In a bold and unprecedented move to attract global attention and participation to this year’s edition of IPADA Celebrations 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to host all envoys in Nigeria, UN Tourism, and Ministers of Tourism, alongside Commissioners of Arts, Culture and Tourism.

Also expected in attendance are the 774 local government council chairmen, the business community, and other dignitaries. At the meeting slated for July 30, 2025 at the Presidential Villa, Tinubu is expected to brief and invite them to IPADA Celebrations 2025, which is scheduled to hold between November and December 2025, at the La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Ikegun Village, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.

Also, the platform would be used by the initiator of the project, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, who is the Founder and President of La Campagne and Motherland Beckons, under whose auspices IPADA Celebrations is being organised yearly, the opportunity to unveil a five-year programme of events spanning across Africa.

Last September, Tinubu hosted African ambassadors and others at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on the project. Represented by the former Minister of the defunct Tourism Ministry, Mrs Lola Ade-John, the President used the occasion to introduce the newly introduced project to the envoys, sharing with them the opportunities that the veritable platform affords the various countries to develop their economies and attract investments and tourists.

IPADA (Mass exodus of people in Yoruba parlance) Celebrations debuted last year. It featured 10 days of different activities ranging from carnival, musical concert and festival, theatrical performances, culinary and cultural feast to empowerment of youth and women through training and skill acquisitions offered freely.

With support from the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Tinubu is the Global Ambassador, Chief Host and Grand Patron of the annual celebration, which is designed to develop and promote tourism and economic development of not just Nigeria but Africa, as the mega project is Afrocentric in nature, with focus on attracting Africans in the Diaspora and lovers of Africa, to visit Africa (motherland) and their ancestral home, not only to reconnect with their root, but also to contribute meaningfully to the economic development and growth of its human capital.

To this end, Lagos and Abuja, have been designated as the gateways to Nigeria and the other Africa countries, with different programmes to be executed all-year round. This will then in November and December, with the grand celebration at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort.

Speaking on IPADA Celebrations, Akinboboye noted, ‘‘the concept is all about bringing people of African descent back to their roots. We have about 200 million Diasporas across the world: 27.265 million in the Caribbean, 48.3 million in the United States of America, 112.8 million in Brazil, and between seven and eight million in Europe. We need to entice them back to add value to the entire continent of Africa.

“You know no country can develop without the Diasporas. So, IPADA is basically presenting the entire continent of Africa in a basket. We are creating an African shopping mall. The idea is to enable the Diasporas to visit all the countries on the continent.

“There are 54 African countries. So, we’re not only selling Nigeria, we’re just saying that the Diasporas can come into the continent of Africa through Lagos, through Abuja.

“For those that felt that they have left on slave ships, we’ve created for them cruise ships, so that they can land here in Lekki.

“From Lekki they can go to our airport here in Lagos and then fly to any part of Africa they want to fly to. So, basically, we’re putting the entire continent of Africa in one basket.

Last year’s event attracted over 50 kings and royals from Nigeria and the continent, with massive boost to the economy as different business deals were closed by individual businesses and corporate bodies.

Some of the benefits generated included approximately N251, 940 on hotel accommodation, transport, entertainment and logistics; performance fees in the region of N35 million earned by different creatives; Free AI Training for 300 attendees (Approximately $450 per participant and translated to N200 million investment in the digital empowerment of young Nigerians; with Vanatu Government offering to undertake additional AI training opportunities to a total of 1, 500 Africans via the Ipada Initiative (This will translate to N636, 940, 000).