Ajegunle: A city in motion

Ajegunle attained national fame as a ghetto where sports and music stars are made. SHEHU BELLO was in the popular AJ city and writes that even in the dark clouds of a ghetto there could be a silver lining, noting that there is the other side of Ajegunle much different from the impression people have about it.

AJEGUNLE, which literally means “wealth has landed or has come”, is arguably one of Africa’s most popular ghettos, both in notoriety and potentials. It is a place that perfectly combines ‘the good, the bad and the ugly.’

The bubbling community located in the Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State is popularly called Ajegunle Boundary and lies in an area where Nigeria’s biggest and richest seaports – Apapa Wharf and Tincan Island – are located.

The community shares boundary with wealthy part of the state and should ordinarily be rich, but poverty has been its most enduring identity since it came to be in the consciousness of Lagosians and by extension, Nigerians. But what it lacked in wealth is gained in its rich population, serving as a concentration of different ethnic groups in Nigeria.

It is also a community of fame in its own way, where the ‘galala’ dance step made popular by the likes of Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, Marvellous Benji, Daddy Fresh, Danfo Driver and Terry G originated from.

It is a community that has suffered decades of neglect and abandonment even though it is situated in an area that serves as the economic hub of the nation.

But over time, a new Ajegunle is emerging but the destination of a complete new day is still far away.

When Sunday Tribune visited Ajegunle penultimate Thursday, we saw a community that is gradually evolving. One major feature of the emerging Ajegunle is the new Magistrates’ court being built on Oreke Street.

Before now, Ajegunle was a community where banks and businesses stayed away from, due to security concerns but the recent visit showed that banks and hotels are now springing up in the area.

A motorcycle rider, Osho Lucky, from Benin, Edo State, told Sunday Tribune things are changing for the better.

“We have a new Ajegunle. It is no more what people outside think it is. Those guys that disrupted peace of this area have left, while others are now into Internet scam or have gotten jobs as barmen in hotels that are daily springing up.

“Before, you can’t walk with your phone. Your wallet must not be seen outside and you must not put on flashy clothes as guys would collect it and beat you if you try resisting their demands.

“Most banks refused to open for business in Ajegunle because of the fear of being attacked by guys in the area; but now you could see for yourself that we have First Bank, and other banks are now starting with using ATM, situating it mostly close to the police station.

Streets like Alayabiagba, Noshanu, Tolu, Ojora Street, Ago Hausa and Iyalode were said to be the most notorious and the major flash points in Ajegunle,” he said.

Alayabiagba, Sunday Tribune learnt used to be a no-go area after 6:00pm as it used to house notorious miscreants terrorising the community.

A visit to Alayabiagba by Sunday Tribune, showed an area swimming in neglect.

For Azeez Akinola, a community leader in Alayabiagba, Ajegunle is the same as other communities in Lagos.

“Unlike before when we witnessed daily crises, such no longer exists. We don’t witness it again, though it still happen atimes but not as it used to be when it was an everyday thing. We were once at their mercy, attacking and injuring people.

“The only problem we now have is government neglect. The road is bad as you can see for yourself and the government-run water has not come to this place for the past two years,” Akinola said.

Olaoluwa Sulaimon a resident also told Sunday Tribune that relative peace is gradually being felt in Ajegunle.

“Nobody is fighting again. Everyone is looking for money, so no more crises. But we don’t enjoy this place, as government presence is not being felt and everything is just at a standstill,” Sulaimon said, with frustration written on his face.

Another resident, Biola Akingbade, told Sunday Tribune that the community would become less rowdy and better if government can ease the traffic in Ijora and Apapa areas.

“I was born here and I grew up here. Before now, we witnessed a lot problem here, but now it has subsided. Ajegunle would be better if roads linking it to other communities can be relieved of traffic jam and potholes.

“The one linking Ijora was done by Mobil and you could see for yourself how it eased the traffic a little bit, though activities of tanker drivers have really not helped,” Akingbade stated with disappointment.

The community, according to findings was also the founding base of many deadly cult groups in the state. Eiye, Aye, Buccaneer and other various cult gangs were reportedly visible, with their activities standing in the way of the development of the community.

The notorious gang, One Million Boys, started from Ajegunle and many residents had to move out due to their notoriety and gruesome activities of the gang which later spread to other parts of Lagos.

One major business that has remained in Ajegunle is prostitution which seems to be at the centre of the growing hotel business. In fact the entire area is filled with cheap brothels where sex workers in their large number ply their trade.

Lucky, the Okada rider who took Sunday Tribune to various hotels and bars in Ajegunle said that the community was once filled to the brim, with prostitutes, but that the recession in the country was affecting their businesses.

“Most of the prostitutes can’t find customers unlike before when you have them making a lot of money. Guys now don’t visit regularly, the only people you see in hotels and bars are yahoo-yahoo boys. You know they spend money anyhow. So they are the only ones you see regularly at hotels now,” Lucky said.

Ajegunle means different things to different folks.  While some see it as an irredeemable ghetto, others see it as a dreamland where future music superstars and footballers are made. For those in the latter category, especially those who believe in miracles, there is no leaving the beloved community. Every day, countless number of people wait, dreaming and expecting that one day lucky would smile on them.