What possesses a 26-year-old to step boldly into the unknown—alone—into the heart of a primary forest in Ikegun in September of 1984?
What stirs that kind of daring?
Looking back now, with time as a lens, I realise: it is audacity, that rare, powerful trait that all pioneers share.
Whether in science, the arts, or enterprise, those who reshape the world see not only what is but what could be. Where others encounter wilderness, they envision wonder. Where others hear silence, they detect potential. They chart paths through the unseen.
When I sat down with Dr. Olawanle Akinboboye, the very man who embarked on that solitary journey over four decades ago, I asked him simply: Why? His response was nothing short of astounding. Because it wasn’t just about vision, it was about conviction. A defiant sense of purpose that carved reality from raw, untouched earth. From that seed of courage was born La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, now a name synonymous with elegance, ecological integrity, and the renaissance of Nigerian tourism.
To truly grasp the scale of this story, you’ll need to explore the pages of my upcoming book on Nigeria, arguably the most comprehensive pictorial and narrative journey ever compiled on the country.
In those pages, I offer more than photographs; I unveil stories. This chapter on resorts, on bold dreams realised in quiet corners, is an invitation to reimagine the possibilities across Nigeria.
My last visit to La Campagne Tropicana was in 2010. Now, fifteen years later, in 2025, I stand here again, and the transformation before me is beyond words.
Back then, it was a hidden sanctuary: no Dangote Refinery, no Lekki Deep Sea Port, no Free Trade Zone pulsing with energy. The road was long, lonely, and lined with the solitude of silence. Even AMEN Estate, now a landmark, felt like a voyage into Igbo Eledumare in Ondo State, far, distant, unreachable.
But today, the approach to the resort is shaped by two monumental feats of infrastructure. First, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, a bold, nation-defining project spearheaded by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, slices across the landscape with purpose, reconnecting the spine of Nigeria’s southern coast with visionary clarity. A road not just of concrete but of courage.
Then, complementing this, the access road leading directly to the resort has undergone a stunning rebirth under the capable leadership of Mr. Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, CON. What was once a narrow, near-forgotten path through the forest has become a smooth, four-lane concrete highway, welcoming visitors with ease.
Today, both sides of the road bloom with estates, modern, vibrant, and thriving. The silence has given way to promise.
And then, the breathtaking moment: Breakwater Point. At the peak of the rainy season, this is where the lagoon spills into the Atlantic, in a spectacular dance of water and wildness. To witness it is to witness nature’s raw poetry.
As the forest rose on my right, I knew I had arrived.
A newly designed gate welcomed me, not with handshakes, but with the heartfelt, time-honoured greetings of Yoruba tradition. Here, the cultural ethos is preserved, not imitated.
No vehicles beyond this point; instead, a tricycle awaited to carry me and my team through the sanctuary. Wildlife roams freely here, and the land demands respect.
The air is alive with birdsong, melodies that turn the sky into a symphony.
For birdwatchers, this is a dream. For the soul, it is a hymn. I found myself wishing I lived nearby, if only to awaken daily to this tranquil, untouched music.
The first sight that captured my eyes was a long, shimmering swimming pool stretching through the greenery. Then, beach tents, clothed in bold African fabrics, lined the Atlantic shoreline, facing the roaring sea as if in embrace.
The resort hosts seventy chalets, each a masterpiece of design. From four-bedroom marvels constructed with mud, complete with indoor swimming pools, the first of their kind in the world, to three-bedroom and single-room retreats nestled either deep in the forest or on the oceanfront.
Here, you choose your own adventure: the intimacy of the wild or the expanse of the waves. Each balcony offers a view that silences thought, invites stillness, and whispers, rest.
Beyond its lodgings, the resort is a world of its own: a souvenir store rich with authentic Nigerian crafts, a kitchen that delivers the soul of our cuisine, and a host of activities that breathe life into every moment. Lawn tennis, volleyball, football, kayaking, boat rides, biking along the lagoon, everything you need for adventure or serenity.
The beach stretches endlessly, its sands inviting bare feet and wandering minds.
And it makes you wonder: Why seek paradise elsewhere when it lives right here in Lagos?
This place is more than a resort. It is the legacy of a daring youth, a vision brought to life forty-one years ago. Today, it still pulses with the same spirit of boldness and imagination.
As I opened the window of my chalet, and looked out into the lush forest with the lullaby of waves and the song of birds drifting in, I realised something profound:
This is not just a destination.
It is a rebuttal to the falsehood that Nigeria is broken. It is evidence that we are not a basket case—we are a treasure chest. And it is high time we told our stories, loudly, boldly, beautifully.
La Campagne Tropicana has taught me something I didn’t even know I had forgotten.
It has taught me to dream again.
**Adedayo is a photographer and creative entrepreneur
