The Lagos State Government has commenced the construction of a cultural village at Ijon in Alimosho Local Government Area as part of efforts to promote tourism in the state.
The state Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, made this known in a statement on Sunday, adding that the project will replicate past Yoruba culture and heritage in Alimosho and increase the economic growth of the state.
She said, “The idea of the cultural village is to replicate how the Yoruba people used to live in the past before the modern times and as a way of preserving our culture for the younger generation. It is also designed to attract tourists from the diaspora to the state.
“The project will also include a traditional Oba’s palace with a complete Yoruba cultural setting. There will be shrines for the celebrated Yoruba traditional gods like Ogun, Obatala and Sango among others. It will also feature a research centre, a museum for the display of cultural artefacts, and shops for adire makers where visitors can also have their adire materials sown into a boubou while waiting.
“Tourists can also visit saloons to have their hair made in the traditional style or eat at restaurants that will serve local cuisines and palm wine among others.”
In his remarks, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives, Mr Bisi Yusuf, said the project had been in the pipeline and will be sustained by the community.
“The cultural village is a project that can transform the community, create jobs and boost commercial activities while engendering prosperity for the inhabitants of the area,” she stated.
