President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the handing over of the Presidential Lodge near Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) to Lagos State government.
The decision to release the masterpiece structure to the state was communicated to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in a letter signed by Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the President.
Governor Ambode had earlier made a formal request to the Presidency to have the presidential lodge released to Lagos to enable the state transform the Marina-Onikan axis into a world-class arts and tourism hub.
In a statement, Sunday, signed by Steve Ayorinde, Lagos State commissioner for information, Ambode thanked Buhari for obliging the request, saying it demonstrated “keen admiration for Lagos as Africa’s foremost hub for arts, entertainment and tourism.”
The governor said the building would therefore be returned to The Heritage Centre for Leadership, and would subsequently be redesigned and equipped as a landmark research and tourist arena for local and international visitors.
“On behalf of the government and people of Lagos State, I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his kind hand-over of the Presidential Lodge in Marina to the Lagos State government. This, in my opinion, demonstrates the President’s special interest in Lagos, which is in line with the promise he made in Lagos during the electioneering campaign, that the interest of Lagosians will always be paramount in his heart,” Ambode said.
The governor said the approval had come at a time that the old Lagos State House in Marina, which is next door to the Presidential Lodge, was also being prepared for a transformation to The Lagos History Centre, as a mark of honour to and celebration of all former governors of Lagos State, as well as for the benefit of humankind as a whole.
The state executive council has already approved the Lagos House Marina to be turned into Lagos History Centre for tourism purposes.
“With the handing over of the Presidential Lodge to Lagos State, the Lagos State Government will begin a process that will transform the whole area into a culture zone in the next two to three years that every Lagosian will be proud of. These two buildings will be nurtured as world-class monuments by the Lagos State Government to compliment the ongoing larger plan that aims to transform the Marina-Onikan axis into a multi-sectorial culture zone,” the governor said.
The Lagos’ plan for Marina-Onikan culture zone includes a skywalk that would connect Marina all the way to the Freedom Park on Broad Street in order to offer the ultimate view of the ‘culture arcade’ that will emerge between Marina and Broad Street and the entire zone to tourists and local visitors.
