Proliferation of Hotels and Bars in Ajegunle

Sodom and Gomorrah was a city in the Bible that God destroyed as a result of their high level of immorality and evil practices. Little did they know that their acts would lead to their destructive end. Before the destruction, Abraham had a consultation with God over the number of good people living in that city that will avert their destruction.

Abraham ‘priced’ the number of innocent people from 50 to 10, yet only 4 persons among which were ‘2 virgins’ were found innocent in a whole city! The people were so bad that they even asked Lot to bring out the angels that came to destroy them so that they could sleep with them – hmm! Homosexuals they were.

I know some of you would start wandering what this has to do with Ajegunle? Ajegunle is a thriving city and a home for all. Nobody gave us the chance to attain the level of development we are experiencing now, but, must we fold our arms and watch this beautiful city incur the wrath of God because of a crop of selfish businessmen whose happiness thrives in the promotion of sexual promiscuity and drunkenness? I weep each evening I walk the streets from my office down to my residence. Reason? Ayilara and Akin-Adeshola in the making.

Let me paint a clearer picture here. From Okoya to Seven-up bus-stops (bus-stops along Ojo Road in Ajegunle) which is about 200metres apart, there are currently 5 hotels and 13 beer parlours with one of the bars having a club and group of strippers.

There is no major road in Ajegunle today that does not have at least 2 hotels and several beer parlours. Worst still is the fact that these businessmen are on the verge of having hotels on every street, I repeat, every street in Ajegunle! Already, there are approximately 3 beer parlours on each street.

Another fact is, landowners now sell their properties to these hoteliers to destroy and erect a hotel in less than 3 months. Hmm.

Now the question is, who patronize these joints? Teenage girls! Yes, you read right. You always find under-aged girls in these joints – girls between the ages of 14 – 17. This is what we see everyday.

But why would a sane businessman allow 'small gals' to patronize his business that is supposed to be meant for adults? crave for money? Or do these girls promote his business faster?    All these questions they are not interested to answer because they rake in money everyday and set up another spot/hotel as soon as you can say ‘Jack Robinson.’

Just the other day, I heard the story of a 15 year old girl who goes to club in a hotel close to her house in Wilmer area of Ajegunle. She does this freely with no disturbance from parents because; the mother divorced the father and the mother, whom she stays with together with her other siblings, turns out to be a business woman that travels a lot. The girl in question as I know, has an overbearing influence on her peers in school as she also initiated her friend into the same act of clubbing and sexual escapades.

There is another case of an S.S.S 1 girl in one of our private schools I saw recently. I had admired this girl for sometime now, not because of her beauty, but for her zeal. She is always with the mother in  her shop, but the

funny

part of it all is that, the mother sells ‘awopa’, local gin. The truth is that at that age, she is now a mother.

On the part of the government, is there no law restricting the erection of hotels in a residential area? Of cause there should be, because, there ought to be a laid out plan by the town planners or should I call them ‘so called?’ because they have failed in their duties? The noise emanating from these joints causes noise pollution; ask those that live closer to bars and hotels.

The local government chairman of Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Hon. Kamal Ayinde Bayewu has been having a running battle with this hoteliers who see their structure as a residence and not a commercial entity and thus, refuse to pay what is accrued to them as a business unit; but instead decide to take the chairman to court.

Lol! Who is fooling who? Can’t the state government put a stop to this flagrant abuse of our human rights? A stop should be put on the erection of bars and hotels because growing up, I only know motels and brothels as places where commercial sex workers reside and ply their trade, and a hotel as a place where people lodge when they come into town from a far distance. Is it not still supposed to be so?

The result of all this, is the high increase of teenage pregnancy and HIV in Ajegunle community.

There are several teenage gangs and they either move in threes or fours.

Another fact is that there is high increase of HIV infection amongst teenagers. Some live with it and are scared to come out for voluntary counseling and testing.

So, who is to blame? This may sound rhetorical because I need no answer to this question, but, an evacuation to this conflagration which may lead to a holocaust if not checked.

It is high time the good people of Ajegunle arise, and put a stop to this mess. Let’s speak with one voice – call these hoteliers to order. Nobody is saying they should not do their business, but they should ban under-aged girls from visiting their joints.

                 
“There is another case of a hotel situating their bar right opposite a three-storey building housing a private school with the children seeing people that hang out there to drink and dance. What nonsense! Fela said it before that we are all suffering and smiling.”

Ajegunlians, arise! Lets put a stop to this madness before we further incur the wrath of God and go the way of Sodom and Gomorrah. Pray for this city and keep your children in check. Come to think of it, there were still virgins in Sodom and Gomorrah…. Lot’s daughters.

AJEGUNLE

AJEGUNLE, is a surbub of Lagos and popularly known as the AJ City  is located in the Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State. It has a dense population of about 555,000 people and 335 streets. It is bordered on the west by Apapa Wharf and Tincan, two of Nigeria’s biggest sea ports from where over 70 percent of imported goods come into the country.

The AJ City community formally falls under the Badagry Division, with major settlements like Aiyetoro, Ogbowankwo, Okorogbo, Tunkarimu, Alayinka, Arumo, Opeleye, Babani, Agausa, Orodu, Tolu, Ashafa, Wowo, Mensah, Taiwo, New Road, Kirikiri Rd, Amukoko, Alakoto, Apeno, Temidire, Ebunoti, Mokoya, Adeolu, Ojoku, Wilmer Crescent, Yaya Crescent, Oyikere, Muyibi, Idewu, Oluwa, Ladega, Bale, Uzor, Cardoso, Mba, Ilaje and Alaka.

Ajegunle is a city that has been neglected, but nevertheless, trudged despite attempts to wipe it out of human existence through impoverishment by those in position of power.