Lagos agog for Africa’s biggest shopping festival

Thousands of excited Nigerians attended the opening day of the maiden edition of Lagos Shopping Festival (LSF) on Monday, December 23, witnessing an electrifying array of activities and promotions across the festival venue, the iconic Mobolaji Johnson Arena (formerly Onikan Stadium).

As promised by the organisers, first 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.

The Lagos Shopping Festival, powered by the Lagos State Government in collaboration with Chain Reactions Africa, a frontline PR firm, and supported by leading brands, including Zenith Bank, Tolaram Group, First Bank Plc, and Guinness, will see millions of people hit the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, including select Lagos malls to bag the latest bargains and bring together the best of city’s retail offering, 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 a history-making event of back-to-back shopping, fun, and entertainment, reaffirming the Lagos State’s 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 called on all Lagosians and Nigerians 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 urged 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. It’s 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.

Fun-seekers and businessmen and women had entertainment value for their time, with dancing and singing competition with the winners adjudged by the audience receiving cash gifts.

The highlight of the day was the energy-revving musical performances from the youthful Ayo Maff, and soulful rendition of songs from Adekunle Gold serving as the icing on the cake for the audience who kept singing along with him.