By Bose Adebayo

As   the commercial bus took off from Oshodi heading towards Mushin, a middle aged woman, Madam ‘Lara Kukoyi suddenly gave vent to her astonishment.  She was surprised at the recent  beautification that has taken place at the ever-busy Agege Motor Road.

The beautification was carried out last December under the auspices of a group of people made up of traders, individuals, corporate and voluntary organisations  who visited the area to paint no fewer  than 291 buildings. The exercise which lasted for about eight hours was flagged off at Agege Motor Road by the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola.

The historical building where the exercise was flagged off.

Areas like Agege Motor Road, Olateju, Olanibi/Ojekunle, Ladipo streets; Isolo Road, Palm Avenue/Fafolu and Ogunmokun Road were also part of the painting exercise which was led by Fela Durotoye’s Visible Impact. Also, certificates were awarded to individuals who have been trained by the corporate bodies in different categories of painting.

The exercise kicked off around 8.30 in the morning with the painting of a storey building at 320 Agege Motor Road.
The house was built in 1960 by Pa Sanni who died in 1970 at the age of 55 years. Apart from the 291 buildings, road side curbs on Agege Motor Road, roundabouts, street pillars and walls were also painted.

Mrs Abimbola Fashola praised the spirited effort of the participants, saying the exercise would go a long way in bringing sanity to Mushin Local Government. “Thank God for those who have gone the extra mile to donate paint; this is their own little way of assisting the government to better the lots of the society,” she said.

Fela Dorotoye told Vanguard Metro the exercise was carried out voluntarily and none of the residents was unnecessarily tasked. “We had contacted some organisations to donate paint for the job; also, many youths have been trained before now and all of them have been useful in the exercise.

It kicked off in the ancient building because of its historical nature.The house was built in 1960, Nigeria’s year of independence. It  was a simple God-given idea that came to me sometime in October at a Change Summit in Mushin.

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Fashola and others at the event

God told me that Mushin is the place for making unique stars and heroes In Nigeria. Our target is to reach up to 420 buildings and we are trusting God to give us the resources to do so. This is our own way of sharing love among our people and we need so many youths to catch up with such dream in order to tell people we are proud of our country. Let us keep supporting one another,” he said.

Pa Sanni’s daughter speaks
First daughter of Pa Sanni, Mrs. Mabel Modupe also expressed appreciation at the exercise. “I am really happy at what I saw today. Although the house has been renovated on a number of occasions but today’s event was laudable in the sense that it took place in the presence of notable people in Nigeria. The house is a historical monument because it was built in 1960. It is not that we could not afford to paint the house but allowing people who expressed willingness to do so is never a bad idea. I am sure my father would be willing to support them if he is still alive,” she noted.

A resident of Mushin, Alhaji Olayiwola of 62, Ogunmokun Road described the exercise as a very laudable project.
According to him: “I have lived in Mushin for more than 50 years and this has never happened before. In fact, as far as I know it has not happened anywhere in Nigeria”.

Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Honourable Abiodun Adepitan, urged Nigerians to come out with projects capable of developing their environment. “Our environment is very important to us and we should try our best to develop it on daily basis. If we do so, all of us will be proud about the development; it is our duty to be able to sustain our environment. Such task should not be left in the hand of government alone,” he urged

“This is a good work, I know the entire environment will soon wear a new look,” said Mr, Latifu Aremu.