By ISHOLA BALOGUN & ANOZIE EGOLE

If you are new in Oke-Afa, Ejigbo Local Government Area of Lagos State, driving through Jakande gate from Pako just beside the Oke-Afa bridge, you’ll mistake the structure behind the Oke-Afa bridge for a tourist park. The glowing structure is decorated with flowers adding a tinge of aesthetic to the whole environment.

Save for the residents and those who witnessed the metamorphosis of the structure, no one would know it was the eternal resting place for the victims of  bomb blast which occurred exactly ten years ago.

Unlike the usual silence synonymous with  other graveyards, the cacophony of hoots and cackles  produced by the heavy traffic of people and those who have turned the place to a market point where all kinds of business transactions take place, misdirect people who are not familiar with the area. But it is indeed a graveyard occupying over 50 bodies who died in the stampede after the January 2002 blast.

From the commercial motorcyclists garage, each shouting and beckoning on passers-by for a ride to petty traders who display their wares calling for patronage; from different make-shifts stalls, different umbrellas signifying phone call centres to the deafening blaring of commercial vehicles’ horn plying  the area, it is a sight to behold.

Oke - Afa Cemetary

At nights, the decoration is better appreciated as the area comes alive, well lit with heavy solar energy bulbs providing unblinking illumination.  In fact,  visitors to the area would think it was a relaxation centre as a result of the face-lift.  People who volunteered to speak with Saturday Vanguard said it was  fun to be there at nights for relaxation.

The Lagos State government apart from beautifying the area has gone a little further to compensate the families of the victims.  They were given  the sum of N250,000 each as  compensation.

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard, Omotayo Taiwo, an electrician in charge of fixing the solar energy in the graveyard opined that the Governor of Lagos State is beautifying the place in order to make it look like a residential home, so that the families of the victims will know that the government is also mourning with them .They will not see the area as an abandoned area and they can come there at any time to pay respect to the their loved ones.

He also emphasized that the government in order to make the place sacred, warned the general public that the place is strictly out of bound. He said: “The governor is trying in making this place look like a home. We have completed planting flowers beside the tombs.  Nobody is allowed to enter here except on official reasons, whether to plant  flowers, clean the tiles or to check the list for verification.”

On the busy traffic in the area, he noted that “because of the beautiful nature of this place, motorcyclists have taken that place as their park and they work even at night.”

Speaking with Bashiru, a commercial motorcyclist that operates in that area, he said: “the place is very lively at night.”
Bashiru stated that because the place is well lit at night, people go there for the cool breeze that permeates through the canal, just as the flowers and other beautification of the area are good sight to behold.

He said:  “At times, people will sit in pairs on the blocks around there, discussing without fear of being in a  graveyard at night or  meeting a ghost as we normally think.

“We do not fear whether this is a graveyard or not. This is where we operate our businesses and we make a lot of profit here. At night, because of the solar lights here, we enjoy our business so much even as we mourn with the families of the victims,” he said.

Last week the government of Lagos state marked the 10th anniversary of the Ikeja Cantonment bomb blasts where several hundreds of people died in a stampede.  Not less than 50 people were said to have received the sum of N250,000 as compensation.