Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, has expressed satisfaction at the presence of the state at the 51st edition of the popular Notting Hill Carnival in the United Kingdom.
It is the second year running that the state supported the Lagos Corner, a section of the carnival famous worldwide as Europe’s biggest street party that celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture and lifestyle.
Speaking at the carnival ground on Monday, Ayorinde said the success recorded was “a demonstrable evidence of Governor (Akinwunmi) Ambode’s commitment to promoting tourism and entertainment as an alternative to oil and gas in Nigeria.”
The commissioner said it was gratifying that Lagos State reverberated throughout the high season of cultural promotions which the month of August represents in London.
He said aside from the Lagos Corner at the Notting Hill Carnival, the state also supported the Felabration Initiative, which saw the hosting of a musical float in honour of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti at the carnival to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death.
The State also promoted the participation of students from public schools in Lagos at the month-long Totally Thames Festival.
“What this portends for Lagos State in terms of brand identity and reputation is unquantifiable. Lagos State is gaining fast traction as a big player in international cultural circles. The state has practically been on everybody’s lips in London in the past one week,” Ayorinde stated.
Members of the state delegation to the festival included Acting Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Adebimpe Akinsola; Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Fola Adeyemi, and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Habib Aruna.
