With Nigeria needing to generate about $100bn in foreign exchange annually we simply need to cash in on religion and make it a $20bn industry 

Ayo Akinfe 

(1) We need to build a holy city somewhere and name it Angelsville. We should sell it as a major tourist attraction like Paris Disneyland or Australia’s Tasmania. It should be the home of all sorts of biblical and mythical characters like black angels, burning bushes, winged humans, winged animals, centaurs, minotaurs, talking serpents, unicorns, etc. Let us aim to attract about 1m visitors a year 

(2) Do you know that between them, Nigeria and Cameroon account for 10% of the world’s languages? This leads me to believe that the Tower of Babel must be located somewhere along the Nigeria/Cameroon border. Let us build the world’s tallest tower at say Sankwara in northern Cross River State and name it Babel 

(3) We need to build a Basilica around the tomb of Samuel Ajayi Crowther. This was the first African Anglican Bishop, so should be a major figure in Christendom 

(4) We also need to build a Kaaba-like structure around the tomb of Usman Dan Fodio in Sokoto. All those Africans who cannot afford to go on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia should come to Nigeria instead 

(5) I also fail to understand what is stopping us from building a Noah’s Ark at the confluence of the rivers Niger and Benue at Lokoja. We should aim to make Lokoja a facility that competes with Niagara Falls 

(6) Standing at nearly 8,000 feet, Chappal Waddi in Taraba State is Nigeria’s highest mountain. Why don’t we build a Mount Carmel complex around it and arrange an annual contest on it recreating the battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal?

(7)  Enugu’s Iva Valley is a historic site in Nigeria as it was where 21 miners were shot dead by policemen while striking in November 18, 1949. Let us turn it into our own Valley of Elah, that long, shallow valley in Israel and the West Bank where David killed Goliath. We should organise the contest every year 

(8) Do you know that Usman Dan Fodio’s jihadists were given the beating of their lives at Oshogbo, the Osun State capital in 1840? Why do we not reenact this battle every year. I would actually construct a dedicated park and name it Damascus as it is where a dramatic change took place. Build up the usual tourist infrastructure including the world’s biggest searchlight, which will be christened the Shining Light on the Road to Damascus 

(9) As we speak, the search for the 10 lost tribes of Israel continues until this very day. I am one of those who believes there is something Jewish about Ndigbo. They stand out uniquely among all Africans with their unique industrious spirit and passion for commerce. In virtually every African country, they dominate the retail trade. Why is there no Kibbutz in southeast Nigeria? 

(10) Do you know that the first ever Christians to visit Nigeria were Portuguese mariners who hit Lagos in 1472. From there, they proceeded to Benin in 1485. We should have an annual festival to mark this. Maybe organise an annual parting of the Benin River in Delta State to depict how the missionaries managed to travel from Lagos to Benin in the terribly inhospitable conditions of the tropical rain forest. It was just as tough as travelling through the desert.