BEFORE AND AFTER: 10 years later, Ndubuisi Kanu Park in Lagos slips into decline

December 25, 2023 11:18 am

The Ndubuisi Kanu Park in the Alausa area of Ikeja, Lagos, has become a shadow of its old self, 10 years after it was inaugurated with fanfare.

The park was established on June 12, 2014 by Babatunde Fashola, a former governor of Lagos.

It is named after Ndubuisi Godwin Kanu, a former military administrator of Lagos, who ruled the state from 1977 to 1978 as a Rear Admiral.

Kanu died in 2021.

The park was conceptualised as a recreational spot and green space for families and fun seekers. It has been managed by the Lagos State Parks and Garden Agency (LASPARK).

In its early days, the spot had a lawn tennis court, a basketball court, a play area for children, seats and benches, patios and sheds, and a snacks bar.

However, like the Johnson Jakande Tinubu Park beside the state’s house of assembly, the Ndubuisi Kanu Park has now gone completely bald. Gone is the greenery and most of the recreational facilities.

The walls are crying for fresh daub of paint, the waste bins are hollow underneath, the wifi does not work, and the greenery resides in the imaginations of those who visited the park in its early days.

Outside the gates, two water trucks are stationary and gathering dust on the kerb — a sign that they have not been used for the watering of the park in aeons.

Take a look at the pictures of what the park was, and what it now is, below.