Olasunkanmi Akoni & Jimoh Babatunde
26 December 2008
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos last Thursday in what seemed to be an Xmas and New Year gifts to residents in Lagos commissioned four different projects in Victoria Island that aimed at impacting positively on the well being of the people.
The governor commissioned the second phase of the Bar Beach reclamation project, the Clover leaf Park on Ozumba Mbadiwe road which was renamed Muri Okunola Park as well as the handing over of the Adetokunbo Ademola street before unveiling the City link boats of City Link Transit group at Tarzan Jetty in Badore.
According to Fashola: "There is no better gift that the people of Lagos can get today than the commissioning of the four separate projects on a single day for the benefit of the people".
"The commissioning of the Muri Okunola Park is an affirmation of the capacity of the state to redeem its environment and significantly enhance its value where peace, calmness and tranquility reigns".
Tourism development in Lagos State seems to be on its full course as evident in the giant leaps which the state government has taken recently in its efforts at developing tourism, socio-economic potentials of the state.
Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Affairs, in one of his missions to discover and develop the tourism potentials of the state, launched a105-bedroom "Sunborn Yachts Hotel" which it recently acquired to fast track tourism development and make the state a foremost tourist destination in Africa.
Believing in the slogan, "Oil is good, but tourism is better," of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation's (NTDC), one thing that Governor Babatunde Fashola is very sure of is that Lagos has enormous potentials which must be developed and harnessed to it fullest advantages.
Victoria Island and its environs constitute the hub of economic activities in Lagos state, second only to Lagos Island Business District. The economic importance of this area cannot be overemphasized. Victoria Island is also prominent for its role in tourism promotion and potentials, accentuated by the foremost "Lagos Bar Beach".
Beauty and serenity, gives the eyes and other senses intense pleasure. It is the hallmark of a liveable environment and harbinger of good health and longevity. The environment has always come up in arguments or debated as to why our youths are desperate at travelling to foreign lands inspite of the fact that climatic conditions of such countries amongst other disadvantages are not as conducive as that of our beloved country.
Our country received spontaneous bashing even from the very patriotic citizens because of the neglect of the environment had suffered over the years; they were quick to compare her state with that of various beautiful countries all over the world.
However today, the story has changed, indigenes and foreigners have a different tale to tell about the city of Lagos which is visibly undergoing intense landscaping and beautification projects that have become the cynosure of all eyes and positively affecting the psyche of the people and their relationship with the environment.
Fashola's vision of an aesthetically appealing city capable of promoting tourism and economic development is encapsulated in the "Green Lagos" campaign which gave birth to the park
Last Thursday, dignitaries including immediate past Governor Bola Tinubu witnessed the formal launch of Muri Okunola Park to the public
The edifice, formerly named Clover LEAF Park was built on a parcel of land measuring approximately 11,000m2(Eleven Thousand Square meters). The land was hitherto occupied by all manners of people including an assortment of hawkers, artisans of various vocations, mechanics, spray painters, panel beaters, auto_electricians and food vendors etc, with the landscape adorned with refuse, various structures and sheds which constituted an eyesore.
Apart from the nuisance constituted by this category of people, the space constituted a high level of security risk to workers and residents of Victoria Island as hoodlums found a safe haven in the illegal structures on the land from where they hatch their sinister plans to terrorize members of the public especially at dawn and dusk when human and vehicular traffic is at peak.
The development of the park which though was predicated on beautification of the city to improve aesthetics of the environment has also improved the security of the area as the land has been positively engaged while sources of livelihood was provided for the jobless youths who hitherto were security threats.
Equally, a Public Recreation Centre has emerged in the heart of the nation's foremost Central Business District and abode of Diplomats, senior citizen and business moguls whose activities keep the economy of the Nation alive.
In constructing this park, a lot of facilities were put in place for the pleasure of the people. They include:
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