Culture

Lagos, NATOP Join forces to showcase tourism at world travel market

Published

2 years ago

October 29, 2024

Lagos partners with NATOP to promote its tourism offerings at the World Travel Market in London, aiming to boost tourist arrivals and revenue.

The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), has announced plans to promote Lagos’s diverse tourism offerings to a global audience at the upcoming World Travel Market (WTM).

This premier travel event is set to take place from 5 to 7 November at Excel, London, in the United Kingdom.

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During a meeting in Lagos, NATOP’s National President, Mrs Bolaji Mustapha, confirmed that over 50 tour operators would attend WTM, each focused on marketing Lagos’s unique attractions.

These include the city’s rich cultural heritage sites, natural landscapes, vibrant entertainment and nightlife, and historic monuments.

Mustapha expressed her commitment to showcasing Lagos as a leading cultural and tourism hub, explaining, “At WTM, we plan to target international tourists, travel agents, tour operators, and enthusiasts.

Our goal is to highlight the distinct experiences Lagos has to offer and boost the city’s profile in global tourism.”

She emphasised that the initiative is geared toward increasing tourist arrivals to Lagos, generating revenue, promoting cultural exchange, and supporting economic growth.

“Our expertise will help attract global attention and drive patronage,” Mustapha noted, reflecting NATOP’s dedication to advancing Nigerian tourism on the world stage.

Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, welcomed the collaboration and expressed appreciation for the tour operators’ efforts.

She provided promotional materials for the event and highlighted the benefits of this strategic partnership: “We are open to NATOP’s assistance in marketing our tourism destinations. By working together, we hope to draw international interest to Lagos.”

The WTM offers a prime opportunity for Lagos to engage with key players in the tourism industry, from travel agents to tour boards and travel enthusiasts.

The city aims to showcase its unique blend of culture, adventure, and heritage, capturing global attention and strengthening its position as a top travel destination in Africa.

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

1 month ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

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Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

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Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”