Mrs Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism, has called on residents of Epe in Lagos State to take conscious efforts in maintaining the tourism sites within the Local Government Area.
Ade-John made the call during her vist to some tourism sites within the community, some of which were; Oju Alaro Shrine, the Marina Waterfront, Palace of Oloja of Epe and some iconic colonial buildings.
The minister, who was quite elated over the enormous tourism potential within the town, expressed displeasure that the tourist attractions were not properly maintained.
She said the community members must begin to see tourism as a money spinner which could engage them positively.
He urged the state and local governments to constantly sensitise Epe residents on the need to maintain those sites.
“The local government must work on sensitising the locals to always ensure these sites are neat and tidy, it won’t attract tourists if they are left like this.
“I have just seen that Epe has more colonial buildings than Lagos township, I urge you to keep what you have, treasure and nurture these sites.
“Epe is a beautiful place to be, with beautiful beaches, mangroves, seafoods and all; these are what the backpackers want to see.
“We are going to help you advertise what you have so that people can visit Epe more than ever before but the sites must be made neat,” she said.
The minister urged the Lagos State Government to build a proper fish market capable of attracting tourists.
“I was at Makoko Fish Market to get some fishes for myself as early as 6.30a.m, I was surprised to see lots of foreigners and different types of seafoods, honestly, we are indeed blessed.
“I think the state government need to build a more attractive fish market to further promote tourism, so that people can travel here to see and buy.
“The mangroves we have in Epe here can be made to be like the Amazon forest in Brazil where tourists pay hugely to watch.
“It is painful that we do not appreciate what we have, we need to help people change their mindsets,” she said
In his response, Mr Tobun Abiodun representing Epe Constituency 1, at the Lagos State House of Assembly, promised to work on the sensitisation for the community members.
He said “We will work on all the complaint and we assure you that very soon we are going to start competing with other local government in the state and ensure Epe takes the lead in terms of tourism.”