A treasure is a valuable item. It may be precious metals, gems or other valuable objects. The English verb clarify a treasure as what is "cherish(ed) or what we "hold dear".
In this article, Badagry is the treasure. The alluring Badagry is a treasure to antiquity, histography, and people that adore her, including unborn generations that will learn about her. It is ideal to ask, what is alluring about Badagry? As many people sought her culture, history, attractions and monuments that points to and exhibit her past. The alluring nature of Badagry is unexplainable. It is spiritual because it ignite a button on the mind of everyone that visits her or have heard about her. The serenity or calmness and topography of Badagry will hold anyone spellbound.
The offspring of Badagry are ''all those who love her, adore her and will protect her''. Her children are diverse and scattered everywhere irrespective of country or race. Badagry as Mr Thompson, an anthropologist from Buffalo-New york, acknowledged was called Agbadarigi, Gbagi, and Badagry by the Europeans. This is similar to the three names that Porto Novo is known by. Namely, Ajase (Yoruba), Hogbonu (Goun), Porto Novo (Portuguese).
Badagry is aesthetic and only with the "third eyes", can you visualize and understand the clime. As the voices of the past speaks to the present through Badagry, how many people are listening? Rather than learn from the mistakes of the past, are we not compounding situations by trying to destroy the medium that connect the past to the present through Badagry.
The history of Badagry is deeply connected with cultural and historical events that unfolded in the hinterlands of West Africa, and farther to both North and East Africa. Badagry is not isolated. The soul of this historical town is rooted in the forests and yet her backyard is the Atlantic ocean. The preservation of Badagry and it's cultural heritages, history, and attraction centers will help anthropologists, archaeologists, tour guides, social scientists, linguists etc. in unfolding further information and knowledge of the past, through oral, academic and scientific researches. Therefore, the destruction of the historical legacies of Badagry, is the destruction of "some part of the total past" of West Africa and the different cultures that it connects. The distortion of history in Badagry should be greatly frowned at. It could destroy what some people had worked so hard to promote and protect.
The agitation for tourism infrastructural development in Badagry is daily envisaged by those who appreciate the ancient town as a tourist destination. Badagry is still developing despite the tourism and roots reconnection potentials. The residents depends largely on tourism entrepreneurship and seek tourism infrastructural development. The town must be accessible by road, and it's maintenance must be regular. An helicopter pad could be developed through public and private partnership for visitors who want to have an air travel experience to Badagry. The development of water transportation in the Badagry axis of the Lagos lagoon has become well organized and developed through private initiatives of the boat operators and an enabling environment by government stakeholders like NIWA, LASWA, etc. but the type of boat on this route must be improved upon and safety measures must continue to be highlighted. As a tourist destination, water tourism should be developed in Badagry and Lagos generally, aquatic tourism should be developed and tourist boats should be enhanced.
Although hope is alive as tourism enthusiasts and practitioners await the execution of Lagos state tourism master plan which clearly labelled Badagry in it's tangible projects. Both domestic and international tourists and visitors visit "the alluring Badagry - Lagos state", every year, despite lack of well defined infrastructures. Imagine the tourist traffic that Badagry will drive to Lagos if governments outlined projects had been completed over the years.
The development of tourism in Badagry will attract many benefits to both government, private sectors and locals as it will generate expectable interests on tourists, tourist products, foreign revenues, financial returns on businesses and other relative industry.
The tenacity and hard work of Badagry cultural and tourism practitioners through the years should be commended despite lack of support. African Renaissance Foundation (AREFO), led by Mr Babatunde Mesewaku and it's members should be highly commended for the consistencies through the years in the organization of Badagry Festival, which evolved into Badagry Diaspora Festival in 2017, when the "Door of Return" ceremony was launched in Badagry. Prince Mesi, who is the founder of Agunke Coconut Festival's role in the promotion of coconut heritage in Badagry and Nigeria is noteworthy as an heritage promoter. For many years, "The enigma" Ambassador Anago Osho, who won the best tour guide award in Nigeria in 2019, had been promoting Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria and African histography through tourism, especially as it relates to culture and diaspora Africa. He is a champion for Africans telling their stories through his numerous Projects and partnerships. Mr Ashamu Fadipe, the former Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism was instrumental in the infrastructural development and renovation of Lagos State Ministry of tourism, Art and Culture's heritages in Badagry, e.g Heritage Museum, District Commissioners Residence, and Vlekete Slave Market etc. Mr Peter Mesewaku had consistently represented the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture in the Badagry area and he is the coordinator of African Rennaisance Foundation (AREFO). Chief Afolabi Hunkalin, Director of Ijinla Art and Tours is one of the pioneers of tourism in the community.