The Badagry Local Government of Lagos is the most promising tourist destination in Lagos State. Though, it may be experiencing setback in patronage, experts believe the place will experience massive business boom in the nearest future. Badagry became the most popular home of museums and colonial relics after serving as major centre of slave trade in the past two centuries.
The Badagry town is not only a heritage site for slave market but also home of the first colonial administrative office, first storey building in Nigeria and the abode of the famous Lord Lugard, who merged the Southern and Northern Protectorates into the Nation called Nigeria. Badagry was also a coveted coastal town for the Yoruba and Dahomey kingdoms during the tribal wars of the 18th century due to its strategic location amidst the warring tribes. The town is surrounded by various beaches and wild vegetation. All these rich histories and nature elements made Badagry an ideal place to visit in modern day.
The Lagos State Government has adopted and has been developing Badagry as a tourist destination for decades now; however, many have expressed concern over the slow pace at which the place is developing. Some worry that the place is not attracting enough tourists like popular tourists destinations of the world.
The curator of the Heritage Museum, Mr. Babatunde Ajose, said that those who worry about the slow pace of things about the Badagry tourism need to understand the exigencies of the industry. According to Ajose, the Badagry tourism is an emerging tourism; it is still in the early stage of growth and work is in progress to making the place a world-class tourist destination. The curator, who studied Tourism Management at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, explained that notable world tourist destinations like Hawaii, Honolulu, Dubai and Egypt were developed over long period of times before people got to hear about them. The government of these nations worked over the places for generations and succeeded in making them cynosures of all eyes. He cited the case of Dubai, which has been the Arab government’s priority in the early seventies and how they turned the place into a most preferred destination today. The curator explained that tourism business works in different stages, starting from the development stage, where emerging destinations like Badagry falls in. During this stage, the Government will identify all side attractions, implement policies like tax-cut/free trade zone for businesses, build infrastructures like roads, electricity and housing projects.
Ajose cited the Bister Village in the United Kingdom, where the British Government is currently preparing as another world-class tourist destinations. “Being an emerging destination, the British Government is investing in the place by giving incentives to concessioner and reduction of tax for investors”, Ajose narrated. “Years from now, the Bister Village will experience surge of tourists from all over the world,” he predicted.
Talking about the Badagry tourist destination, the curator explained that the tourism industry began lately in Nigeria; it took proper shape in 1999 after years of deliberations and policies on the industry. Only recently, when the Buhari visa-free policy was implemented, did our government open the gate-way to Nigerian tourism industry, as this will make it easy for tourists to access our country and explore the beauty that abounds. “Advanced nations, who attract huge patronage from foreigners, made their visas easily accessible when they confirm reasonable balance in the tourist’s bank statement; a line Nigerian government just towed.
The military government in Nigeria killed tourism with their strict approach by labelling most tourists as spies. The military lived in utter fear of foreigners by making it difficult to access the Nigerian visas in the past. This action slowed tourism down. Besides, the tourist habit of visiting important sites like Badagry, Tinapa, Arigungu etc., was not sowed in the past generations; a habit we are trying to sow in the hearts of the current children in elementary schools. By bringing the little ones in primary schools on excursions, we are inculcating the tourist culture in them. When they grow, they will naturally bring their children to visit this sites as tourists in future,” narrated Babatunde Ajose.
Nigerians must understand that most world tourism destinations took concerted efforts to be established. For instance, the arid Arab town of Dubai took the government over three decades to be established while the artificial lake, artificial forests, the sophisticated skyscrapers all took decades and even more to create. The Badagry tourism is at an emerging stage needing time to grow into a world-class destination. The government will continue to put in place the necessary facilities and infrastructures.
Though, the Lagos State Government has realized that Badagry holds seventy percent of what makes Lagos a world class tourist destination, the government has been renovating museums like the Heritage Museum. The government must also work on the express road connecting Badagry to the Lagos hinterland. Notable community stakeholders like Babatunde Mobee, who is Director of the Mobee Royal Family Original Slave Relics Museum, has been making efforts to educate locals about the numerous tourism potentials in Badagry. They believe they are preparing the industry for the next generation, who will come to appreciate the tourism industry for what it is.