As part of a deliberate and forward-looking strategy to deepen cultural renaissance, reposition heritage assets, and reorganise traditional festivals, the Babatunde Hunpe–led administration has taken concrete steps to strengthen cultural tourism in Badagry. In furtherance of this objective, the Badagry Local Government sponsored the Council’s Tourism Committee, led by Dr. Chief Babatunde Mesewaku, to the Benin Vothun Festival for a strategic benchmarking exercise.
The visit was intentionally designed to provide firsthand exposure to best practices in festival planning and execution. Areas understudied during the exercise included pre-event stakeholder engagement, strategic promotion and branding, quality of performances, venue and crowd management, logistics coordination, security planning, and overall cultural curation. The aim was to gain practical insights that can be adapted to Badagry’s unique historical, cultural, and social context.
According to the administration, tourism development is not accidental but deliberately built through structured planning, compelling storytelling, institutional coordination, and quality delivery. Well-organized cultural festivals, when professionally managed, serve not only as platforms for preserving heritage but also as powerful economic drivers. They stimulate local enterprise, strengthen the hospitality and creative industries, attract investment, and create employment opportunities for youths and artisans within host communities.
The current initiative builds on earlier efforts by the Council to reposition Badagry as a premier cultural and heritage destination. In the past year, the Local Government supported key cultural events such as the Celebration of Slave Trade and Its Abolition Festival and the Diaspora and Door of Return Festival, among other heritage-focused programmes aimed at promoting historical consciousness and cultural tourism.
In addition, the Executive Chairman, Hon. Babatunde Hunpe, personally attended the Eyo Festival in Lagos, accompanied by members of his team – not merely as a participant, but as a keen observer. The visit provided valuable insights into the institutional coordination, branding strategy, crowd control mechanisms, sustainability framework, and global positioning of one of Nigeria’s most recognised cultural festivals.
These strategic engagements clearly demonstrate the administration’s resolve to move Badagry’s festivals beyond informal celebrations toward professionally managed, calendar-driven cultural events capable of attracting both domestic and international tourists. With Badagry’s unparalleled historical significance, coastal assets, transatlantic heritage, and rich indigenous traditions, the Council firmly believes that cultural tourism can emerge as a major pillar of local economic diversification and sustainable development.
The Babatunde Hunpe-led administration remains committed to unlocking Badagry’s vast tourism potential through deliberate planning, strategic partnerships, capacity building, and the delivery of world-class cultural experiences. By preserving heritage while promoting innovation and inclusion, the Council aims to position Badagry as a leading cultural tourism destination in Nigeria and beyond.
