The cancellation of the #GreaterLagosFiesta by the Lagos State Government has reopened a long-running debate in Badagry over the economic and cultural cost of centralised state-sponsored festivities on local traditions.

Reacting to the development, Babatunde Ajose, a former Lagos State Tourism Liaison Officer for Badagry Division, described the cancellation as long overdue, arguing that the annual fiesta steadily eroded Badagry’s Christmas carnival economy over the past decade.

Ajose maintained that before the introduction of the state-wide fiesta, Badagry communities hosted multiple local carnivals during the festive season, generating significant income for residents and small businesses.

According to him, tailors, printers, cultural troupes, food vendors, drinks sellers, artisans and event workers all benefitted from community-driven celebrations that attracted visitors and circulated money within the local economy.

He argued that these indigenous carnivals gradually disappeared as attention, funding and patronage shifted to the Greater Lagos Fiesta, where Badagry groups were often required to pay for exhibition stands while vendors from other parts of Lagos dominated commercial activities.

“The economic value was massive,” Ajose noted, insisting that millions of naira that once stayed within Badagry communities were redirected elsewhere, weakening local enterprise and cultural expression.

Ajose also dismissed claims that Badagry carnivals were suspended in the past due to security concerns. He recalled that during his tenure, consultations with security agencies revealed no formal directive banning local carnivals. Efforts by the local government to encourage Community Development Associations (CDAs) and Community Development Committees (CDCs) to revive and formally register their events, he said, were largely ignored in favour of participating in the state-organised fiesta.

The cancellation has since drawn mixed reactions from residents and commentators. Some, like Sagbo Kehinde Peters, argue that Badagry’s economic growth depends on prioritising locally organised cultural events rather than relying on state-centric festivals. Others questioned the comparison, noting that the Greater Lagos Fiesta was a government initiative and not organised by Badagry politicians.

Concerns were also raised about security. Senami Hungbeji suggested that the fiesta helped reduce violence and youth clashes during the festive period, warning that dismissing it entirely could overlook its stabilising role. Ajose countered this view, arguing that adequate security deployment to community carnivals would achieve the same result, while preserving local economic benefits. He also pointed to what he described as “leakages in tourism,” where financial gains fail to reach host communities.

Despite differing opinions, there is broad agreement that Badagry’s cultural future cannot rely solely on externally driven events. Commentators such as Tony Ovienloba stressed that Badagry’s strategic historical and cultural importance demands renewed investment in home-grown festivals that reflect its identity beyond textbooks.

As the state steps away from the Greater Lagos Fiesta, voices within Badagry are increasingly calling for a deliberate revival of indigenous carnivals—ones designed, owned and sustained by the communities themselves—as a pathway to cultural preservation, economic inclusion and local pride.