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Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Mr. Folarin Coker, has disclosed that the ongoing One Lagos Fiesta (OLF) will be the backbone of making Lagos the entertainment hub of Africa.
Speaking with newsmen at the Bar Beach, one of the venues of the Fiesta, Coker stated that Lagos is home to top performing artists and film producers, thereby in good stead to establish itself as the hub of the entertainment industry in Africa.
He explained that the former Lagos Countdown celebration inherited by the present administration was re-branded and decentralised to the five Divisions is part of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s promise to Lagosians of running an all-inclusive administration when elected into office.
Mr. Coker stated that the decentralisation of the OLF has given a sense of belonging and ownership to Lagosians who had hitherto felt excluded from government and governance. He added that going by the words of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the opening ceremony of OLF, he has been given a mandate to keep OLF alive in the State Culture Calendar by organising 10 such events annually.
Speaking in the same vein, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, said when the OLF idea was conceptualised, many people had doubts of its success in comparison with the previous well-established Lagos Countdown.
“When Governor Akinwunmi came up with the idea of OLF, he was looking at a bigger picture and thinking of involving the people in the Divisions, Senatorial Districts and the 57 LGs and LCDAs as part of his all-inclusive government policy,” he said.
The Attorney-General maintained that with the adoption of the present administration’s Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment and Sports for Excellence (THES) policy, gradual development of local areas, tourism and the stimulation of the economy through the entertainment industry has been recorded.
While emphasising that in spite of the limited time frame for planning OLF and doubts about its success, Kazeem said the success recorded so far is a testimony to the sagacity of the Governor and the tenacity of the Commissioner for Tourism.
•Photo shows artiste thrilling the crowd at the maiden One Lagos Fiesta (OLF).
