First storey building in Nigeria gets highest number of tourists ever

• Number of visitors to Nigeria's first storey building hits all time high.
• In 2018,it attracted over 13,000 visitors.
• This is way better than the 2015 record of only 3,457 people.

Nigeria's first storey building gets the highest number of tourists ever.

According to Mr Hodonu Daniel, the officer in charge of the building, located in Badagry, Lagos State, the historic site attracted 13,609 visitors in 2018.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he explained how the 172-year-old structure was able to beat its previous 2017 record of 9,009 people.

In 2015, only 3,457 people visited the first storey building in the country.

"We recorded more tourists toward the end of the year when there were different festivals organised by people and the Local Government Authority attracted tourists to the site," he said. "Around August, we celebrated Coconut festival and many tourists that came for the event visited the site. Also during Diaspora festival, many foreigners came to the site."

Calling on the government to work on the Lagos-Badagry expressway, Mr Daniel noted that this would help increase the number of visitors to the historic building.

In his words, "I'm sure that the patronage would be higher this year if the Federal Government will complete the reconstruction of the Lagos- Badagry Expressway, which is discouraging tourists from visiting the site. The major challenge that we face is the deplorable state of the road, as this discourages tourists from coming to the various historic sites in the city.''

Fast Facts on Nigeria's first storey building

The foundation of the building was laid in 1842. The building was completed in 1845. It housed the first sets of missionaries in the country.

It has six big rooms, four stores, two big sitting rooms, and a safe for precious items.

The building also has the English and Yoruba versions of the bible that was translated by Bishop Ajayi Crowther.

A picture of Herbert Macaulay, Ajayi Crowther's grandson as well as a well, dug in 1842, can also be found in the property.