Elect leaders that’ll unify the country in 2023, Sanwo-Olu advices Nigerians

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday appealed to the electorate to elect leaders that would take advantage of the rich, multi-cultural heritage and language to unify the country in 2023.

Sanwo-Olu made the appeal during the 35th edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture tagged, ‘Eko NAFEST 2022.’

The annual festival aimed at uniting and showcasing the rich and diverse culture of Nigeria is expected to be brought to a close on Sunday.
The theme for this year, “Culture and peaceful coexistence” is an imperative for every Nigerian to be reminded that a peaceful coexistence is very integral to development.
Contingents from the 36 states of the federation arrived the state on Monday.
Contingents of each state took turns to display varieties of its culture with pomp and pagentry.

Sanwo-Olu said: “I am proud to state that the Lagos State government hosted the very first edition of NAFEST, in 1970 and subsequently in 1988. This administration, as part of efforts to achieve our Entertainment and Tourism pillar of the THEMES Agenda is deliberate about promoting every aspect of tourism, Arts and Culture.
“The state is therefore, delighted to have won the hosting rights of NAFEST 2022 which was keenly contested by three other states.
“The decision to host this year’s edition was borne out of the desire to further support and showcase our arts, our crafts, our entertainment, our nightlife our people, our disposition, and the aquatic splendor of our dear state.
“A lot of effort has gone into the preparation of this national event including a major facelift of the National Institute for Sports, a venue which was carefully picked for its historical value and importance. “Equally, this Stadium, the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly known as Onikan Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, is the oldest stadium in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture co-opt other relevant sister agencies to ensure the event goes on without a hitch: LASAMBUS, LASEMA, our combined security apparatus made up of LNSC and the armed forces, our traffic officials, and Safety Commission were all engaged to ensure a successful event.

“Lagos State has participated actively in past editions of the Festival held in other states and we have come tops in several of the activities. I am therefore confident that we shall no doubt perform the feat at home.

“As we all know, this is the campaign season as our nation’s general elections has been scheduled to hold within the first quarter of next year. As political office holders continue to engage the electorate at this period, it is important to re-echo the message of unity and peaceful co-existence which NAFEST platform provides. Rather than seeing the differences in our language and culture as a dividing factor, I implore us to see it as one of our greatest resources to be embraced, celebrated and used to our collective advantage.

“As we celebrate the Nigerian heritage and cultural diversity here today, my clarion call is that we take this an opportunity to elect leaders who will recognize and take advantage of our rich, multi-cultural heritage and language to unify us as a people and as a nation which was the intention of our founding fathers.”
In her welcome address, Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf said: “Lagos prides itself as a peaceful state, known for co-habiting and co-existing in unity. Despite the differences in ethnicity and languages, Lagos remains a reference point for what an ideal state exemplifies.”

She implored everyone to use the opportunity of the festival to explore the abundant tourism potentials in different parts of Lagos State.