By ‘dayo Adedayo
Some dreams are born in the silence of the night. Mine was born somewhere above the clouds.
At exactly 11:03 a.m. on 19 June 2003, aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight from Lagos to London, an idea suddenly came to me. As a Virgin Atlantic Gold Card holder, I had been given one of their black notebooks.
Throughout my travels, I filled it with thoughts, sketches and ideas that I hoped one day would become reality.
That morning, one page changed everything.
The idea was remarkably simple.
I wanted to build a place where every state in Nigeria would have its own room, telling its own story through photographs, objects and experiences. At the heart of it all would be one grand gallery dedicated to Nigeria itself, a celebration of the very best our nation has to offer.
It was only a thought.
A thought written in black ink.
A thought patiently waiting for its appointed time.
The years rolled by, but the dream refused to fade. Instead, it grew stronger.
I travelled relentlessly across Nigeria, documenting our people, cultures, festivals, landscapes, architecture, wildlife and traditions. Every journey added another piece to the puzzle. Every photograph strengthened my conviction that Nigeria deserved to be seen through a different lens.
Then, about eight years ago, I decided it was finally time to give the dream a physical address.
And then came another unforgettable day.
At exactly 11:20 a.m. on 15 October 2022, the first shovel pierced the earth and construction of the DAP Experience Centre, Lagos officially began.
Nineteen years had passed since that life-changing moment aboard the Virgin Atlantic flight.
As the first scoop of earth was lifted, it felt as though every kilometre travelled across Nigeria, every photograph ever taken, every museum visited around the world, every obstacle encountered and every prayer whispered had led to that very moment.
The foundation being dug that morning was more than the beginning of a building.
It was the foundation of a dream that had patiently waited almost two decades for its appointed time.
Through a friend, I approached one of Nigeria’s finest architectural firms, Adeniyi Coker Consultants Limited (ACCL).
I had only one instruction.
The building had to be intentional.
It had to be contemporary.
It had to be timeless.
It had to be impossible to tell where the front ended and the back began because the site sits between the Lekki–Epe Expressway and T. F. Kuboye Road in Oniru, Lekki.
The lead architect, Mr. Yinka Ogundairo, supported by Mr. Tunde Adegbenro and Mr. Olabode Fakorede, produced a design that completely blew my mind.
Before putting pencil to paper, they researched some of the finest museums and galleries across Europe and America. Every lesson learnt from those iconic institutions found its way into the drawings placed before me.
That was when I knew I had to experience them for myself.
My research took me through 46 cities across the world, visiting museums, galleries, visitor attractions and cultural centres to understand what makes people curious enough to walk through a door and inspired enough to leave wanting to return.
I remain deeply grateful to the French Embassy for granting me a multi-year visa after reading the passionate letter I wrote explaining the research journey I intended to undertake. Their belief in my vision became part of this remarkable story.
What stands today as the DAP Experience Centre, Lagos, is therefore not an accident.
It is the product of twenty-three years of dreaming, researching, travelling, documenting and refusing to give up.
The journey, however, was anything but easy.
Obtaining planning approval took almost two years. During construction, advances in digital technology compelled us to redesign sections of the building, sacrificing two planned floors so the Centre could embrace the future rather than become outdated before opening.
By the end of the project, my face had become considerably darker than the rest of my body.
Construction under the Lagos sun has a way of changing one’s complexion! 😂😂😂
Together with UF-A Consultants as Structural Engineers, MFA as Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, and Ladchrislord as Civil Engineers, an extraordinary team transformed an idea into reality.
Yet the building itself tells a story long before anyone steps inside.
It proudly stands on three giant visible pillars, symbolising the three great regions upon which Nigeria stood at Independence in 1960.
The building has six principal sides and a smaller seventh, representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory.
Scattered across the structure are 154 windows of varying sizes.
Each window represents one of the 154 destinations every Nigerian should experience before returning to their Maker.
At the entrance, visitors will find the complete list, allowing them to tick off where they have been and discover where they should go next.
The building also contains 98 steps, representing 98 fascinating places to visit within Lagos State. These, too, will be listed so visitors can continue exploring Lagos long after leaving the Centre.
Perhaps the most unusual feature is what you will not find.
Very few perfectly straight walls.
Very few perfectly straight windows.
That is deliberate.
Life itself is rarely straight.
Each generation simply contributes its own little part before leaving the rest for those who follow.
Our ambition stretches far beyond bricks and concrete.
We are bringing a touch of Times Square in New York to Nigeria by wrapping sections of the complex, including the security building, energy room, water treatment plant and parts of the ground-floor façade, with giant LED displays celebrating the very best of Nigeria.
The experience begins immediately you walk through our doors.
The ground floor welcomes visitors with a café, to be operated by Cafe One, alongside a merchandise store offering more than 500 carefully curated Nigerian souvenirs.
On the first floor lies our digital experience.
Visitors will experience Nigeria through an immersive 5D theatre unlike anything currently available in Africa.
Then comes one of our signature attractions, the Boat Room.
Without leaving the building, visitors will journey by boat from Marina in Lagos into the Atlantic Ocean, through the creeks of the Niger Delta, onward to Onitsha, up to the majestic Confluence at Lokoja, before returning once again to Lagos.
The same floor also houses a Documentary Theatre and a Photography Library for students, researchers and photography enthusiasts.
The next level celebrates analogue photography.
Here, visitors will trace the evolution of photography from the humble pinhole camera to today’s mobile phone.
Original equipment, historic exhibitions and a fully operational traditional darkroom will allow younger generations to witness how photographs were created before the digital age.
Returning to the ground floor, visitors can transform their own photographs into treasured keepsakes, from framed prints and throw pillows to key holders, rings, fridge magnets and many other personalised souvenirs celebrating Nigeria.
The DAP Experience Centre is for everyone.
For children discovering their country for the first time.
For families seeking unforgettable experiences.
For schools extending learning beyond the classroom.
For tourists searching for authentic Nigeria.
For researchers, historians, photographers and lovers of culture.
And for every Nigerian who has ever wondered just how beautiful this nation truly is.
Within these walls, you will travel across Nigeria without leaving the comfort of one building.
You will meet our people.
Discover our history.
Celebrate our diversity.
Experience our culture.
And, perhaps for the very first time, see Nigeria not through headlines, but through her beauty.
That little idea written into a black notebook at 35,000 feet has finally found its home on the ground.
Welcome to the DAP Experience Centre, Lagos.
Welcome to Nigeria.
