I write to thank all who made the One Lagos Fiesta happen.
The primary reason behind the fiesta was to expand on the existent annual crossover celebration, known as the Countdown. The secondary objective was to launch our strategy of using entertainment as a tool to drive and harness tourism in Lagos state.
Lagos, as we know, is home to the globally recognized Nigerian entertainment industries, led by Nollywood and the numerous genres of music produced here. These are supported by Comedy, Fashion and Culinary delights that serve up a medley of dishes, representative of all tribes and cultures of Nigeria, sub-saharan Africa and have along the way infused recipes from the expatriate community, all loving, living and working in Lagos.
Our philosophy was simple, we are “One Lagos”. Unique in character, spirit, vibe and flavor. I am so pleased that the city came out in that spirit during the last 5 days of 2015. For the first time, in the world Twenty-five simultaneous concerts in 5 locations for 5 days was successfully organized in Lagos state.
We wanted to celebrate all Lagosians regardless of their location. The template was simple and the same across all venues, the performers, artistes, comedians etc. were rotated across all venues over the 5 days. In Badagry, Ikorodu, Agege, Epe and Bar Beach we were able to deliver world-class productions, made possible with the active support of renowned technical producers like Nelson Jack and Edi Lawani.
This event would have been impossible without the support of HE Governor Akinwumi Ambode and my colleagues on the Executive Council. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, all Security operatives and Lagos State Waste Management Authority all worked tirelessly to make sure that we had a safe, secure and healthy environment. It is remarkable that there was no reported case of any crime or security breach.
We acknowledge and thank our corporate sponsors, who have shown true commitment to the spirit of One Lagos and have supported our efforts from Day 1, Globacom, Zenith Bank, Pepsi, Forte Oil and Indomie; our partners, namely SAAB Miller Industries, Mikano; and all the key talent who performed wonders under such a tight schedule and immense pressure. I can promise you all that One Lagos will support you the way you have supported it. We hope that other businesses located in Lagos, will take a cue from the success of this event as we move forward in 2016 and seek to expand our collaborations.
I also want to thank all our media and broadcast partners; TVC, LTV, EbonyLife, Multichoice, Hiptv, Silverbird and numerous radio stations, such as Eko FM, CoolFM, BeatFM, WaZoBiaFM & Lagos Traffic Radio; our technical production leads, Fade & Sesan Ogunro of Film Factory, Cecil Hammond and Obi Asika & his team, who all worked tirelessly to bring this wonderful event to life. This is the beginning and together we will take Our Lagos and OLF to incredible heights.
The benefits of OLF are numerous to the builders of the FIVE stages, barricades, sound and lighting, big screens, printers, photographers, independent broadcasters, over 50 artistes, numerous hotels across Lagos, corporate and local food and beverage vendors, transporters of various categories, security companies will continue as the spirit of One Lagos continues through 2016. We will actively showcase and promote all our Local Governments all year round.
We currently have plans to host a Marathon, a Lagos Island Fiesta, Epe, Badagry and Surulere Cultural Days, The Taste of Lagos (Culinary), Eko Fashion Show, The Festival of the Drums, Eko Jazz Fest, Lagos Beach Fiesta (Elegushi, BarBeach, Tarkwa Bay, Ilashe, Badagry), Lagos Boat Regatta, Independence Day Celebrations, Eko Music Show, Lagos Boat Race and the Lagos Beer Festival,just to mention a few. I am happy to confirm that we will publish our tourism roadmap 2016-2019 at the end of this month and will ask all interested parties to partner with us to deliver the future.
Watch this space, for we have only just begun.
Thank you
Folorunsho Folarin-Coker
Commissioner, Tourism, Arts & Culture
