Tafawa Balewa Square, the once beautiful pride of Nigeria, is a shadow of its former self. JOSEPHINE OGUNDEJI writes on how Nigeria’s independence monument has failed to fulfill its world-class tourist site potential
The four white horses and seven red eagles’ statues in Tafawa Balewa Square’s façade are glaring from afar. Moving close to it gives a vivid picture of the uniqueness of an edifice where the occasion signaling the independence of Nigeria was celebrated.
Although it remains distinctive, Tafawa Balewa Square, which is located at 45/57 Massey Bamgboshe Street on Lagos Island, Lagos has become a shadow of itself. The sight of hawkers, hooligans, food vendors, watch repairers, itinerant cobblers, and commercial tricycle riders taking over the entrance of this monument has overwhelmed its splendour.
The walls devoid of paint, the concrete buildings attempting to hide protruding irons, and deteriorated gates which have been replaced with iron bars paint a picture of the current despicable state of Tafawa Balewa Square.
Tafawa Balewa Square, shortened as TBS, was initially used as a horsing ground then called Lagos Race Course. The current edifice was constructed by the Gen. Yakubu Gowon administration in 1972 and named after Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Sir Tafawa Balewa, who was murdered during the 1962 coup d’état.
It houses the Remembrance Arcade and the 26-storey Independence House, which at a time was the country’s tallest building. When Lagos served as the country’s seat of government, the National Assembly complex was within the TBS. Also in the square are the National Broadcasting Commission office, the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency office, shopping centres, travel agencies, restaurants, car parking lots, and a bus terminal.
It once hosted some of the country’s memorable events such as Independence Day in 1960, when Nigeria gained independence from Britain; the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, which was celebrated annually on January 15 to commemorate the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1969.
The 50,000-seater capacity TBS has become a shadow of the magnificent edifice it was in the 70s and 80s. The festering desecration of the iconic square is apparent from the entrance.
The decadence of the square started when the country’s federal capital was moved from Lagos to Abuja in 1991 by the military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babaginda’s administration. The movement made the TBS an orphan. It was neglected as nobody took responsibility to maintain the edifice. The over 30 years of neglect have made the Tafawa Balewa Square a monument in ruins.
The statues of white horses and red eagles, symbols of strength and dignity, have been obscured by the hustle and bustle of hawkers and restless passersby.
Commenting on the current state of the TBS, a veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, said, “We can attribute the state of TBS to the moving of the federal capital to Abuja. In those days when it was built, Lagos was still the capital of Nigeria. However, the moment the capital was moved to Abuja, they started using the square for so many things. Notwithstanding, I think it is high time that such monument owned by the Federal Government be handed over to the state government for easy maintenance.”
Despite the dilapidated state of the square, the square occasionally hosts large public events and gatherings such as political rallies and church programmes. Notable among them is the Experience, a gospel musical concert organised annually by the House on The Rock Church on the first Friday in December.
State of the square
The tourism potential of Tafawa Balewa Square is undeniable. Aware of this, the Federal Government decided to redevelop the square into a world-class tourism destination and business centre through a concession arrangement.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced at a virtual investors’ forum organised by the Bureau of Public Enterprises in 2021 that the Lagos State would take up 24 per cent equity in exchange for shares in a Special Purpose Vehicle in partnership with the concessionaires, adding that the concession would be for a period of 30 years, renewable by the Federal Government for another 30 years period.
Pursuant to the announcement, the Bureau of Public Enterprises released a statement to that effect.
It stated, “The Bureau of Public Enterprises in February 2021 said the concession process was expected to commence in the second quarter of the year. The BPE’s Director-General, Alex Okoh, said the government terminated previous concessions after the former concessionaire acted contrary to the expectations guiding the development of the legacy facilities.
“The government’s expectation was that TBS must move beyond a disjointed cluster of business premises to a world-class integrated event and business facility comparable to its counterparts globally.”
Two years down the line, nothing concrete has been done to change the despicable state of the square. The promise by the government to transform it into a world-class tourism site has remained a mere dream.
A passerby, Blessing Awamba, who spoke to our correspondent during a visit to TBS, said the site of the square had become a distasteful scene.
She added, “TBS is now like a plaza with myriads of shops and hawkers. I even get confused as to where the entrance is. The only time it is clear is when an event is to be hosted there.”
The immediate past President of the Society for Nigerian Artists, Lagos Chapter, Dr Olu Ajayi, noted that the state disregarded the aesthetic and tourist value that some of the public sculptures and buildings added to the cultural aspect of the metropolis.
He said, “We cannot have a mega city without a history.”
A professor of History and International Studies at the Lagos State University, Abolade Adeniji, said the current state of the TBS exposed the government’s poor attention to monuments and public infrastructure in general.
He said, unlike other countries, Nigeria does not appreciate commemorative structures such as TBS.
He mentioned, “I remember that my father told me I was a baby when he took me to that occasion (in 1960) at TBS. Our house was down the street and it was always fun telling the story. In other climes, what they do is that because they recognise the value, they make sure those monuments are well looked after.
“Here, it is not only monuments we don’t take care of. We don’t take care of our roads and facilities. Our infrastructure generally degenerates. If we don’t take care of our roads and bridges, is it a monument we will take care of? Monuments managed by private firms appear to fare better but those managed by the government seem to be neglected.”
Changing the story
The historian advised that the management of TBS should be entrusted to people with a genuine interest in the preservation of monuments.
He added, “The government can preserve TBS by working out an arrangement whereby there will be a board of trustees comprising people who are genuinely interested in what the monument represents. They will work out ways of maintaining it so that it can generate some revenues.
“If they are people who are genuinely interested, you can be sure that it won’t require the government to pump money into it every now and then. At the end of the day, it is the interest that will drive the survival of that monument. It is when you appreciate what it is that you begin to cherish it.”
In an earlier report, a professor of History and former Vice Chancellor, Caleb University, Ogun State, Ayodeji Olukoju, recalled that TBS was the cynosure of all eyes before it degenerated into its present deplorable state.
He said the national monument could serve tourism and commercial purposes if well managed, urging that conscious efforts should be made to restore its pride.
He said, “When we talk of monuments, there has always been a difference between the intention/aspiration of the creators and the use such monuments are eventually put into. TBS used to be an awe-inspiring place. It was a repository of history.
He warned that TBS should not be turned into a venue for hosting only events without giving considerable attention to preserving and developing the historical site.
He said, “It is a monument that contains a lot of historical facts that should be taken care of. Many people don’t have knowledge of TBS. The management should take care of the monuments within TBS. They should make it accessible to tourists. It is unfortunate that we don’t value what we have.
“We have the wrong people managing the right thing. If you go to Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo, and Kenya, their national monuments are effective. I have been to these countries and I can say that their national monuments are far better than ours. What we have is also great but we should put the right people in the right place. We need people.”
Attributing the problem of Nigeria to a lack of maintenance, a professor of History at the College of Humanities (Arts), Tai Solarin University of Education, Dr Ajetunmobi Rasheed, said as soon as the capital of Nigeria was moved to Abuja, most of the government properties in the square were more or less abandoned.
He said, “TBS is part of our legacy and our achievement right from the time of independence. Even if they are not making use of it, it should be maintained as one of the relics of history for our great-grandchildren to see.
“These gates should be maintained as part of our tourist centre. It is important to not only maintain it but also renovate it to preserve what Lagos had been standing on for a very long time. The government should pay more attention to the renovation of some of these early structures.”
He noted that if any ancient building has to be maintained or collapsed for any reason, what should be put in place must be better.
On his part, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Institute of Building, and former President of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild, Kunle Awobodu, noted that the status of the square had suffered declivity.
He said, “The site does not undergo frequent maintenance which exposes a situation of neglect. There is a way the government could make benefit by generating revenue from such a monumental structure.”
Awobodu further urged the government to restrict the venue to national events in celebration of days important to the country like democracy day, among others.
In the same vein, the Treasurer of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Lagos chapter, Philips Ayotunde, noted that the lack of maintenance culture was the issue.
He said, “The lack of maintenance structure is the issue. This was what made the president give Executive Order 11 which addresses the maintenance of public buildings. We have policies, laws, and regulations but what we lack is implementation. Most importantly, we lack accountability, and we as citizens do not demand accountability from those who are in government.
“From the moment you are putting up a building project, you are also preparing for its maintenance. The moment you are finishing the project, you are also preparing and completing the maintenance manual, which are documents that show the maintenance needed to be carried out on that building per time. Also, it is important to carry out a building survey before carrying out maintenance on a building; this survey would let you see the defects which are visible to the eyes and invisible to the eyes.”
According to Ayotunde, carrying out necessary tests, like the structural or concrete test among others, is very crucial because it determines the strength of the building.
He added, “One major challenge with maintenance is the appropriation of resources, and there should be budgets for maintenance. Nigeria does not take all these into cognizance. Meanwhile, in developed countries, it is a crime.”
Experts’ opinion
“The Minister of Culture is culpable. The square is a complete disaster, and the replaced gates with steel gates look like a welder’s bar. There is a way to go about replacing the gates. The commission can get artists to give fresh design ideas and the gate should, thereafter, be made as a work of art. It is not a welder’s matter.
“The gates then were designed by an artist, not a welder,” a curator and the Chief Executive Officer of Olusegun Adejumo, OneDraw Gallery, who frequents the square, complained bitterly.
A professor of History at the Faculty of Art, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Dr Sola Akinrinade, said like many similar facilities, nobody recalls the original purpose for the construction. It is not surprising that the place is not performing its intended function.
He added, “On the replacement of gates with prison bars, it is merely a symptom and continuation of the siege mentality we have had to endure in the country over the past 57 years since the military first invaded our political space and have refused to quit even 24 years after the so-called Fourth Republic.
“Caging the patrons and stakeholders in the place with prison bars is akin to our university libraries putting books in locked up cages called shelves. So, we have access to knowledge barricaded to prevent them from being stolen.”
In a report published by Legacy 1995 on their site titled “Destruction at Tafawa Balewa Square,” the group decried the situation of the once pride of the country.
The report stated, “Legacy has seen with great concern the destruction of a historical monument that has been started at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos. We understand that this important property has been sold to a private investor, however, TBS is a listed building: the site is listed as a Grade 1 Monument under Lagos State Law. This means that a purchaser must not do anything which changes the way the property looks; he can only restore what may have deteriorated.
“So far, valuable gates have been destroyed and removed. They must be replaced in accordance with the original design and the horses and eagles above the gates must be protected.”
The advocacy group appealed to the government to take all necessary measures to protect this and other historical properties in the interest of tourism for future generations.
It added, “The site was the stage of Nigeria’s Independence celebration on October 1, 1960. Its imposing facade with white horses and red eagles is one of the historic post-colonial icons of Lagos Island. This important chapter of Nigerian history should not be allowed to be demolished, save our heritage!”
In an exclusive Interview with The PUNCH, the Vice President of Legacy 1995, Taiye Olaniyi, said lots of people had lamented the decrying state of the monumental site.
He said, “The consciousness of the people is being raised now to treasure what we can regard as our heritage. There is always room for restoration, meaning that certain parts that have been destroyed would have to be put back in place for the future generation.”
The historian noted that the person who came up with the idea of the gate before being pulled down was the late Paul Mount, who was also instrumental in the establishment of the Art Department at Yaba College of Technology.
He said, “When the gates were constructed, we had about four white horses and seven red eagles, which is also depicted in our national crest, and under it was the message of faith, peace, and unity. So, you would see that a lot of figurations and configurations were put into perspective before they came up with the gates. Even the National Commission for Museum and Monuments had listed it as one of the national heritages. There are also a number of other monuments that are endangered.”
The retired postman appealed to the government that the restoration should pioneer a national consciousness towards culture.
He added, “There is a place around the gate where a lot of people have occupied, that used to be the Ministry of Communication, and that was where I started work after my youth service in 1981. So, when I have memories of that place when passing by, it becomes disheartening because it becomes more evident that we have lost touch with our heritage.”
‘Restoration efforts
The Director of Commercial Services, Tafawa Balewa Square Management Board, Joseph Umar, confirmed our correspondent’s findings in an exclusive interview.
He said, “Tafawa Balewa Square is about 50 years old; parts of the structures are wearing off and we have to do constant maintenance. Those gates particularly are corroded and falling apart as we have been battling to keep them up all these past few years.
“The truth of the matter is if there is an accident and the gates collapse on someone, we will be held criminally liable for negligence. So, we requested funds to change the gates, unfortunately, due to a lack of synergy among all the relevant agencies, it has not been restored. TBS is listed as a heritage site, and heritage sites are not supposed to be changed but restored, and the process of restoration is a very expensive process.
According to him, the gates were removed because of safety to avoid life-threatening accidents.
He said, “Unfortunately, Tafawa Balewa Square management saw it as old gates which were corroded and threatening to collapse as they were falling apart, and that was why the gates were removed and replaced with steel gates. However, one of the gates is still standing which we are still trying to reinforce.
“Also, because of lots of outcries due to the jittery of those gates, we have met with the National Commission for Museum and Monuments, and we have also met with other interest groups like the Lagos State Art and Culture people, among others. Right now, we are looking at the possibility of getting professionals to look at it whether there is still a way of restoration.”
Umar, who has been working with the TBS management board for 30 years, noted that on the part of the management board, it was not a deliberate act to replace the old and corroded gates.
He added, “This is Lagos, and anything made of iron does not last. However, for the past few years, all we have been doing is welding and welding. Also, the aluminium is corroded, and all the steel inside are all rusted. This is what the public does not know. All they see is the external part.
“Going forward, we had a meeting recently and we are going to issue a communiqué pursuant to this meeting a few days from now.”
