With new Museum, Ambode set Lagos on tourism destination path

It was a gathering of ‘who is who’ in the Nigerian arts and culture sector recently, as the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, unveiled plans to transform some iconic spaces and buildings around the Onikan axis, with the hope of making Lagos a major tourism hub.
  
Held at the Grand Ball Room, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, the event was the formal unveiling of a design for The New Museum, a world-class edifice that will replace the existing colonial one at Onikan. A partnership between Lagos State and the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, the project is in line with the overall strategy of Lagos State to become self-sufficient with the hope of securing its future prosperity.
  
While addressing the gathering, Ambode commended stakeholders in the arts and culture sector for their role in promoting and sustaining Nigeria’s heritage through their works.  

As he noted: “The things you need for tourism to survive, Lagos State has done a lot in that regard. One of the things we have done successful in this government is that we’ve been able to tame the rather very difficult terrain of visa regime. Today, for the first time, we have the policy of visa on arrival for a category of people. If you go to the website of the Immigration, you will see how you can apply and get visa on arrival.”
  
The minister also hinted that the ministry has taken steps to ease pressure on tourists visiting Nigeria by removing the usual bureaucracy at the airports.“We’ve compressed the number of forms you fill at the airport today from three to one,” he informed. “Before now, you filled a separate form for Immigration, another one for Customs and another one for Health. We’ve compressed all that and they come in only about 15 questions. So, we are trying our best because we realised that you can’t drive the creative industry without good security, infrastructure and people being able to get their visas easily.”

IN his remarks, the Obi of Onitsha Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe Agbogidi, who described art as life, thanked the Lagos State government for taking up an initiative that would benefit the entire nation.  
  
As he put it, “Big countries patronise art, small countries patronise art. Why can Nigeria not patronise art? People talk about money; go to Ghana, go to Senegal… they’ve got very interesting and functioning artistic institutions that they enjoy and a lot of the world come to their countries. So, why can’t we do that? It’s possible if we can think about it.”
  
According to the royal father and art collector, the Arts Council of Britain has done studies to demonstrate that museums and art galleries actually contribute to the national economy of Britain. He urged Nigeria to look in that direction, too.
  
“They’ve done calculations to that effect and when they removed entrance fees to the museums and galleries, the contribution grew even more. People come in from all over the world to enjoy these things and they spend money. They spend money on taxis; they spend money in motels and they eat food… It’s all part of the economy. These people that generate income contribute to keep the museums and galleries going because they bring in traffic. So, there are examples all over the world that show the need to sustain our culture for our own benefit, education, enjoyment and for the world to come and see.”
  
On the quality of works currently in the Lagos Museum, Igwe Achebe said, “Look at these impressive works; think about the finesse and quality. Then think back when they were created in history; you could see that our civilizations in this country are miles ahead in those days. Our people didn’t create them by accident; they were conscious; they left a legacy for us. What legacy are we creating today?” 
  
While moderating a session on ‘The Museum as a Tool for Driving Tourism, Arts and Culture,’ contemporary art curator, Bisi Silva, thanked Lagos State government for the initiative, adding, “I remember when I met the governor, I was telling him that I’m really impressed and happy that culture is being taken seriously. This is a viable and important option for Lagos state and Nigeria.”
  
For art collector, Mr. Omooba Yemisi Shyllon, who is currently building a new museum at the Pan African University to house some of his collections, museums are important in terms of attracting traffic. He, however, sued for a positive, attitudinal behaviour towards the museum.
  
“In this audience, one would wonder how many people have visited the Lagos museum. We don’t really promote our culture. We don’t relate with our culture the way it should be. I believe that, in addition to what the governor is doing, which is very commendable, we should ensure that we promote our culture right from the crèche.”While also commending Ambode for the initiative, Shyllon urged the government to put in place measures that would help sustain the investment.  
  
“Yes, museum attracts traffic, but museums are not self-sustaining. I was the guest of American Government in 2009, under the American Visitors Leadership Programme and I was taken to museums like the Metropolitan Museum. One of the things I learned is that, we must be careful; building a museum is one thing, ensuring that the museum sustains itself is another thing. Our great governor has started a movement of ensuring that our creative minds and critical minds are harnessed for the growth of our state and our nation, but we must ensure that we put in place measures to ensure that this museum outlives the initiators. What do we do to ensure that what our governor does is sustained and developed with a view to promoting our culture?”
  
Also, Chief Nike Okundaye of Nike Art Gallery said, “This is the first time ever I will see a governor who is an art lover, art promoter and also renovating our museum. We are sitting on a treasure; I want Nigerians to know. When the King of Morocco came to Nigeria, after seeing the president, the first place he came was Lagos and he promised to spend one week. When he came, the first place he went was my gallery. This treasure we are sitting on, we are going to create a festival.”
  
Okundaye noted that Nigeria is big enough to institute a festival with the aim of creating awareness on the treasures in the museum and give the youngsters the opportunity to know about their own culture and tradition.
  
“We thank the governor for giving us this opportunity and I know there’s no more going back; we will continue to move forward. And we are going to promote this heritage that you started; we will put the right people in the right places. And to the minister, who is in charge of everything culture in Nigeria, please, we need you to work with our governor because he cannot do it alone. You have to work with him as a team to get Lagos to a greater height.”

FOR the Director General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Mallam Yusuf Abdullah Usman, the new museum would set the tone for the return of stolen works from Nigeria from around the world.