An appeal has gone to the Federal and Lagos State Governments to complete very quickly the ongoing recontruction of the Lagos -Badagry Expressroad and its waterways.
Mrs Ebele Enemchukwu, a former Mrs Nigeria United Nations and Mrs Tourism United Nations at different times, made the appeal on Saturday.
Enemchukwu spoke during a tour of tourism sites and where slave masters used to chain their slaves in the ancient town of Badagry.
The tour was part of the activities ahead of the 15th AKWAABA African Travel and Tourism Market slated for Sept. 22, 2019 to Sept.24, 2019 in Lagos.
The programme was also to welcome Africans in the Diaspora back to their root and commemorate 400 years after the first slave ship was docked in South America in 1619 with slaves from Africa.
She said that after 400 years of freedom from slavery, Badagry was still playing a significant role in Africa slave history and must not be abandoned; rather it should be guarded and be promoted for international recognition.
Enemchukwu who spoke about her experience during a boat cruise to Badagry and a return trip to Lagos from Badagry through the road decried the deplorable state of the road network and the waterways.
She, however, called on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the road network leading to Badagry considering the relevance of the ancient town to history and tourism development in the country.
” This is an amazing experience; beautiful, very enriching culturally and otherwise; this is my first time on a boat cruise for a long distance and has really added to my wealth of experience.
” I enjoyed the Badagry biscuits “Ajangun” prepared locally which reminded me of Pringles; this tells us that we have a lot that are unique to us.
” But I am not actually impressed with the road and waterways networks to Badagry, this is going to be a discouraging factor for intending tourists.
” If this place must survive, grow and made sustainable contributions to national development, the road network must be promptly worked on and the waterways sanitised of water debris.
” Government has to promote the sites here because the tourism potential are huge, everything we are looking for outside is here and it is good for people to connect to their root,” she said.
The ex- beauty queen urged Africans in the Diaspora to start considering retracing their steps back to their roots and get connected to where their history began.
” Badagry is home, no place like home; I advise Africans all over the world to visit their roots and celebrate freedom from slavery but celebrate Africa’s victory,” she said
