Badagry: The victim of our civilisation

Sir: Just last week, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) ran an exclusive documentary on Badagry. This coincided with my first visit to the town. And amazingly the elders whom we visited asked my brother and me what we knew about the town. Afterwards, they enlightened us about the town.

Therefore, I must say that Nigeria is highly indebted to this city of amazing pasts.
O Gbagle, O Gbagle!
A town now called Badagry,
Rouse in me an overwhelming sense of thy double pasts.
O Gbagle!
Fetch me a pen from thy buried-wounded history.

I wish to elaborate more in the series of articles I hope to turn out later, but here, I want to address some pressing issues concisely.

Like many graduate-friends who were born in this town but now prefer to live in other parts of Lagos, I’ll equally rather live elsewhere than in Badagry. For the lack of commensurate standard of living when compared to other parts of Lagos.

Furthermore, I was surprised that the Nigeria Police are still the Nigeria Police even in Bagadry. Here, it is ostensibly evident that they have been baptised in the water of egunje (bribe). Corruption, levying commercial buses unduly is very rampant here.

Dear governments, Badagry and her people deserve more. More than deathtraps are more miles of bad roads. Badagry deserves more than the colonial heritage. Let us cover her inglorious past with our now learned present. Badagry and her people deserve more.

More to give a resting floor to all her wandering children. More to paint the victim of our civilisation in golden bulb of shining nights.

I insist, Badagry deserves more than abandoned projects and more to show the world that we are truly free from a servile past.

I have no doubt that the able administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will not leave this to another administration. Let the good change begin here. Badagry deserves more. Please, let us make a new beginning of this old former land of no return.
Kariola Mustapha,
Ibadan, Oyo State
e-mail: mustaphakariola@gmail.com