Minister of Tourism, laments Epe Tourist not properly maintained

By Mohammed Adekola

Mrs Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism, has lamented that Epe town has enormous tourism potentials, the tourist attractions were not properly maintained.

The Minister made the observation after taking a tour of tourism sites within Epe town.

Some of the tourism sites she visited were the Oju Alaro Shrine, the Marina Waterfront, Palace of Oloja of Epe and some iconic colonial buildings.

Speaking after the visit, the Minister said she was quite elated by the the enormous tourism potential within Epe town, but 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, 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.”

The minister urged the Lagos State Government to build a proper fish market capable of attracting tourists.

“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

Mr Tobun Abiodun representing Epe Constituency 1, 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.”