BEWITCHING CHARMS OF LAGOS

Lagos State covers an area totaling 3,577 square kilometers, about 4 per cent of the total land mass called Nigeria.

It is characterized by endless stretches of coastal line consisting mainly of freshwater creeks, islands, rivers and fine sandy beaches.

Because of its unique location as an entry point into other parts of Nigeria and the West African subregion, Lagos is easily the largest and the most populated commercial center in the country.

This huge influx of people into the state has given rise to a significant percentage of business and conference tourism with the hospitality industry expanding by the day to include choice hotels and resorts, which cater for this market niche.

One of such facilities that comes readily to mind is La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort. An African styled resort, it is located on the Lekki Peninsula, about an hour`s drive away from the Lagos metropolis.

This tropical paradise in the woods is made up of mangrove forest, a lake, extensive coconut studded beaches and a fresh water lagoon where guests can safely go canoeing, fishing and hydro biking.

The lagoon itself attracts a wide variety of freshwater birds, including kingfishers and sea hawks, and is home to an interesting variety of flora and fauna.

With tourism gradually attaining its pride of place, the Lagos State beautification scheme couldn’t have come at a better time, as it has given the city a whole new face lift, with newly installed public facilities and a charming restoration of the environment, which makes it a lot more tourist friendly and endearing to visitors.

More attention is also being given to the development of both man made and natural tourist sites, and today, Lagos State can boast of a catalogue of exciting destinations that wield the power to enhance the economic well being of the state.

Founded in 1425, the town of Badagry is an ancient border town that is intimately linked with its past. Everywhere you look, colonial structures bear testimony to the town’s great age. The very first storey building in Nigeria is located here. Its structure is still as strong as ever.

The former slave port and the area that surrounds it are landmarks that have assumed increasing importance over the years, with signs of the town`s erstwhile involvement in the slave trade, still very much intact.

The slave route project was conceptualized by UNESCO in 1993 and was to be implemented in all localities along the West African coast where slave trade held, beginning from the 16th century.

The Lagos State government took up this challenge by initiating the construction of the Badagry Slave Route Project and today it remains a poignant reminder of the most despicable form of inhumanity shown to man.

This era of darkness has been eloquently captured within the walls of the Badagry Heritage Museum. A sober, archaic structure occupying spacious grounds its graceful staircases reaching up to the first floor.

Panelled walls and wooden ceilings create an atmostphere of well preserved age, even as the museum transports its visitors back in time.

One shackled slave heralds the beginning of the exhibition. Adorning the walls, a sequence of black and white photographs tell the story…

In the section tagged Resistance and Punishment, a larger than life statue depicts a ferocious dog tearing at the throat of a runaway slave one of the more brutal methods employed by colonial masters in discouraging slaves from attempting to escape.

Gagged slaves in the next exhibition underline the cruel fact that even when the trade in human cargo was supposedly abolished, the first batch of freed slaves were sadly limited in their freedom, as they did not possess the right to speak in public.

Other pictures depict the strong similarities that still exist between Brazilian and Yoruba cultures, as well as similarities between ancient Brazilian architecture and the colonial type of architecture to be found in Badagry.

LAGOS BEACHES

Beaches, anywhere in the world, are regarded as treasures, and the ones in Lagos State are as numerous as they are varied, literally littering the length and breadth of the state.

EKO TOURIST RESORT BEACH

T he Eko Tourist Beach Resort, situated off a lonely stretch of road, is about an hour’s drive away from the Lagos metropolis. This discreet hideout is ideal for visitors who wish to get away from it all.

The semi -detached chalets offer guests all the privacy they need while a paved pathway leads out directly onto the beach area where stooping palm trees provide a pleasant shade from the scorching heat.

ISHAHAYI BEACH

Ishahayi beach is a private resort located close to a riverine settlement that sits right at the edge of the water.

Around the beach area, palm branches make black jagged patches against the sky.

Built with wood and coconut husks, the beach houses blend naturally with the environment and this vast emptiness with nothing but sand and sea, has a strong cleansing effect on the mind.

This private beach, which shuts one off from the rest of the universe, offers the occasional visitors all the privacy they need. In the far distance is a fusion of the firmaments, with both sky and sea merging into the most perfect blueness.

IBESHI BEACH

Another beach that offers its visitors absolute seclusion is Ibeshi. Though it does not have the same heavy traffic as the others, Ibeshi is nonetheless just as bewitching.

An endless strip of pristine white sands bordered by turquoise blue waters provides the perfect backdrop for open air barbeques and weekend retreats.