She is a theatre practitioner, tourism strategist and hotel executive, but at the heart of everything Dr. Iyadunni Gbadebo does is a singular mission: to make Lagos a destination with stories that captivate the world, writes Vanessa Obioha There are many layers to Dr Iyadunni Gbadebo, and each one reveals a fascinating facet of her personality. One is the tourism promoter who recently stood before a motley audience in the Grand Ballroom of Eko Hotels and Suites to unveil her latest report, the Lagos Smart Tourism Index. It was a rigorous piece of research that not only highlighted the city’s challenges and potential but also presented data-driven solutions for positioning Lagos as a leading tourist destination in the future. But it was not only the figures that captivated her audience. It was the passion she exuded and the stories she told throughout her presentation. Whether she was recounting her visit to Mexico’s famous Hell’s Gate or describing how Lagos could tap into its rich heritage to market itself as a tourism destination, Gbadebo spoke with infectious enthusiasm and admirable confidence. As I would later realise, that passion is genuine and runs through everything she pours her heart into. Another is the thespian in her. She turned down Mass Communication in favour of Theatre Arts at the University of Lagos. Theatre, according to her, is innate. Although it did not pay off in those early years due to limited sponsorship, which led her to pursue careers in aviation, advertising, and hospitality, she has now found a way to bring that first love into her work at Eko Hotels and Suites, where she creates unforgettable experiences for the hotel’s well-heeled guests during the Christmas holidays and summer. Then there is Gbadebo, the administrator, currently the Director of Sales and Marketing at Eko Hotels and Suites. I met this side of her when I visited her office one recent morning. It was one of those pleasant mornings when the air was cool, the sun gentle, and the relentless rains had finally taken a break. Dressed in a pink-and-white ensemble, with her signature curls neatly packed up and bold bangles adorning her wrists, she projected the image of a corporate executive with the soul of an artist. Art portraits of varying sizes lined the white walls while decorative artworks shared shelf space with books and awards tucked neatly into one corner. When I arrived, a few members of her team were already seated in her office. She had hoped to finish a quick meeting before I got there, she admitted with a smile, but time had other plans. Instead of asking them to leave, she carried on, issuing instructions at intervals, with brisk confidence softened by bursts of humour that drew easy smiles from the team. For over a decade, Gbadebo has occupied the sales and marketing director role in Eko Hotels and Suites, transforming the hospitality business into an experience that blends theatre and tourism. Lagos, it appeared, is very dear to Gbadebo’s heart. “I grew up in Lagos, actually in Ozumba Mbadiwe. I have a large family, the Cole family, and we were all raised in my grandfather’s house,” she began. Her grandfather, an immigrant from Freetown, Sierra Leone, settled in Lagos many decades ago after leaving his homeland. A businessman in shipping and ship repairs, he established roots in what would become one of Nigeria’s most important commercial cities. Gbadebo’s earliest memories are of Lagos that is very different from today’s sprawling metropolis. “It was Maroko and Victoria Island. We didn’t really have Oniru and all of the expansion of Lekki that we now have. That was the heart of the city. The closest thing to a beachfront was the Bar Beach, and the Oniru Palace was on Ahmadu Bello.” More importantly, she remembers a city where dignity cut across professions. “It was a decent city that had so many people, but people had dignity in labour. A mechanic didn’t need to look like a scruffy man. Even though we had the elites, middle class and the lower class, there was a sense of dignity in any trade. The barber was a proud barber. The vulcaniser did his work very passionately.” That imagery contrasts sharply with the Lagos of today. “There is a more distinctive difference between the elite and the lower class. The poor people are really poor, and the rich people are extremely rich. Even in terms of the difference between the numbers of rich people versus the number of really poor people, you find that your rich people are still in all of your 10 fingers, and the poor people are in truckloads.” For a city that is so rich, economically powerful and potentially ambitious with its diverse people, it is interesting to Gbadebo that Lagos has been unable to tap into these to scale. “The vibe that Lagos has
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