- Tourists make no return after first time visit to Point of No Return
- Multi-million naira building project abandoned for one decade
Point of No Return, the foremost tourism destination in Badagry area of Lagos State, has lost its allure and now wears a decrepit look. From Slave Port in Badagry, abandoned buildings, weeds, refuse and odious stench from decomposing fecal matter stare at tourists. The historic site, which compares to many others on the world stage, risks ebbing into oblivion if urgent and practical steps are not taken to salvage it, INNOCENT DURU reports.
FEMI, a social worker, recently visited the Point of No Return, a world acclaimed tourist site in Badagry, Lagos State, to relax after a two-day energy sapping workshop.
Prior to the trip to Badagry, Femi had heard and read a lot about the tourist site and had vowed to visit the place whenever he was in the area.
His wish came true when he was shortlisted for a workshop that required him to spend two nights in Badagry.
“I was elated going to Badagry because I felt it would give me the opportunity to visit the Point of No Return and have a physical view of what I had read in books,” Femi said.
His excitement knew no bounds when the workshop was over as he invited other participants to join him for a memorable cruise to the spot. He was, however, disappointed at the sight that confronted him on his way.
“I will never return there for any reasons. It simply lived up to its name and I shall never return there,” Femi vowed in a tone of utter disappointment.
“What I saw was an eyesore. I was totally disappointed, to say the least. What I saw fell far short of my expectations,” he added.
Describing his experience, Femi said: “The place leading to the site looked too dirty. From the outside to the inside is horrible.
“The whole place was in a mess. There were weeds and dirt all over the whole place. This will not allow the numerous tourists’ sites in that axis to attract quality visitors. The whole place needs elevation.
“The locals aren’t helping matters too with all the rubbish they are doing there.
“The whole place looks dingy and stinking. The point from where you go to the site shouldn’t be that messy. I am not sure the place is under any management.
“I don’t think it deserves to be called a tourist site because it lacks everything that can attract local tourists let alone international ones.”
Point of No Return refers to Gberefu Island in Badagry, Lagos State. It was a major slave port during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Symbolised by two poles slightly slanted towards each other and facing the Atlantic Ocean, the island was a major slave port after it was opened in 1473 during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade era. As many as three million slaves were believed to have been shipped from the island to the Caribbean and the Americas between 1518 and 1880.
It serves as a historical site and a memorial to the victims of slave trade.
Femi’s claims were confirmed when our correspondent visited the area recently. Aside from weeds and pockets of rubbish on the Slave Port, it was learnt that the public toilet has been abandoned.
“This is why many people including some of our people defecate all over the place,” a resident who gave his name simply as Rasheed said.
“Some visitors even defecate and urinate indiscriminately since the public toilet is no longer in use. The new one that they wanted to put in place has been abandoned for a long time.”
A tourist who spoke to our correspondent, said: “This is the worst marina I have seen all over the world.
“In all my years of travelling around the world, this area is the most disgusting place I have ever seen.
“Some other African countries with similar sites keep every area around them clean, attractive and make a fortune from them.
“I never expected this crap in a state like Lagos which prides itself as the centre of excellence.
“What is the job of the Ministry of Tourism and what does the ministry do with its budgetary allocations?
“It’s obvious that allocations are doled out without concerns about results.
“We aren’t trying at all in this country.”
A boat driver, who gave his name simply as Wasiu, said poor infrastructure at Point of No Return turns off visitors.
“The tunnel that was done at the end of the sea has spoilt. The tunnel was built during Marwa’s regime.
“Fashola also did something there, but the whole thing has broken down.
“When we take tourists down to the place, they often complain that there is nothing attractive about it.
“Some of them sometimes ask if there is nothing we can do to make the place attractive to people.
“We only tell them that it is left to the government to come with ideas about how to develop and make the place attractive to tourists.
“When some of them come here, they get easily turned off and move to Sultan Beach.”
Appealing to the authorities, he said: “Let them come and turn the site around. When that is done, tourists will be glad to come back and even bring other people with them.”
Multi- million naira building project abandoned
An imposing structure said to have been abandoned more than 10 years ago was sighted in the Slave Port area.
It was gathered that the building project was started by the former Governor Babatunde Fashola government.
“It was a kind of monument that would have like a mini-museum at the top, and restaurants,” a stakeholder in Badagry, Abbey, explained. He said that the abandoned building was awarded to a contractor, and “the job the contractor did fell below the standard the government wanted from him.
“So, the job was not accepted and it has been back and forth since then.
“A lot of issues, legal action, threats, a lot of this, a lot of that.
“So, the Point of No Return was not even completed. Everything you saw there, they were not completed.
“I worked as the officer in charge for years.
“The houses were never completed. It has been like that. And even the monument we tried to do there, I happen to be part of the committee that suggested it to the government then.”
Abbey admitted that the site has not been attracting the kind of revenue it ought to be attracting, heaping the blame on the community people. He said: “I am from here. I travel a lot. I see other parts of the world.
“See, you need to take some steps on your own.
“Most people criticise the government every time for this.
“They are not practitioners. They don’t know what is going on in the industry.
“You see, the monument was under construction and it has problems.
“But the community people themselves, the community youth, what are we doing?
“See, the government did not start the tourism development project of Badagry. It was a communal effort.”
Tourist flays location of prison around tourist destination
A tourist who gave his name as Ralph raised an eyebrow about the presence of a prison yard in the area.
He said: “Tourism sites should be devoid of anything that can unsettle visitors.
“The sight of a prison in a tourist site could put off visitors, especially foreigners, because there could be jailbreaks that can put their lives in danger.
“The stakeholders should talk to the state and federal governments to move the prison away from here if they are really interested in tourism development.”
‘No tourist will come back after visiting Point of No Return’
Vice Chairman of National Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (Southwest) Nunayon Apata, flayed the state of the site in a chat with our correspondent.
“The answer to that question is no,” he said in response to a question about tourists coming back to the site after a first visit. “Nobody would want to come back. When you come to a destination of tourism, you spend your money, you travel all the way from your destination to that destination to enjoy yourself, for adventure, for education purposes, religious purposes, and so many other purposes that a tourist can come to Badagry for, because a lot of things happen in Badagry.
“Visiting that port, no reasonable tourist will ever come back or talk to somebody about it.
“We sell experience in tourism. It is the experience you sell.
“If you sell an experience that would not encourage me to come back, I would not come back.
“So, the answer is no, and it’s affecting Badagry.”
He emphatically stated that people are losing massive revenues because “nothing has ever happened in Badagry when we talk about tourism.
“Tourism is a business. It is an industry that betters lives.
“Unfortunately, the potentials in Badagry have not really impacted the people of Badagry.
“If tourism has really impacted their lives, every one of them in Badagry will be singing tourism, talking tourism, drinking tourism, and eating tourism.
“They would know the essence of tourism in their lives and community.”
Sharing his experience in The Gambia, Nunayon said: “If you get to The Gambia, even the child in the womb of a woman already has that spirit of tourism in him or her, because the mother speaks tourism and eats tourism.
“In fact, a lot of the locals told me a lot of them, just from ordinary juice pressing on the beach front, are able to send their children to school up to university level, and even Ph.D level.
“They were able to achieve that because of the way they handle tourism in that country.
“What they have in The Gambia as tourist attraction is smaller compared to what Badagry as a local government has.
“But because they are able to maximise their potential, they turned that into a huge money making venture.
“But in Badagry, it is a no, no.”
He regretted that “the people have not benefited because what they are doing is just festivals. Even the festival we do in Badagry, we’ve not started it rightly.
“Festivals are also a tool for driving tourists in their thousands to a destination.
“During that period of the festival, the community should be able to feel the impact of the festivals.”
Absolving the state government of any blame for the state of tourism development in the area, Nunayon said: “Badagry government is the problem of tourism development in Badagry. It is not even state now.
“We don’t have to blame anybody outside. You own your property. You are not seeing what you are having.
“People outside are seeing the beauty of what you have. They are seeing money.
“A lot of people will come to Badagry and use the story to make money outside Badagry, producing paper, producing journals, and so many things, and selling those things outside Badagry.
“Honestly, we cannot shift any blame to any state or federal government. The way you are dressed is the way you will be addressed.”
Nunayon vehemently disagreed when our correspondent said paucity of funds could be the bane of the local government in promoting tourism in the area.
He said: “They don’t need to have the resources. That’s why they need to engage the professionals. But politics won’t allow that to happen.
“You need to create different tourism products. All these products are what will turn into an experience when the tourists visit.
“As a political officer in charge of tourism, I was the first person that bought a limousine car, decorated it, and branded it for Badagry tourism.
“I used that to give tourists a ride when they are in Badagry. Once the tourists, got into Badagry, we used that limo to take them on a ride.
“That’s an experience. When they go back, they start telling people, sharing pictures, videos about their experience.
“When I was no longer in office, it ended. All they need to do is to create an enabling environment for the players in the industry to do well.”
Continuing, he said: “There are a lot of foreign grants that can be used to take care of so many things.
“A lot of people out there are ready to partner with a destination of tourism.
“I have people who mainly invest in museums, galleries or this and that. All these are products. All these are things they can give room for people to come in and invest.
“That would also be used to generate employment for the youth.”
‘Badagry’s location not a problem for tourism development’
Contrary to the belief in some quarters that the location of Badagry makes it difficult for tourism to thrive, Nunayon said: “I won’t agree. Badagry is even well-positioned.
“If you are coming from other West African countries, the first community you get to before you enter into Nigeria is Badagry. You must pass through Badagry.
“If you are coming from any West African country and you are coming through Seme Border, you can’t fly.
“Even if you are flying by air, you must pass through Badagry.
“Badagry is well-placed strategically. It’s also on the same coastal line with other West African countries.
“If you are doing maybe a boat cruise from other West African countries, definitely, you must cruise past Badagry.
“You see, that is a strategic community location.
“Badagry is well-placed.The only thing is packaging is not there. They have not packaged it well.
“Government can package this and make it a product that they will be selling everywhere, and people would rush in.”
Tourism, Badagry’s only industry, comatose
Nunayon noted that tourism is the only industry in Badagry but regretted that it is not thriving because the area is not led by people with industry experience.
“Badagry is a special local government in the entire 57 local governments in Lagos.
“It is the most special local government. But that local government needs somebody that has that tourism background.
“The person will now see tourism as his capital project. Other projects will now be secondary because he knows already that it is only tourism they have in Badagry. They don’t have any other thing.
There is no industry in Badagry. And you have what is even bigger than any industry in Badagry.
“Tourism is the biggest industry. It is the biggest industry in the world because it is the only industry that employs the largest number of workers.
“So, what are we saying? They don’t have that in their plans.
“The only chairman of that local government with tourism background was the late Hon. Moses Owolabani, popularly known as Naminadu.
“He served with Eko Hotels before becoming the local government chairman.
“Definitely, he had that hospitality spirit and knowledge before becoming the chairman.
“If you hear about Sultan Beach in Badagry today, this man was the brains behind it.
“After this man, no other chairman has ever done anything.
“Even if they now see the state or federal goverment doing something in their community, because they don’t have a flair for it, they don’t really understand it.”
Why building project may continue soon
Abbey, a stakeholder in the area, told the reporter that work might soon commence on the abandoned building project as the “state government has reached a compromise with the contractor.
“When the crisis was resolved, the contractor was called back to the site and the governor himself visited the site.
“I led the governor there and the Lagos State Government maintained a stand that what the contractor did there fell below standard. The governor refused to accept it.
“After a lot of back and forth, I think an understanding was reached and provision has been made in this year’s budget.
“Some of us are following it up, and I think any moment from now, the contractor will move back to the site to do exactly what the government wants.”
Explaining why another contractor was not made to continue the project, Abbey said: “Any other contractor couldn’t move there because of litigation or anything.
“So it’s like when two people are fighting over a building, you know what will eventually happen to the building.
“That was what happened to that place.
“I tried to reach out to some senior people in the company they awarded the place to.
“If the company has a problem with the government, it shouldn’t affect our own history or well-being.
“The last thing I heard from the contractor is that they have submitted a new design, something new in line with what the government insisted they want.
“The company said to me two weeks ago that they are working in the background. That the Lagos State Government has given them the specification of what they want, and they have submitted it.
“Since the governor himself went there and he made press statements that he was going to turn the place around, getting an approval will not be difficult. It is like you are taking back some of his promises to him.
“I can guarantee you, it is in the budget of Lagos State Government for this year. It is there.
“Some of us will not keep quiet. We will continue to advocate.
“We will continue to push.”
Stakeholder writes Assembly member
Victor Aihawu, a concerned stakeholder in Badary, in an open letter to the Lagos State House of Assembly member representing Badagry Constituency 1. Hon. Solomon Saanu Bonu, raised questions about how developed are critical tourism enabler sectors in Badagry.
He listed the enablers to include:
· Rural Tourism – Scenic villages, riverine experiences, canoe rides… so much to explore, still untapped.
· Food – Where are the iconic Badagry food hubs? Our local cuisine should be a tourist attraction on its own.
· Fashion – From chiganvy (superior ankara), costumes made from coconut shell to tie & dye, we should be exporting style, not just telling stories.
· Entertainment/Nightlife – When the sun sets, what do we offer visitors besides sleep?
· Spa & Wellness – Tourists need somewhere to relax body and mind after long cultural tours.
· Arts & Craft – Our artisans should be thriving, not surviving. Every bead, wood carving or painting should find a market.
· Cultural Heritage – Let’s invest in storytelling, performances and immersive cultural showcases.
·Coastal/Beach Tourism – Badagry’s shoreline could rival top coastal destinations if properly developed.”
Continuing, Victor said: “Now here’s the economic truth bomb: developing these tourism enablers can create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, while significantly increasing the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Badagry Local Government, Lagos State, and even the nation at large. That’s not hype—that’s fact.
“So let’s stop the side talk and start the side-by-side work. Let’s build bridges with the private sector, engage government beyond ceremonial handshakes, and prioritise real, inclusive development.
“Politics may reward a few, but development transforms the lives of all.”
Tourism Commissioner yet to respond
Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, was yet to respond to our inquiry at the time of filing this report.
A text message and WhatsApp message separately sent to her showed the messages were delivered and read but no response came from her at press time.
