IDLE PARKS
Lagosians lament the idle state of recreational parks in the state, and question the rationale for establishing them.
By Onome Osekhabamen
Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola’s administration was known for his Green Revolution Initiative. The initiative brought about the beautification of many hitherto bad spots in the state, turning them into relaxation parks and gardens.
In less than 10 years, no fewer than 180 parks have sprung up within Lagos metropolis. Many factors led to their creation. Some of those include work pressures, relationship issues, financial worries and fears for the future all which are common to residents of Lagos.
When Fashola came into office as the governor of the state, most relaxation parks served as an abode for social miscreants and hoodlums. In an attempt to tackle this problem, the government created the Lagos State Parks and Garden Agency, LASPARK. The agency is saddled with the responsibility of establishing recreation parks/garden and the beautification of the state. Presently, the agency has established many parks and gardens in the state.
When the mantle of leadership fell on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, an accountant with frugality as a trademark, there is no gainsaying the fact that finances of the state will be tailored towards visible, people oriented project such as the one his predecessor had started. He accepted the idea, and was determined in giving the state a face lift.
Sadly, most Lagos residents do not bother so much about location. For instance, most residents believe the parks and gardens are not appealing enough.
Femi Ojedokun, said that it is not in the culture of Nigerians to go to gardens and parks for recreation purpose. “I prefer going to the cinema, Shoprite, eateries and other places where I can have fun rather than visiting a garden,” he said.
For Raheem Akinjide, the demands of work and other social activities like attending wedding will not allow him to go for recreation at the gardens. Some residents said the location of the gardens are difficult to access, thus making them unattractive. “How do you get there and where do you park your cars, People are burdened with a lot of stressful activities that kill the urge for leisure. It’s a culture that needs to be encouraged in Lagos, but creating parks alone without that orientation will not achieve anything. People will just see it as a beautification project without the thought for relaxation.
“Some of the parks for instance have no chairs, unlike what we see elsewhere outside the country and, of course, the location of the parks and their nearness to where people live should be put into consideration,” Akinjide added.
When Pillars magazine visited some of the parks around the state, many of them were empty except for the one in Ikeja that often attracts people, especially during festive periods.
When the magazine visited the Heritage Recreational Park at Oshodi, it was locked. There were no fun seekers at the park. By the side of the park and gardens were miscreants who were smoking openly, without any fear of arrest by Policemen at the police post erected in the park.
Some residents of the area alleged that the police usually aid the hoodlums in perpetrating their illicit acts.
The Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota, was also empty and deserted. Except for street hawkers who kept their wares inside the garden, the garden was clean, always under lock, but the hawkers scaled the barbed wire to store their wares. A cleaner at the garden said the park is often used for political rallies.
The Moshood Kashimawo Olawale(MKO) Garden is presently not opened to the public, though it’s always kept clean and tidy. Only officials of Lagos State Government Environmental Corp (LAGESC) and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were seen sitting and relaxing in the garden.
The Alausa parks and gardens is the most visited park in the Ikeja area of the state. Most fun seekers throng there for relaxation purpose. It is free for fun seekers anytime of the day.
The Fountain Park at Isheri-Odo area of the state is also deserted. According to one of the officials in the park, the level of patronage has reduced tremendously, but the park hosts birthday parties, wedding ceremonies, Schools’ end of the year parties, and get together.
To many Lagosians, the creation of parks is no doubt, a significant transformation which has changed the landscape of Lagos in the last one decade.
Following the claim by some Lagosians that the parks and gardens are idle, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy under the ten Ambode admninistration, Steve Ayorinde, explained that Lagosians should understand the nature of the parks. He added that not all the parks are for recreational purposes, some he said, are for the beautification of the state.
An official of LASPARK, also explained to the Pillars that there are about 300 parks and gardens in the state, categorized into two types; Recreation and Beautification.
The beautification parks are found at Roundabouts and beside the roads. These are not open to the public, because they are not meant for recreation.
The other one are major parks for recreation and are mostly found around Ikeja and Victoria Island, which are open to the public anytime of the day. Fees are not charged, unless it is a group of four or more people.
The official informed that the new Ndubuis iKanu and Muri Okunola parks at Victoria Island are the most lucrative which generate income for the state. The source disclosed that to book the park for any functions, a fee of N35,500 would be paid; N25,000 to the Lagos state Government, while N10,000 would go to LASPARK.
The source, however, debunked the claim that the parks are deserted, saying people struggle to book for the parks. “All the days of the months are always booked, especially during these festive seasons. The patronage at Muri Okunola Park is high, followed by the parks at Ikeja”, he disclosed.
With the arrival of the present Government under the leadership of Governor Sanwo-olu parks may no longer be idle.LASPARK, in collaboration with Versecom, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), IHS, and Leadspace, aims to promote research and development by giving free spaces in state-owned parks for erecting innovation hubs. The facilities will be called Lagos Innovates Centres.Having these hubs in place is expected to cause a shift in park visit times which have been reduced to evenings, weekends, and holidays.
According to the CEO of Versecom Timilehin Odusina, the initiative aims to make low-cost working spaces and industry-focused laboratories available across the state to support startups, businesses, and individuals in the energy, agriculture, health, fintech, logistics, and mobility sectors.
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