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Eko Drive turns car park into showcase of exotic cars, art exhibition for automobile enthusiasts

By Guardian Nigeria
12 December 2022   |   2:00 am
Eko Drive, an outdoor and networking automotive expo, has debuted its first car exhibition in Lagos. Spread out across the entire parking floor of Alliance Française, the brainbox of the event, Ademide Osunsina, Imran Claud-Ennin, and Sanjo Morgan creatively curated an indigenous car exhibition that celebrated the beauty of art and technology of the cars.…

Eko Drive, an outdoor and networking automotive expo, has debuted its first car exhibition in Lagos.

Spread out across the entire parking floor of Alliance Française, the brainbox of the event, Ademide Osunsina, Imran Claud-Ennin, and Sanjo Morgan creatively curated an indigenous car exhibition that celebrated the beauty of art and technology of the cars.

Osunsina, a cybersecurity analyst and founder of Eko Drive, told The Guardian that the idea for the exhibition is not only an attempt to share his passion for cars but to also create a safe space where a lot more young people like himself can express their love for cars in different ways.

“I want to see people actually having fun in cars in a safe environment. I’ve never been to an event that was very calm, and showed off nice cars in a safe way,” he said.

“Tailored to everyone in the automotive industry, whether you are part of it, whether you drive a car, whether you like it, or whether you just like the idea of it. I wanted to bring that together. I wanted to bring individuals who are very interested in the industry together and have them talk and network in a safe, relaxed environment. So Eko Drive, again, is literally just us coming together to give people unique experiences. Where they can enjoy the automotive industry.”

Upon entering the building,multi-age audiences were faced with a collection of various classic and contemporary cars creating a jaw-dropping display of more than 15 cars, including luxury brands such as Mercedes Benz and BMW.

Osunsina said his love for cars started at a very young age.

“I love cars since I know how to walk, essentially. I started driving probably when I was 10 years old, maybe the first car I ever had was a manual,” he said, revealing that the first car he drove was a Mitsubishi Eclipse.

During the car exhibition, Sanjo Morgan, a communication specialist and co-founder of Eko Drive, stated that the auto expo is to foster unity among the automotive industry in Nigeria, noting that car culture should not only be limited to the wealthy but for every demographic in the community.

“In the future, Eko Drive plans to have charity auctions, the foundation runs, and school children runs but ideally, we want to be able to bring together a community of enthusiasts and be able to give back to others who may not have quite as much in Nigeria,” Morgan said.

He added that one of the goals of Eko Drive is to push the automotive culture in Nigeria, including cars that are being manufactured in the country.

“It’s not everyone that should be going out to import cars from Germany, England, the United States, we have people manufacturing their vehicles here in Nigeria, so it will be a huge opportunity to be able to push that,” he said.

In his address, Imran Claud-Ennin, a creative producer and co-founder of Eko Drive, stated that the event was curated to shine a light on the intertwined elements of culture, art, and automobiles with the aim to bring car lovers together and grow the country’s auto industry.

The organisers of the Eko Drive motor show also revealed plans to have multiple events in the coming year and to have a sister show across Nigeria and Africa at large.

The exhibition ended with activities ranging from live art painting sessions of vehicles to racing simulators for car enthusiasts and visitors to experience.

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