Once the place to be for everyone, regardless of class or background, AKIN ADEWAKUN and SEGUN QUDUS chronicle the changes that have taken place so far as the Lagos Bar Beach transforms into the an upscale metropolis, the Eko Atlantic City.
In the not-too-distant past, when one sought a choice location for events of varying activities, the ready option was the Lagos Bar Beach. It was the prime spot for sport competitions – even for primary school students – as well as picnics, dates, religious gatherings, movie shoots, or even for meditation, especially in the wee hours of the day.
For many Lagos residents, the Lagos Bar Beach evokes different memories, especially for those who previously frequented the place. While for some, the beach holds a major signifier in the history of the bustling city, for others, there are not many true stories told of Lagos, without mention of the Bar Beach.
For the average Lagosian, the Bar Beach, in the days of yore, was renowned for enhancing the experiences of revelers, within and outside the shores of the city, while for residents, experiences were incomplete without a visit to the water-fenced confines, located at the coastal area of the Lagos Island, then.
“It was such a beautiful place to be then,” Dapo Olorunto states with nostalgia.
Olorunto, a frequent visitor to the place decades ago as a student, added that besides meeting the physical needs of Lagosians, at the time, spiritual needs were also catered to at the Bar Beach. White-cassocked religious adherents were a popular sight at the beach at the time.
“It was the most popular beach in the country, then, especially at a time Lagos enjoyed the federal capital status. It was an ideal destination for family trips, picnics and relaxation,” the 34-year-old accountant stated.
The significance the beach held for Lagos and its residents at the time was hard to match, such that there were rare dull moments. Besides enhancing revelers’ experiences, it also boosted the revenue of the immediate environment and that of the state by extension, as visitors were made to pay a token before stepping foot on the sandy shore.
‘Lagos Bar Beach now a shadow of itself’
Interestingly, business as usual at the beach has taken a different turn. The hustle and bustle that characterised the beach has waned significantly. But for the few times when some brands stage marketing activities there, not much in the place, in recent times, brings to mind the previous experiences.
The Eko Atlantic City Project is seemingly transforming the beach and its environs to an exclusive preserve of the rich. Unlike in the past when the ‘doors’ of the beach were open to all and sundry, visitors to the area, especially the newly sand-filled Atlantic City, are subject to security screening and queried about their mission to the place.
“It’s quite a surprise things have changed. The place used to be a very busy area, before the advent of the Atlantic City project. Trading in different commodities was the routine and a way for people to make money to survive. It was nothing less than a commercial centre on its own.
“But all that has changed. Such activities no longer exist; those who made a living there are left with no alternative than to seek for greener pastures elsewhere. The place has become a shadow of its old, glorious self,” noted Olorunto.
Eko Atlantic City will protect beach and its environs –Govt
However, in response to Olorunto’s concerns, the state government does not view the Eko Atlantic City project as one that had hampered the people’s economy. For the state government, it is one of those prices to be paid by stakeholders, if Lagos is to realise its dream of being a mega city.
The Bar Beach must give way to a more befitting new Lagos City, the Eko Atlantic City, being built on reclaimed land, off Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, the state government had reasoned. Besides, the Atlantic City project, which commenced in 2003, the state government insists, has become necessary if the state is to find a permanent solution to protect the beach and its environs. Prior to the commencement of the EAC project, the Lagos Bar Beach had, many times, overflowed its bounds, constituting serious threat to lives and property of people living in the area.
I’m viewing the development with cautious optimism —71-yr-old Pa Oluwole
In spite of this and the gradual transformation taking place in the area today, a resident, who simply identified himself as Pa Oluwole, who lives on Odunlami Street, in Marina, very close to the Bar Beach would rather view developments there with “cautious optimism.”
While he welcomes the transformation of the area to a more sophisticated city, Pa Oluwole believes the average Lagosian’s source of income has been affected, in the bid to satisfy a few privileged persons.
According to him, the beach used to be source of livelihood for many people, especially with the huge commercial activities, witnessed in the area on a daily basis.
“It was such a leveller then. The high and the low met and mixed there. It was a point where fun seekers also sought to be, a nest of love for both the young and the old. It was a place that brought so much improvement to the economy of the area and its residents then,” stated this 71-year-old father of five, and a retired staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
He argued that when ready, the Eko Atlantic City would no longer throw its doors open to all Lagosians, as it used to be in the past. Rather, it would be an exclusive haven of the rich.
“It’s obvious that the good old days being experienced there by everybody, irrespective of one’s social status, are gone for good, especially when the area is fully developed,” Pa Oluwole stated.
‘It’s now like a ghost town’
Nigerian Tribune went on an assessment tour of the area and Pa Oluwole’s fears on the seeming exclusivity of the place, are already showing signs of confirmation.
When the Nigerian Tribune crew got to the entrance, they were not allowed beyond the gate of the new Lagos City by the security personnel attached to the place.
According to the security personnel, visitors must be able to state their mission in the area in clear terms before being allowed in.
However, because of the reduced human and vehicular activities experienced in the area, it was easy to monitor movements to and from the Eko Atlantic City. Besides a tower, said to comprise some companies and a few residential apartments, standing tall, a distance from the gate, the possibility of the developers’ dream of delivering the project in the not-too-distant time may not be fully assured.
There were unconfirmed reports a few years ago that the building project, which begun in 2003, would be delivered in 2016.
Fidelis, a commercial bus driver, who used to operate within the axis, would rather liken the place now to a ghost town.
“Honestly, it’s like a ghost town now; since the government chased people away from there. The hustle and bustle associated with the place has disappeared. It was quite fun and business was interesting then. I’m a driver, and during that time, and we were on the road more or less 24 hours every day; that’s how active the beach was at the time. The decision to do away with the Bar Beach actually made me seek employment in the company where I presently work. Honestly, I don’t like the way it is now. For instance, any time from 7:30 pm, the place always looks deserted,” he stated.
I’ve had major setback in business since I left the beach —Popular trader, Iya Oyinbo
Madam Sherifat, a trader, popularly known as Iya Oyinbo, also has her fond memories of the Beach. Iya Oyinbo, who used to reside and sell at the beach, described the development as a major setback for her and others in her shoes, whose means of livelihood were drawn from activities at the beach.
The mother of four stated that though she is gradually settling down in a new place, fending for the family still remains a huge challenge, since the new place is not as money-spinning as the beach, where she could trade into the wee-hours of the day, seeing as she had a residence there.
“The conversion of the place is taking its toll on me. I was at least able to have a roof over my head and buoyant enough to afford to send my children to good schools then. But now, reverse is the case. The father of my children is nowhere to be found and I have been the only one taking care of the children. The decision to stop business activities at the beach was definitely the last straw for me,” she lamented.
Eko Atlantic City would curb criminal activities –Commercial driver
Another commercial driver, who plies the area, Ikenna, however shares a different view from Iya Oyinbo’s. He believes that with the Bar Beach giving way to the Eko Atlantic City, there would be order in the area, unlike in the past, when the area was prone to all sorts of crimes.
Just like Ikenna, the state government and project developers, also affirm that with the right variables in place, the Eko Atlantic City would bring about positive development.
For instance, the planned city, according to them, would be the nation’s most ambitious city on reclaimed land and one of Africa’s biggest marine engineering projects, when completed, since it is expected to sit on about 9 million square meters of land, with 2.4 kilometres reclaimed South of Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, into the Atlantic Ocean.
Besides, the new city, when completed, will be one and a half times the size of current Victoria Island, and will accommodate more than 150,000 residents, and another 250,000 residents, who would work and commute there.
The state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, during a visit to the area, sometime ago, would rather liken whatever the issue the EAC Project is presently causing to a birth pang, which would soon translate to positive economic climate for the state.
According to him, when fully ready, the new ‘city’ would go a long way in adding to the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state, thereby boosting its economy.
Ambode, during an inspection tour of the project, had insisted that such projects had become imperative, if the state was to truly harness its economic potential and remain a force to be reckoned with. He described the project as one of the ‘sure outlets’ the state government planned to achieve its goal of growing its IGR to N30bn by 2017 and N50bn by 2018.
Aside the state government’s projections, there are also suggestions on more that would need to be done when the city was completed. There are indications that the new city would still accommodate some small scale businesses.
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