By Eric Elezuo
The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, has said that Lagos State remains a point of reference when it comes to peaceful co-existence and co-habiting in unity despite the differences in ethnicity and languages of its people.
Mrs. Uzamat made the remarks while delivering the welcome speech at the opening ceremony of the 2022 National Festival of Arts and Culture, tagged Eko NAFEST 2022 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.
“Lagos prides itself as a peaceful State, known for co-habiting and co-existing in unity, despite the differences in ethnicity and languages, Lagos remains a reference point for what an ideal State exemplifies,” she said while imploring the visiting participants to take advantage of the rich culture of the state and tourism potential, especially the aquatic endowments, to give themselves the best of times as the week long fiesta lasts.
She noted also that the very essence of the festival, which dwells on the need to further unify the country should not be lost sight of as Nigeria needs its unity now, more than ever
“You must also be reminded of the fact that Lagos, apart from being the Centre of Excellence, is also a State of Aquatic splendour surrounded by water which constitutes part of our heritage. You are also invited to explore the tourism potentials on our waterways as well as the world class water transportation system here in Lagos.
“In a nutshell, as we celebrate, and have fun, I plead with us all not to forget the inherent message in this festival of culture and arts. This annual event had over the years proven to be a unifying platform for all tribes in Nigeria and this year’s edition should not be an exception,” the Commissioner said.
NAFEST is a yearly fiesta of culture, arts and tourism tailored to bring Nigerians together under one roof to further cement the unity the has held the country together.
The theme for the 2022 edition is “Culture and peaceful coexistence”, and as Akinbile-Yussuf noted, “it is imperative for every one of us to be reminded that a peaceful coexistence is very integral to development and as such, we must jointly pursue everything that would guarantee the peace of everyone.”
