The Lagos State Government is to collaborate with the Federal Government to redesign and modernize the National Museum at Onikan in Lagos to make it an international tourist attraction and historical hub.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode announced the decision following a request to that effect by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during a courtesy visit to the Governor at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Thursday.
He said the upgrading of the museum is in line with the overall objective of the State Government to collaborate with the Federal Government in the development of infrastructure and improvement of security to boost tourism in the state.
“I want to also say that just the same way that we have collaborated with the police, we will collaborate with you and ensure that whatever it is that we can do to give a facelift to the infrastructure that the Federal Government has in Lagos, we will do it because it is eventually to the benefit of Lagosians and eventually to the growth of the economy of Lagos.
“So we will be looking into the area of the museum at Onikan to see how we can put up a modern day museum of international standard in that place,” he said.
The Governor said the modernization of the museum would be fast-tracked to showcase the history of the nation and artifacts, as part of the activities lined up to mark the 50th anniversary celebration of the creation of Lagos State next year.
He noted the enviable role that culture plays in creating a unique and distinct identity for Nigerians, saying his administration has mainstreamed culture into the economy of the state to enhance tourism and promote Lagos as a centre of excellence.
The Governor expressed the confidence that the infrastructure put in place, particularly the “Light Up Lagos” project and the security arrangement, would definitely improve investment in tourism, especially the establishment of world-class hotels, entertainment centres and recreation spots.
He disclosed that the Lagos State Government has floated the Employment Trust Fund, into which N6.25 billion would be paid yearly for four years, to create internationally acclaimed arts and recording studios in order to discourage artistes from recording their works abroad.
“Talking precisely about the National Museum at Onikan, we will go straight with the commissioners here to see how we can put up a modern-day museum of international standard and see how that can work towards our Lagos@50 Celebration next year.
“We are not only doing it for Nigeria, but also for the future of our cultural heritage. We believe strongly that the axis around Onikan and Marina is actually the melting port of our cultural heritage and we must start to recreate the monument in that area to be able to say a whole lot about the history of Lagos and more importantly, a whole lot about the history of Nigeria and so we would see how we can run as fast as possible on that,” the Governor said.
The Governor, who lamented that some Nigerian languages are gradually going into extinction due to lack of preservation of cultural values, said that with the renewed commitment of the federal and state governments, issues of youth unemployment could be adequately addressed using culture, tourism, arts, sports and entertainment.
“That is why we are committed to the Employment Trust Fund. We are just about to inaugurate it and every year for the next four years, we will be putting N6.25 billion, totaling N25 billion. Using that fund, we will be creating arts and recording studios and business incubators because we don’t longer want our artistes to be recording their works outside Nigeria.
“We can do it and that is where we are going. That will create a lot of energy among our younger ones and before you know it, they are on track and we too are on track as a very viable economy,” Governor Ambode said.
Earlier, Mohammed said he was in Lagos to solicit the support of the Governor and State Government to collaborate in jointly moving the state and indeed the country forward in areas of culture and tourism.
He said Lagos remains the economic and financial hub of Nigeria, and that it was worthy to underscore the fact that the state is thriving under Governor Ambode, who he said is not only doing well but has greatly improved on all he met on ground.
He said the Blue Line Rail project being built by the State Government, when completed in December, would not only be the first in Nigeria, but also greatly boost the economy and tourism potentials of the state, as well as the 10-lane Lagos-Badagry expressway.
The Minister said: “Governor Ambode is doing very well. Look at his emphasis on security; he met a security trust fund which was doing very well, and is now doing better. He has almost doubled the kind of equipment and facilities and assistance he is giving the police.
“Only recently, we passed in the Federal Executive Council, a $200 million loan application for Lagos State to complete the Blue Line Rail. This is a project that had been stalled for political reasons and he pushed through this.
“Look at Light Up Lagos Project, it makes it easy for you to move from point A to point B without any problems and this ultimately will impact positively on the economy of the state. He’s on the right track,” he said.
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