GROUP SEEKS COORDINATED FRAMEWORK TO PROTECT BADAGRY’S HISTORICAL HERITAGE

The Badagry Heritage Memory Initiative has called on the Lagos State Government, Badagry Local Government and relevant tourism and cultural agencies to establish a coordinated framework for the development and conservation of the ancient town’s heritage. The group said a structured approach was needed to protect Badagry’s historical sites, cultural resources and traditions while creating opportunities for tourism and local economic development.

The President of the initiative, Chief Hunkanlin Ijinla, made the call in a statement, listing traditional institutions and royal authorities, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the Nigeria National Commission for UNESCO and relevant Federal Government ministries and agencies among stakeholders that should be involved. He also identified Lagos State tourism and cultural institutions, tour guides, historians, heritage professionals, community leaders, youth and women groups, museums, educational institutions, private investors, diaspora organisations, NGOs and international heritage bodies as potential partners.

Ijinla said the proposed framework should begin with systematic documentation of Badagry’s historical buildings, monuments, sacred locations, traditional institutions, oral histories, cultural practices, historical routes, waterfronts and archaeological resources. He warned that heritage conservation should not be delayed until important structures and cultural landscapes have deteriorated or disappeared, stressing that proper documentation would help preserve the history for future generations.

He also called for the Point of No Return in Badagry to be developed as a properly interpreted heritage destination rather than treated solely as a conventional tourist attraction. According to him, visitors should be able to understand the history, people, routes, landscape and human experiences connected to the site, while tour guides, boat operators, artisans, historians, cultural practitioners, traditional institutions, women, young people and local businesses should have opportunities to participate in the tourism economy.

The BHMI founder further said any effort to pursue possible UNESCO recognition for Badagry should be based on research, documentation, comparative studies, conservation planning, community participation and established Nigerian institutional procedures. He called for a Badagry Heritage Roundtable involving the community, traditional institutions, Badagry Local Government, Lagos State Government, NCMM, Nigeria National Commission for UNESCO and other relevant organisations to develop a roadmap for documenting, conserving, interpreting, developing and promoting the town’s heritage nationally and internationally.