Sallah: Fun-seekers desert Lagos Bar Beach

The Lagos Bar Beach on Sunday was deserted by fun-seekers while those who thronged the popular National Theatre at Iganmu in Lagos demanded children-friendly environment.

The beach, once a hub and delight of fun-seekers during festivals, has now been taken over by corporate organisations and real estate developers.

Mr Haruna Abba, a security man attached to one of the estates currently standing on the reclaimed beach stated that retreat makers now go to privately owned beaches for relaxation.

He said that only members of some indigenous churches and some traditional worshipers occasionally come to the beach for prayers.

According to him, the operators of the beach charge visitors between N1, 000 and N2,000 as gate fees depending on the festival.

At the National Theatre, picnickers demanded children-friendly environment to give children a sense of belonging.

Mr Samsudeen Muyideen, a father of two, said that the place was good for adults but lacked basic friendly facilities that could create nostalgia in children.

“I came here with my children and wife from Okokomaiko, a Lagos suburb, to catch fun but I can hardly find those things children long for here.

“The National Theatre apart from film shows ought to have some open air trappings that can create memorials in children.

“The place looks abandoned with lots of untrimmed courts and lawns capable of creating a sullen state in the minds of the younger ones,’’ Muyideen said.

Mr Timothy Yekini, a Lekki resident, who was a first-time visitor to the place said that the theatre needed an overhaul.

According to him, things that interest children are lacking at the theatre. Children of today are high-tech driven and the place needs to have ICT powered facilities for the place to remain relevant.”

Mr Ola Ibrahim, a home video CD seller, who said that patronage was low, attributed it to the decline in the number of children visiting the place.

“It is the children that watch videos most and they tell their parents about the latest ones in town,’’ Ibrahim said.

He advised the management of the National Theatre to equip it with modern facilities that would attract visitors and picnickers to it.