Badagry, an ancient city located in Lagos State, is set to host a significant event known as the ‘Fourth Door of Return’ next Saturday. This event carries historical, spiritual, and economic significance, with the anticipation of hundreds of diaspora Africans returning to their ancestral homeland.

A major highlight of the event will be the participation of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State, who will symbolically pass through the Door of Return to welcome the returning diaspora Africans. Dr. Julius Marcus-Garvey will lead the group of Returnees during this momentous occasion.

The Fourth Door of Return programs are scheduled to take place from October 19th to 21st in Badagry, situated in the Lagos West Senatorial District of Lagos State.

During a press conference held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, on Monday, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), emphasized that the Fourth Door of Return event will bring not only economic, physical, and spiritual benefits to Lagos residents but also to people living in the diaspora. She further mentioned that a variety of activities have been planned, and invited dignitaries will help showcase Lagos’ tourist attractions and rich culture to the global audience.

Dabiri-Erewa expressed her appreciation for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s unwavering support for the Door of Return event, emphasizing that this unique and significant event will bring about economic growth, physical well-being, and spiritual rejuvenation, symbolizing a return to a path of joy, peace, prosperity, and progress.

She said: “I want to commend Governor Sanwo-Olu for the tremendous support for the Fourth Door of Return ceremony.

“What Bagadry has, no place in the world has it. Door of Return is going to be the biggest tourism event from Badagry, Lagos and Nigeria.

“The Door of Return includes receiving our brothers and sisters who were taken away as slaves over 400 years ago and it would be a historical, spiritual, emotional and physical experience for the pilgrims. It is a connection to what we call the Joy of Return.

“They are going to take a long walk through that path to the Point of No Return. They now come back where we receive them as kings and queens from the place where their ancestors were taken away many years ago as slaves. It is an event that everybody needs to participate in.

“When you come to witness the Door of Return ceremony in Lagos on October 21, you are going to see what Badagry has. What Lagos has for tourism, no country in the world has what Badagry has.”

Furthermore, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, emphasized the State Government’s dedication to unveiling the hidden treasures of both Badagry and Lagos State to a global audience through the Fourth Door of Return program.

She expressed her dismay at the inhumane treatment suffered by the ancestors who were forcibly taken away from the continent more than 400 years ago. Benson-Awoyinka also highlighted the commitment of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to restoring the sense of joy among all people of African descent. She shared her personal experiences at the door to emphasize this commitment.

Additionally, Hon. Solomon Bonu, the Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Tourism and Culture, pledged that the lawmakers would employ all legal means available to provide support for the event.