By Olumide Olusola Metilelu, Ph.D.
Imota is one of the strategically endowed communities within the Ikorodu Division of Lagos State. Its cultural heritage, traditional institutions, agricultural resources, Lagos Lagoon waterfront, fishing and aquaculture potential, and emerging economic infrastructure give it considerable prospects for tourism and local economic development.
The Ikorodu Sub-Region Master Plan (2016–2036) identifies Imota LCDA as the largest single land area in the sub-region, covering 9,117.21 hectares. It also states that the Lagos Lagoon waterfront is about 12 kilometres in length, presenting opportunities for agriculture, conservation, recreation, hospitality and water-based tourism.
At the heart of Imota’s identity is the Imota Ayayo Festival, which for four decades has brought together generations of residents and indigenes to celebrate heritage, strengthen community bonds and promote cultural continuity. From its community-centred beginnings, Ayayo has grown into a major cultural platform featuring traditional performances, pageantry, games, recognition of distinguished personalities and community-development initiatives.
As Ayayo marks its 40th anniversary in 2026, the grand finale on 10 October offers more than an occasion for celebration. It provides an opportunity to ask how Ayayo can position Imota more prominently within the tourism agenda of Lagos State while preserving the community ownership and cultural authenticity that have sustained it.
Cultural and geographical assets do not automatically create thriving tourism destinations. They become economically productive when supported by planning, infrastructure, conservation, investment, professional management and effective destination marketing.
Grand-Bassam in Côte d’Ivoire, Lamu in Kenya and George Town in Malaysia differ considerably from Imota in history, scale and institutional environment, and they are not models for direct replication. Their shared lesson is nonetheless relevant: heritage, geography and community identity become economic resources when deliberately integrated into destination planning and management.
The Lagos Lagoon is among Imota’s most important assets. The Master Plan recognises the waterfront’s potential for water-based tourism, hospitality, conservation and aquaculture. It could support carefully-managed cultural excursions, fishing experiences, non-motorised recreation and boat tourism, with links to other destinations along the wider Ikorodu water corridor. This would require appropriate regulation, safety standards, environmental safeguards and supporting infrastructure.
Agriculture is another dimension. The Imota Rice Mill places the community within Lagos State’s agro-industrial landscape. It should remain primarily an economic asset, but the surrounding agricultural environment could support carefully-designed agro-tourism and educational experiences around farming, food production and community storytelling.
Fishing and aquaculture could likewise show visitors Imota’s relationship with its aquatic environment and living heritage.
The Master Plan also proposes the Agura Tourism Zone, Oke-Agbo Recreational Park, Imota Wildlife Park and Imota Conservation Zone as part of the planned land-use interventions for Imota. These should be understood as planning proposals rather than existing tourism attractions.
Their eventual development would require appropriate feasibility studies, environmental assessments, financing, infrastructure and phased implementation. A credible tourism strategy must, therefore, clearly distinguish between assets that already exist, resources that can be developed, and projects that remain proposals within the planning framework.
Imota is not starting from zero. The Master Plan and the Imota LCDA Development Master Plan 2025–2035 provide spatial and developmental frameworks. The opportunity now is to build tourism and cultural development deliberately into them.
This is where Ayayo can play a strategic role. A festival should not be an event that draws people for a few days and then disappears from the tourism calendar. Properly positioned, it can be a gateway into a wider destination experience, where a visitor discovers Imota’s heritage, food, agricultural landscape, waterfront, creative enterprises and recreational spaces, as well as the wider Ikorodu tourism circuit.
For this to happen, Imota needs a comprehensive cultural and tourism asset inventory covering its traditional institutions, historical sites, cultural practices, foodways, stories, landscapes, waterfront and agricultural resources, recreational opportunities and creative enterprises.
A visitor-economy baseline should also be developed to show how many people visit, where they stay, what they spend, how they move around, how many jobs tourism creates and where the major infrastructure and investment gaps lie. Reliable data would show what to protect, what to develop and where investment would benefit the community most. It would also allow tourism’s contribution to be measured over time rather than inferred from festival attendance.
The economic possibilities are considerable. A stronger visitor economy could benefit accommodation providers, restaurants, caterers, transport and boat operators, artisans, performers, photographers, event managers, farmers, fishermen, tour guides, fashion designers and digital entrepreneurs.
Young people could take part through content creation, cultural interpretation, hospitality, guiding, photography, event technology and destination marketing. The goal is not simply more visitors but sustainable economic opportunity for residents.
Ayayo’s authenticity must, therefore, remain central. Its cultural meaning should not be sacrificed for commercial appeal, and its traditional foundations, community participation and custodianship should stay at its heart. Tourism should strengthen the festival, not reduce it to a commercial product.
A practical first step would be the formal inclusion of Ayayo in the Lagos State heritage and cultural events calendar. This would acknowledge its four-decade continuity, connect it to the State’s tourism and destination-marketing architecture, and open the way to technical support in documentation, event management, promotion, visitor experience, skills development and destination planning.
Such recognition should rest on partnership, not displacement: the community remains custodian, while government provides infrastructure, policy support, technical assistance, regulation and connectivity.
The timing is favourable. Lagos is placing growing emphasis on Yoruba cultural heritage and community-based cultural experiences, while the Federal Government has promoted a coordinated September-to-December tourism season linking culture, festivals, food, hospitality, transport, commerce and the creative economy. Ayayo reaches 40 at an important moment for locally-rooted tourism products.
The anniversary should also establish a permanent festival archive. Four decades provide ample material: photographs, oral histories, programmes, personalities, performances, community projects and milestones.
The archive would preserve institutional memory and serve education, research and tourism promotion. The Hall of Fame, which recognises distinguished personalities, could anchor it and give a human dimension to Imota’s history and to individual contributions to its cultural, social and economic development.
The 38th edition in 2024 featured cultural dances, stilt walkers, the launch of Omidan Asa, the Miss Imota Ayayo pageant, traditional games such as Ayo Olopon, draughts and Koto, and the induction of distinguished personalities into the Imota Hall of Fame. Ayayo has clearly grown beyond a single ceremonial occasion into a platform for cultural expression, recognition and social engagement.
An Imota Cultural and Tourism Map could mark heritage sites, landmarks, traditional institutions, food experiences, agricultural assets, waterfront locations, recreational spaces and event venues. Visitor information systems, signage, digital storytelling, local guide training and designated visitor routes could follow, eventually forming tourism circuits that connect heritage, agriculture, food, nature, waterfront experiences and cultural enterprises.
An online Imota tourism platform could give visitors information on the festival, attractions, accommodation, food, transport and community enterprises. Oral histories, photographs and traditional knowledge could be digitally documented, with community ownership and consent, carrying Ayayo’s story beyond those present at the festival.
Private-sector participation need not begin with large hotels or major attractions. Small and medium-sized enterprises can provide accommodation, restaurants, transport, boat services, crafts, cultural products, event services and digital experiences, while community-based enterprises can develop authentic local products.
The government would provide roads, waterfront facilities, sanitation, security, environmental safeguards, public spaces, planning and investment facilitation. The community would contribute local knowledge, cultural stewardship and a voice in decisions. Tourism professionals and businesses would package, market and deliver the experiences.
Imota should also be seen within the wider Ikorodu tourism ecosystem rather than as an isolated destination. Links with neighbouring communities, waterways and attractions create room for linked itineraries, and Imota could become an important part of Lagos’ eastern tourism corridor.
Destinations increasingly compete on experiences rather than single attractions. A visitor may come for a combination of celebration, food, heritage, waterfront, agriculture, nature and community life. The value lies in connecting these into one coherent proposition.
After 40 years, Ayayo has achieved what many development initiatives struggle to sustain: continuity. It has survived generational transitions, stayed relevant to the community and expanded its programme while retaining its cultural character. It is a mechanism for cultural preservation, social cohesion, community mobilisation and local development.
For Lagos State, the lesson is that tourism development does not always require new attractions. Some of the most valuable assets already exist within communities and need recognition, documentation, conservation, infrastructure, professional management, investment and connection to the visitor economy.
Imota has many of these foundations: Ayayo, the Ranodu institution and living traditions, agricultural resources, a significant waterfront, fishing and aquaculture potential, community stories, emerging economic infrastructure and a planning framework.
The 40th anniversary provides the occasion; the grand finale provides the platform; the community provides the custodianship; and Lagos State has the opportunity to provide the enabling policy and tourism architecture.
The journey should move beyond celebrating the past to shaping the future, linking heritage with local enterprise, tourism with community development, and Ayayo with the wider destination story of Imota and Lagos State.
Ayayo has spent 40 years building a legacy. The next chapter should use that legacy to build a destination.
Olumide Olusola Metilelu, Ph.D., writes from Imota, Ikorodu Division of Lagos State
