 per cent of tourist arrivals to Nigeria, not just Lagos, heads in this direction, to Pastor T.B. Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations. Yet there is no effort by the state government to include this part in the urban renewal project and face-lift of the megacity. The road to Ikotun from the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway ought to be expanded to reflect the image the state wants foreign visitors and religious tourists to have.
“One would have thought that this area ought to have been the first area of concentration, if tourism is being talked about, because that is the tourism corridor of Lagos. The other areas are simply potentials that are not yet attracting the needed tourism numbers to be called a destination. So, why the neglect of this goose that lays the golden egg?”
They called on the government to focus greater attention on the axis as it is the window through which many tourist visitors have a glimpse of Lagos, since they stay in the church premises while in Nigeria.