In what can be considered an irony and poor sense of history an
ironic twist, the old cabinet office building, which lies between Strachan and
Moloney Streets in Lagos and once served as office of Nigeria’s first Prime
Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, is now in ruins,Sunday Mirror investigations have revealed.
The now dilapidated and apparently abandoned building also
served as offices to the Prime Minister’s cabinet members, in the early 60s.
The three-storey structure is not only dwarfed by the sprawling
pavilions of the Tafawa Balewa Square Complex that overlooks what used to be
the PM’s office in the First Republic.
The ex-cabinet office lies desolate and it is a shadow of its
old self. Though a section of the premises presently houses Nigeria’s Defence
Ministry Liaison 0ffice, the premises have been overtaken by weeds and shrubs,
as residents expressed the belief that the place now harbours dangerous
reptiles and rodents.
Depicting its state of abandonment, Chief Imam at Central Mosque
at the Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, Alhaji Taofeek Sanni, lamented:
“It is shameful that the Cabinet Office, which housed the old
offices of the late Prime Minister, Alhaji (Sir) Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, lies
desolate and in waste at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.”
A section of the building has no rooftops, and the coatings have
peeled off the walls. The cleric noted that it is a shame that such a
historical monument had got to such a sorry state.
He remarked; “Like many other national Institutions, this
edifice now belongs to a faded past. “We have no sense of history, in allowing
the office of our only Prime Minister reduced to rubble. It is a national
disgrace.
Yet, we proceed to celebrate 100 years of amalgamation. He who
does not learn from history is doomed to relive it,” the cleric complained.
Another concerned Nigerian who spoke on condition of anonymity
described the old cabinet office as an eye-sore and a disgrace to the nation.
“The old cabinet office should be a national monument. It is a shame that it
has been left to rot away.
It would have been better if we maintained it at least for our
children to see. It is not supposed to be like this. It shows that we lack
maintenance culture,” he added.
On his part, Pa Akinsola Saint Mathew Daniel told Sunday Mirror
that the old cabinet office used to be a wonderful place.
His words: “I was born and brought up here on Strachan Street. My
father owns almost the whole houses on this street. This is where I was born
and bred. I was a boy when Alhaji Tafawa Balewa reigned from this premises.
“Until the Second Republic, the old cabinet building still
played prominent role in governance. But its relevance began to diminish after
the seat of government was moved to Abuja.”
Pa Daniel, who is described as ‘Father’ on Strachan Street,
however recalled that its descent into dilapidation began in the early hours of
one morning, between 4.30 and 5 o’clock, about five years ago.
“We saw fire billowing out of the Cabinet Office building; and
since then, nothing has been done to rebuild it.
Things have been going bad,” he explained. “We don’t know where
Nigeria is heading to. They just grabbed everything; and put fire in the once
appealing building. The country is just in a big mess. Since then, nothing has
been done. See the outside; see trees growing on top of the building.
They are supposed to have done something. Because they have a
lot of such buildings in government and as personal possession, they don’t care
about buildings like this,” he complained. He further noted that by virtue of the
historical significance of the building, it was supposed to be a national
monument.
“It is in a big mess but it seems as they are not worried. The
country is careless; when something gets spoilt, they will just abandon it and
take on another one without repairing the former. Not quite long ago, the LAPAL
House got burnt too,” Pa Daniel lamented
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