Ijora-Badia: A Slum of Cheap Sex, Illicit Drugs and A Filthy Environment

In 1997-1998, Apapa was adjudged as the golden local government in Lagos. This is due to the fact that the area and its environs are always neat and timely but now, Apapa LGA may rank as one of the dirtiest in the state.

For everyone who has been in Lagos for quite some time, Ijora-Badia won't be a new name to your hearings as you may at a point in time pass through this area either by car or by bus. For those who are not in Lagos, permit us to do a quick introduction of this area. Ijora-Badia is a rural area in Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, it has close boundaries with Apapa, Ajegunle, Oyingbo, Orile Iganmu and of course Amukoko.

Ijora used to be a bobbling city with lots of industries in its hay day. Industries like Michelin Tyres, Emel, Total, Mitsubishi Motors, also the headquarters of the 7up bottling company is sited at this area also around these areas.

Badia is a rural area and its estimated to have a population of 500,000 people living in this area but we can report that most of these areas in this city are mostly slums. A visit to areas like Abete, Arewa Street, and Lane among others, you can't but weep when you see the living condition of these people. It's so bad that these people live basically on dirt. Imagine going to visit someone and your host live in a canal. The house was made of plank, the plank was constructed on a canal (a slumpy area) and people built their houses over this canal neglecting the dangers thereof. There is a particular place called Ganganre and you can't but shed some tears when you see the human conditions of these folks. Imagine the kids playing around in these sort of environment.

AutoReportNG was at Obale Road. Obale is in Badia, it is closer to Church Street and it is one of the most densely populated area in Badia. We took a trip towards Railway popularly called "Oju Irin". Oju Irin, if you are coming from Gaskiya Road, can lead you towards National Theatre in Iganmu and also you can find your way in Nigeria Brewery office. We decided to pass through Obale Road to pass through the Railway leading to Iganmu but what we saw is a tearful event. We saw the conditions of Nigerians who live like destitute in their father's land.

We are privileged to have a guide along as we are going and according to our host, Oju Irin is notorious for cheap sex, drugs, and crime of all sort. The ladies are ever ready for any customer irrespective of the time and your fees. During our inspection tour, we noticed all series of activities in this slum, for example, we saw a woman cooking close to the canal and the food is not covered, we saw a young lady of about 13-14 years who was smoking her life away, she didn't even care if someone looks or not after all, that's their way of life.

Another thing is their makeshift toilet and bathroom, they used old zinc to make their toilet and bathroom but they dumped their waste inside the canal which is closer to them.

Words will fail us if we have to go into details of this area, this is not where you pray your enemies should stay.

As we continue on our trip, many questions were asked like, what is the state government doing to evacuate these people? They are under the Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, what has the chairman done to make life better for these people? This city pay tax at least some doe including the companies around this area, why has the government refused to fix their roads especially the Obale Road that leads to Ijora Oloye road.

While we expect reactions from the state government, we want to appeal for quick and urgent help for the people of this area. This area is nothing but a slum and a dent on the image of Lagos State Government.

For fear of attack and so as not to be noticed, we are unable to take as many ppicturesas we will love to but these few can help.

 

 

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See The Bad Road That Was Abandoned For Years in Ijora-Badia, Lagos

One of the late Afrobeat Mastero, Fela Anikulapo says One a Monday morning, Lagos won't take any form of nonsense. This is evident in such that Lagos is a 24-hour mega city with demands to meet up with its mega city status and also to see that the city has and maintain its amenities.

When you thought you have seen it all in Lagos from the bad, worse to the worst of roads, new ones keep popping up. AutoReportNG was at Apapa Iganmu LCDA, the LCDA was under Apapa Local Govt. The LCDA covers area like Orile, Amukoko, Ijora-Badia, Ijora Oloye among others. What caught our team's attention was the bad and motorable roads in this area.

The Obale Road used to be a major road that connects people from Badia to Orile in less than 7-10mins. During the hay days of the road, the road serves majorly as option B when Gaskiya Road has been blocked maybe by accident, trailers, Obale Road is where you can pass as plan B.

While we give kudos to the LCDA for constructing the highway from Orile Bus-Stop up to Roundabout axis all through Ekum College within those areas but we realized that the major and inner roads were abandoned.  For example, we tour the Obale Road right from Roundabout Bustop and we pass through Makanjuola and then to some roads leading through Obale Road, we can't remember all the names as we are not familiar with the locality but its rather appalling that even the bridge has gone so bad that it has become a threat to the motorists. We observed that a section of the road was done from Roundabout Bus-Stop passing through Obale Road leading to the bridge but the construction stopped mid-way before getting to the bridge.

We try to ask the people around for how long the road has been abandoned and we are told for almost 2 years as there is no sign of tractors, or any work going on in this area. It is also worthy of note that due to the bad roads which make the road unmotorable, the road has been abandoned as we are told that cars, Okada and Keke Napep no go through Gaskiya College before they can maneuver else the car that tried to pass through that road is a goner. According to our source, Obale Road has been bad for almost 5 years now, though sometimes the LGA will come and fill it with broken blocks but it has degenerated so bad that even blocks can't hold the effect again.

Practically all the roads in Badia are more like a death trap save for the newly constructed which was done like 2 years ago, and these are roads from Orile Bus-Stop linking Roundabout and all the way to Gaskiya College Road to Ijora 7up. The inner roads are a death trap.

We call on the Lagos State Govt, The Chairman of Apapa LGA and The chairman of Apapa-Iganmu LCDA to help save this situation by constructing these roads that link to other major roads. One thing about the people in this community is that they are industrious and ready to work.

These are some of the pictures our lens can take...