By Blessing Olaniyan, Lagos
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, participated in the cooking and tasting of seafood rice with stir-fry spinach at this year’s Lagos Food Festival.
Speaking at the event organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the food festival is to make families come together, unwind and see food from different cultures to tell the Lagos food story.
The 2025 edition of the Lagos Food Festival, themed ‘Taste Beyond Borders’, was held at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, where residents of the State were treated to good music as they witnessed and relished different delicacies.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, has empowered a lot of entrepreneurs in the past six years and ensured that Lagosians catch fun as they savour different food to tell the Lagos food story.
He said: “The Lagos Food Festival is part of the events that have happened in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems. They have done a lot of activation. They have done a whole lot of intervention in the agriculture and food security space.
“They have empowered a lot of entrepreneurs. They have done so much this year to continue to put innovators in the food business to give them an opportunity to fend and to do well as entrepreneurs. But what you also have here is for families to come out, enjoy and see the exhibition of various food cultures.
“I cooked seafood rice with stir-fried spinach. I tasted my own cooking as well. The food festival is about families coming out, encouraging people in the catering and food space, and for us to be able to also use food to tell the Lagos story.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu also attended an art exhibition in Lagos on Sunday, where about 40 artists were doing paintings on the walls, describing the artists’ work as creativity of Lagos.
“We want to encourage everybody in our entire space. We need to be able to lift people up and continue to encourage different skills and different professions so that Lagos can continue to remain safe and home for all of them,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.
Speaking earlier, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Systems, Ms Abisola Olusanya, said given the multicultural nature of Lagos, the government believes in celebrating everything that is Lagos, the value, as well as the food chain actors.
She said: “Lagos Food Festival is a celebration of everything Lagos: the culinary culture, tradition, entertainment and everything that makes Lagos, Lagos. Lagos is very diverse and multicultural, and we believe that in celebrating everything that is Lagos, food is the embodiment of that, and we, as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, are the curators and the custodians of that.
“It is best that we celebrate all of our value food chain actors, and the Lagos Food Festival is the place to do so. It also helps to give exposure to our food actors. We have had many stars made from the Lagos Food Festival just by reason of Mr Governor cooking, tasting their foods and giving a word of encouragement.
“So this is an avenue for us as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems to solidify all of our interventions over the years and to celebrate everyone that makes it possible for all of us to eat in Lagos.”
The event was attended by members of the State Executive Council and House of Assembly, current and former public office holders, political and traditional rulers, celebrity chefs, youths, vendors and students from tertiary institutions in Lagos State, among others. Some of them displayed their culinary skills during the event and won prizes.
