Tourism Minister Lola Ade-John has called on the Lagos State Government to fully leverage the tourism possibilities of Epe town, renowned for its fishing industry.
She suggested the establishment of a well-organized fish market to attract visitors and emphasized the importance of cleanliness, urging local residents to maintain their town.
During her tour of key sites in Epe, including the Oju Alaro Shrine, the Marina Waterfront, the Palace of Oloja of Epe, and several historic colonial buildings, Ade-John highlighted the critical role of community involvement in preserving these attractions.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Ade-John expressed her commitment to helping increase tourist influx to the region, underscoring her optimism about the town’s significant tourism potential.
“We are going to help you advertise what you have so that people can visit Epe more than ever before, but the sites must be kept neat,” she stated.
Highlighting the importance of local government initiatives in ensuring cleanliness at these sites, she emphasised, “The local government must work on sensitising the locals to always ensure these sites are neat and tidy. It won’t attract tourists if they are left like this.”
Observing the abundance of colonial buildings in Epe compared to Lagos township, Ade-John urged the community to preserve and cherish these historical landmarks.
“Epe is a beautiful place to be, with beautiful beaches, mangroves, seafood, and all; these are what the backpackers want to see,” she remarked.
Echoing similar sentiments, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently underscored the tourism potential of the Badagry area of Lagos during an inspection tour.
Last week, the governor visited several tourist centres in Badagry, including the Slave Museum International, Vlekete, Badagry Heritage Museum, the First Storey Building, Point of No Return, and Mobee Royal Family Museum.
“For us, it is to complete the ongoing projects that we have seen, and we saw some of the heritage sites, not to deface it but to restore them, to generally just preserve what we have for the tourism potential of Badagry,” Sanwo-Olu said.