Nigeria's first storey-building wastes away

By Wale Ojo-Lanre updated: Wednesday 16-07-2008

The first storey -building in Nigeria.Every state in Nigeria is abundantly blessed with tourism potentialities which are eagerly waiting for enhancement, promotion and marketing. But the truth of the matter is that, most of these administrators are not inclined toward the fundamental re-engineering of the economy of their states by looking inward and tapping the natural and man-made economic articles in their domains.

Special thanks to the Federal allocation which has helped greatly at killing initiatives in the men that rule over us. For because of the free flow of fund from the federal account, all the ingredients of money making which just need little dressing have been neglected.

A situation of why taking the trouble when there is a monthly Father Christmas largesse from the above? Apart from the economic angle which is beneficial to all for survival, most of the states have one or two tourist sites that are of great significant and historical value to Nigeria’s development as a nation.

Such is the case of the first one-storey building in Badagry, Lagos State. The building, 'planted' by Reverend Henry Townsend in 1842 and completed by Reverend C.A. Gollmer in 1845 when Townsend who laid the foundation left Badagry for Abeokuta on evangelizatisim.

The plot on which the building stands is not just a mere premises of hosting the first one storey building in Nigeria but of a more historical and development recourse.
It is the same spot which received the first 500 slave returnees, the first batch that arrived Nigeria in 1839.

At the same premises, the foundation of christianity in Nigeria was laid where Reverend Henry Townsend launched the first English Bible in 1842 and where the Yoruba version was also launched after the English Bible had been well translated into vernacular by Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther in 1845 - 1846, a Nigerian slave returnee who was the first black African Anglican Bishop.

At the same premises was the safe landing of the First Primary School in Nigeria, thus, the place where formal education was introduced and the first teacher, Mr. Claudius Phillipe, trained the first set of 40 students in 1845-1868. The same premises was where the First Bank or safe began operations. The safe made by Twithers & Sons Ltd. is still glued into the wall of the master’s bedroom in the upper crust of the building.

Inside it is the Reverend Henry Townsends Chair, a wooden construction, very simple but solidly strong, made in 1915 and still in the service of humanity without any bracing or adjustment since then. Within the premises is also the relic of the first church in Nigeria where Christianity, ethics and dogma was first preached, established and practised.

And it is interesting that the premises houses the first modern well in Nigeria which was not only built with concrete rings but with baked red brick. And according to Mr. Emmanuel Segbenu Akala, the Curator of the building “the only well that has oozes out pure water devoid of any taste despite being sunk beside the Atlantic Ocean.

Mr. Akala lamented that, “You can see this building, a historical place, left to waste away by the government and Nigeria. It is a pity that Nigeria looks away and permits this premises going into oblivion. This is the story of Nigeria’s western civilization. This is the point of reference.”

He informed that “That the building is standing here today, that you are meeting me here today, conducting you around now is the effort of the Anglican Church and the N200 we charge for sight seeing. If not, weeds would have taken over Nigeria’s point of western civilisation.

The building is a national monument of great significance. Apart from being the first one-storey building in Nigeria, it houses the first safe, (then Bank), the first room of the first Teacher, the First English and Yoruba Bible, the first modern well, the first church building, the first primary school and a wooden chair made in 1915 which still stands solid till date.

If it is in other climes, it would have been turned into a national pride to be scrambled at by domestic and foreign tourists, but there it lies in total neglect at Badagry, Lagos State, the history of Nigeria’s educational and religious antecedent.