Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) Lagos Chapter has disclosed plans to assiduously restore the lost aesthetics of Apapa area of the state.
Mr. Tope Fajemirokun, FTAN Lagos Coordinator
Speaking during the stakeholders’ meeting held at the association’s secretariat, Apapa, Lagos, Coordinator of FTAN Mr. Tope Fajemirokun said that the “Cleaning Apapa” project has been scheduled for Saturday, June 29, 2024.
He urged the parties involved to work together in order to realise the goals and objectives of the association. “As a team, we will move FTAN forward by admitting our mistakes and correcting them.”
According to Fajemirokun, who also serves as National President of the Nigerian Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association, the initiative would be possible with the help of the indigenous people.
An FTAN member Alhaja Basirat Ogunbanjo who decried the state of Apapa said that the area has provided a means of sustenance for over thirty years, pointing out that “Apapa wasn’t as tough as it was but Apapa is as dirty as anyone can ever think.” This according her was the reason business owners and property owners left the area.
She recommended that everyone involved in the project pitch in to make it successful, and also urged the project planning committee to get moving and contact authorities I’m charging Apapa area.
A representative of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism to FTAN, Ebere Chibuzor suggested that the project should focus on the successful commemoration of World Environment Day on June 5, 2024, with the theme “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience.”
Chairman of the Institute of Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (IITPN), Dr. Mesewaku Tunde added that the association would use the local government as pivot to the project.
The Director of Documentations Babs Ademoye said “We’ll use the media to promote the project.” It is his opinion that Lagos State is creating megacities out of individuals who lack mega minds. It transpires that the megacity they are constructing can only be sustained by those possessing enormous brains.
To guarantee that it becomes their way of life, we must sensitise each committee. Sensitization is essential, and in order to promote a cleaner lifestyle, we must plan and raise awareness’, he said.
Among the attendees were; Dr. Mesewaku Tunde, Chairman of the ITPN, Mr. Aworetan Ayomikun, General of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria, Alhja Basirat Ogubanjo, and Mr. Tunde Kolade, Vice President of FTAN for the South-West. FTAN Vice President South-West, Mr. Tunde Kolade, delivered the closing remarks in the meantime.
Chibuzor Janefrances Ebere
PRO, FTAN Lagos
