Reasons to visit Awolowo’s Museum and Private Beach –
A museum with a private beach isn’t a combination you hear of quite often but that’s exactly what Awolowo’s Museum offers. I like to think of it as a museum resort.
The museum is dedicated to preserving the life and times of the Great Awo who is regarded as one of the fathers of the first republic of Nigeria.
The Museum is actually where he was imprisoned after trying to overthrow the federal government.
It’s probably the most beautiful prison you’ll ever see in Nigeria as the environment is serene and well cared for.
You can still see the bath tub, glasses, beddings, books and clothes he wore during his incarceration.
You get a little history lesson on where the name ‘Lekki’ comes from. It was named after a Portuguese slave trader Mr Lecqi who lived in the area. He’s tomb is also on the grounds and rumor has it he was buried standing up and headless as that was the tradition.
After a tour of the museum, you can relax on the beach and just kick back enjoying your day while being grateful for your freedom.
You also see shackles from the slave trade era.
If you have the time, you can read all the news paper clippings which also give you an insight into the past.
The original bricks used when the museum was first built.
In Feb (its Thursday so consider this a throwback post), we had a tour to Awolowo’s Museum and after liaising with the management of the place, we were good to go.
From the fun bus ride, to a walking tour of the grounds, it was a very enjoyable day. After we arrived the grounds, we were ushered in by our guide who gave us a brief summary of the museum, what they were trying to do and showed us the different sections of the area.
Lunch was served, games were played and some scurried of to the beach .
While we had a great day, more can be done in terms of activities and facilities that can be done at the beach e.g quad bikes, beach games, better cabanas, hammocks etc. Most of the things done were based on things we came along with. Despite the well maintained grounds and facilities, more can be done to boost the museum resort. Knowledgeable guides would also be super.
I would like to however commend the contact person who ensured we had a seamless experience and also provided us with transportation to and fro.
Things to note –
It is located in Ibeju Lekki after Eko Tourist Beach
It costs N5,000 ($25) to enter and extra N1,000 ($5) if they will provide transport for you. (transport is only provided if its a minimum of 10 people coming).
To plan your trip, you can call 09031873841.
This was my first solo tour so it has a special place in my heart and where I met people who have attended most of our tours.
Have you ever been to Awolowo’s Museum? What did you think?
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*please note that review and prices are based on the time of visitation and are based on personal thoughts/feelings.
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