Thousands of fun-seekers, shoppers and music lovers got value for their time at the opening of Lagos Shopping Festival (LSF) held at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan on Monday, December 23, as they watched top artiste like Adekunle Gold and youthful Ayo Maff delivering spectacular performances that kept them on their toes.
As the organisers earlier promised, the opening day of the festival lived up to its billing, resonating with a colourful blend of commerce, music, innovation and creativity, following its flag-off by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.
Powered by the Lagos State Government in collaboration with Chain Reactions Africa, a frontline PR firm, and supported by leading brands like Zenith Bank, Tolaram Group, First Bank and Guinness, the Lagos Shopping Festival will see millions of people hit the Mobolaji Johnson Arena for three days, including select Lagos malls to get the latest bargains and bring together the best of citys retail offerings, while showcasing local and global brands amid shopping experiences and in-mall promotions.
Speaking at the event, Sanwo-Olu described the Lagos Shopping Festival as epoch-making event of back-to-back shopping, fun and entertainment, reaffirming the Lagos States commitment to grow small businesses as well as the entertainment industry.
This is first-of-its-kind and this event is made to bring shoppers with MSMEs, with innovators, with entertainers, with the creative industry, with the food industry and everybody. For the next three days, we are meant to all come together, enjoy good food, good music, sales at discounted market price, shopping at the highest level and just general entertainment with the creativity of Lagos, he said.
The governor urged Lagosians and Nigerians especiallyd to join the fun, shopping and entertainment. Call everybody from Iyana-Ipaja to Alimosho, call people from Agege, call them from Ebute-Meta to Shomolu, call them from Bariga, from Badagry to Ikorodu, from Epe to Ibeju-Lekki, call everyone to come to the arena here at Mobolaji Johson Center in Onikan where we’ll be doing shopping; we’ll be doing music, we’ll be doing entertainment for the next two days. This is first-of-its-kind, he added.
Sanwo-Olu assured fun-seekers, buyers and sellers of their safety, saying that they are in a safe, secure and peaceful environment, urging them to to sit back, relax and see another Lagos creativity that is the first, and the very first Lagos Shopping Festival.
He expressed his appreciation to the sponsors of the Lagos Shopping Festival for their unwavering support to drive the story of Lagos commerce, entertainment and creativity. I want to thank all of our sponsors from First Bank to Zenith Bank, Tolaram to Smirnoff Ice, Indomie Noodles to OmniBiz, Power Oil to Minimie, and to Malta Guinness, all of them, including the Lagos State Government.
The governor also commended all the local and small businesses at the festival, and called on Lagosians and Nigerians to always patronize them.
More importantly, to all the small businesses that are inside and under the canopies, go out there and make good deals. Go out there and do huge purchases from them. Go out there and make their small-scale market, work for them because here, we want the market to be meeting all of the shoppers. That’s what this is all about. Its about buying stuff at the most reduced price. It’s about entertainment, it’s about food, it’s about tourism. This is what Lagos has given to you again, Sanwo-Olu declared.
Also commenting, the MD/Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Africa, organisers of the Lagos Shopping Festival, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, buttressed the strategic significance of the festival.
LSF is poised to be the catalyst that will redefine the true essence of commerce, especially SME businesses, the creative ecosystem, and fun times with family, friends and loved ones. LSF is sure set to open a new vista of socio-economic growth from Lagos, to Nigeria, whilst raising a unique bar in the African market, he noted.