Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday said the state is ready for bigger business for the State to take over the world in the financial and economic space.
He said the invitation extended to Lagos to participate in the Lord Mayor’s Show in London, is a testament to the upward economic trajectory of the State.
Sanwo-Olu spoke during an interview with journalists in London on Lagos participation at the ongoing Lord Mayor’s Show (LMS).
The LMS, as it is known has run for over 800 years and Lagos is the first city in Africa to have been invited by London for participation.
The governor is using the opportunity provided by the Lord Mayor’s Show to drive investment to Lagos State, with a number of business-focused engagements that would follow the float such as the visiting cities banquets, bilateral meetings with prospective investors and the Lagos Investment dinner, where the Governor will speak on the theme: ‘Lagos is open for business.’
On the significance of the Lord Mayor’s Show to the state, Sanwo-Olu said the event will provide an avenue for the State to depict what Lagos is all about, noting that Lagos is the centre of culture, entertainment and music in the whole of Africa.
He said: “We are at the Lord Mayor Show and it is an opportunity for us to depict what Lagos is all about. Lagos is the largest city in Africa. It is the biggest economy that is sub-national in Africa and all we are trying to do is to be able to let the world know that Lagos is indeed ready for bigger business.
“Lagos is a big megacity on its own right now but we want to make it one of the international financial centres in the world. And it is only at event like this, competing with other bigger cities and other nations that you can tell your stories. So, it is story time for us. I am leading from the front.
“Lagos is indeed ready to take over the world in the financial and economic space. We are here to truly tell both the Lagos, Nigeria and African stories. We are truly excited to be part of this show.
“It means a lot for Lagos to be at the Lord Mayor’s Show. We are the first state to be here in the whole of Africa. This is the first time Nigeria is showing at the Lord Mayor Show. There have been a few other countries that have turned around. So, there is no better time and we are in it and we are going to make the best out of it.
“We will let other parts of the world know who we are and understand our culture; understand that we are the centre of culture, entertainment and music in the whole of Africa and for people to also know what we have to give to the world”.
