Takwa Bay, Lagos Island where old memories flourish
The ferry was about 25 minutes from the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) boat shed at CMS bus stop in Lagos. The boat was an enclosed one described as a modern boat different from the popular canoes piloted manually. The boat with a capacity of more than 20 seats has […]
The ferry was about 25 minutes from the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) boat shed at CMS bus stop in Lagos. The boat was an enclosed one described as a modern boat different from the popular canoes piloted manually. The boat with a capacity of more than 20 seats has inside life jackets left on each seat, for passengers to wear as soon as they are boarding.
So not long after all the passengers boarded with their life jackets worn, the trip started on a coast of Lagos showing a scenic view of popular towers and gigantic buildings on Lagos Island especially in Marina. Also visible was the popular Eko Atlantic Resort, among others.
However, getting to Takwa Bay, what struck the mind of a first time visitor was a community which is still far from modern civilization.
Under the auspices of the Community Tour and Sensitization (CTS) and the Femi Adabale Consulting Limited (FmACL) which took some select journalists on a tour of Takwa Bay, the tour provided an insight into the challenges faced by hundreds of inhabitants on the island, and the incredible tourism potentials just waiting to be unlocked.
Though a small island in Lagos by estimation, it is like a microcosm of Nigeria with people of different tribes and nationalities settling permanently there. It however appears that Takwa Bay has become a forgotten island struggling to keep pace with civilization with little or no government presence.
While the present population of the community could not be ascertained, it comprises six districts making up the entire Takwa Bay. The districts/communities are Takwa Bay Central, Okunayo, Abagbo, Ebute-Oko, Store and Ogogoro under Iru- Victoria Island Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Eti-Osa Local Government.
The tour of the community was the outcome of a baseline survey by the CTS which made useful findings on how to deal with the prevalent problems in Takwa Bay and galvanize community based engagement towards solving the challenges of the community.
The community is an entirely sandy area by virtue of its nearness to the Atlantic ocean, and it was right inside the sand that the visitors navigated the length and breadth of the community which is rich in tourism endowments.
The first place visited by the team was the Primary Health Centre built by the Lagos state government under the 2008 conditional Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) grant scheme project. Though a fine facility with enough bed spaces, the human resources to work in the hospital are not available, while the patronage is nothing to write home about.
It was gathered that the only health centre serving the whole community does not have a stable doctor as the doctor posted to the hospital is said to ‘be on and off’, because there are no “incentives” for him to stay. It was gathered that there are three nurses in the hospital though only one, Nurse Jagua Folashade was present.The facilities are just there with no patient to visit, as the centre is lacking equipment for any serious medical diagnosis.
Also there is no light, and no water while there is no generating set to provide light for the hospital. All these challenges, according to the community, have drastically reduced the level of patronage of the facilities.
James Adesina, Secretary of the Council of Obas in Takwa Bay said, “So far I can say the government is trying but they need to do more. We have three nurses and a doctor. Initially it was accommodation that was their problem and we were able to get them a place to stay. We want the government to come over. The hospital has no generator, no water, and no adequate medical facilities they can make use of.”
Takwa Bay’s historic sites
Proceeding from the health centre was a tour of historic sites in Takwa Bay. For visitors to Takwa Bay, the beach remains a striking attraction. But beyond that, the community is one tourism haven that is yet to be unlocked. This is because the former Governor-General of Nigeria, Lord Lugard used to have a house in the community ditto the Queen Elizabeth of England who once stayed at the Bay when she visited Nigeria in 1956.
Other attractions in the community were two hotels occupied by tourists and other visitors to the community. But shockingly the building said to be occupied by Lord Lugard has been pulled down long time ago. What could be observed around the area was a rusty well, where the late Governor-General reportedly drank from.
Also visible around were the remains of the demolished structure already overgrown by weed. The demolished building is inside the premises of the light house, a tall building with a light signal on top which is like a radar used in monitoring ships coming into Nigeria. The light house was built by the naval authority, and it is said that once a ship coming to Nigeria sees the light, it signals to it that the ship is on Lagos anchorage.
The light house inside the Lugard’s house premises is no longer in use as another modern light house has been erected around the area. Talking about the light house, a member of the community said, “It is to guide the ship to dock safely.”
Away from Lugard’s house is the European quarters located about 100 meters from the beach. These are areas occupied by multinational companies which have chalets all around. These include several companies like Shell, Chevron, Leventis, Sahara Energy, among others.
Around the European quarters also was the underground house which was said to have been occupied by Queen Elizabeth. The house built like a big tomb has an underground room and parlour where the Queen lived for days when she came to Nigeria. However, the building has now become dingy and it is currently being used as a pond, according to our findings. Also there is a damaged rail track inside the community which links the Atlantic Ocean.
Most of the chalets occupied by workers of multinational companies have equally become deserted and the beach appears to be the only attraction available to visitors to the community. The consequence of the neglect of the tourism attractions in Takwa Bay is now evident in the underdevelopment of the community, as it cannot boast of basic amenities.
As big as the community is, it doesn’t have a single public toilet. The only one that exists only serves the beach at a fee paid by users. According to James, “We have electricity problems though we have met with the governor and he is looking into it.”
Narrating the history of the community, he added, “This community is as old as Nigeria. I was born here. I can say Takwa Bay is even older than Nigeria. You know Nigeria got its independence in 1960 and Takwa Bay has been existing before independence.
“This community is a historic community. Lord Lugard once lived there. When Queen Elizabeth came to Nigeria, she visited Takwa Bay beach. You can see her house there.”
James who was one-time Supervisory Councilor in the LCDA said the community is not happy that the area is only accessible by road, adding that they look forward to a day when government would construct a bridge linking the island to the town. This, he noted, would improve the economic fortunes of the people of the area.
The major sources of livelihood of the people are boat transportation, fishing and coconut processing, while some engage in petty trading to survive.
For those who are familiar with the community, it is often described as an island of sin and a hideout for criminals. But this description doesn’t seem to go down well with the community leaders who insist the island is very peaceful.
The Secretary said, “Everywhere, you go you have the good ones and the bad ones. The way people are painting it is not the way Takwa Bay is. We have a police station here and this community is a peaceful community.”
Mr. Ben Boco is the Chairman of the Community Development Association (CDA), Takwa Bay Onisiwo Island. According to him, it is extremely unfair to describe Takwa Bay as an island for criminals.
“It would be unfair to say this community is an island for criminals. It would be extremely unfair. We have a police station here, there are military formations here. We have the navy watching over the Atlas Cove. When you come here around mid-night you can walk around without anybody harassing you. This is to tell you there is peace here.”
Giving insight into the community, Boco described it as a mini ECOWAS. However, he lamented years of neglect by successive governments despite its rich tourism potentials.
He said, “We have challenges in terms of general infrastructure, necessities like water, light, and health facilities. We have one health centre now which is not much of a structure in itself without personnel.
“We have a Senior Secondary School now, but not many personnel to manage it. The teachers are not adequate.
My own grand parents came to this island over 100 years ago.We have a very huge number of aliens. Takwa Bay is like a mini ECOWAS. We have people from Liberia, Niger, Ghanaians, Togolese, Beninoise, among others.”
A traditional leader of the community, Chief Fatai Olusese who is the Olopa of Onisiwo Land Takwa Bay, recalled that Takwa Bay was considered peaceful and serene for tourists by the then Governor-General who took over most of the island to camp the British soldiers during the colonial era.
“If you look around, you see different government chalets. Majority of the British army were camped here, and that was why when Queen Elizabeth came to Nigeria, she insisted on visiting Takwa Bay,” Olusese stated.
He highlighted the challenges being faced by the community especially the lack of electricity, saying the community had written a letter to the government requesting to be connected to the national grid. The chief also debunked insinuations that the island harbours criminals, saying the traditional council had passed an unwritten decree to banish and ostracize anyone with criminal tendencies.
“It is wrong to say this is an island for criminals. The leaders of the community comprising the Chiefs and Baales, don’t allow strangers in this place. If anybody misbehaves or has criminal tendencies, we deport the person immediately, that’s the traditional order, we don’t take such person to court,” he said.
Mr. Christian George who resides in the area with his wife, described Takwa Bay as the best place to be. “I have been here for the past five years, the place is very calm and quiet though things are very expensive here, because they mostly bring goods from town”.
To galvanize the community to use their intrinsic ability to meet their needs, CTS appointed some indigenes of the communities that make up Takwa Bay as ambassadors.
Mr. Olufemi Adabale who is the Chairman of the NGO said the CTS is on ground in Takwa Bay “to create an organized structure of young folks, women folks, etc.”
Adabale who expressed regret at the neglect of Takwa Bay despite its huge tourism potentials, observed that the problem shows lack of responsiveness on the part of the government.
He said, “Our leaders are not responsive because if they were most of the sites you have seen there directly relate to the Federal Government. So Federal Government should see the need to come back to Lagos and tap into all those potentials.
“Thankfully, the Lagos Government has gotten a part of the museum to develop it and make it attractive. So the same thing can be replicated in Takwa Bay because just like you have seen, we have been to the site of Lord Lugard’s house, what you could see there is a well and some shanty houses that have been destroyed and pulled down.
“You can see that government does not seem to engage the people. If they are engaging the people, they would see the need to preserve those historical sites. The reason for such demolition could be because those people are ignorant of such structures. Then the same thing applies to that of Queen Elizabeth, perhaps maybe if the people know the values that are in this, they would see it as their own, government would get their buy-in and tourists would start coming to Takwa Bay. They would not only be touring the place, it would equally bring about economic empowerment even to those that reside in Takwa Bay.
The youths that seem to be idle and commit crimes and use this place as a hideout as it was being claimed, would see the need to venture into arts and crafts. When tourists are trooping into this place, they would see the need to be more creative when they see people from other parts of the country and they are having interaction with them.”