The governorship candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 Governorship election in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has stressed the need to revitalise festivals and carnivals in the state, saying it will stimulate the local economy.
According to him, Lagos, being a welcoming place, has a lot to benefit from such festivities, while urging the government to ensure adequate security is provided to promote hitch free businesses. He also refuted the claims that Lagos is no man’s land, noting that the state has its culture and indigenous people.
Rhodes-Vivour stated this at the Fanti Carnival held to celebrate the Easter Festival in Lagos Island, where he is from. Among the families represented at the carnival were: Vera Cruz , Leigh, Da Silva, Coker, Williams and George.
He said: “Festivals like this should be encouraged. This is a way to celebrate our history and culture, especially for Lagos indigenes. If you look across the IBILE part of Lagos, they all have their unique festivals and cultures, for instance in Epe, Ikorodu and Badagry, among others. This is who we are and we must celebrate ourselves.
“Some people say Lagos is no man’s land, but no, Lagos is not a no man’s land, we all have our history and culture and we have a lot of people that came together to put Lagos together.
“Lagos indigenes have always been welcoming. We embrace everybody. As long as you come here with good intentions, we will welcome you. The spirit of Lagos welcomes people, and I urge those who are trying to usurp structure and power to stay within the spirit and essence of Lagos.” Also speaking, George Wright, the son of the artiste, Wura Fadaka, stated that efforts are in place to ensure that the carnival is sustained.
“When we were growing up, we met our grandfathers and fathers celebrating the carnival. We have continued the tradition, and we hope to leave it for our children born and unborn.
“It’s a tradition that we do during the Easter, New Year and Christmas seasons. We will continue to imbibe the culture into the new generation so that they can know the traditions of where they came from.”
