Rescue our historical and cultural monuments
The moribund state of many of the country’s monuments depicts the sheer neglect they have suffered for many years. The lamentable situation with Nigeria’s historical and cultural structures across the country is a trend that should worry any nation with a sense of history. Many of them are in ruins; displaying shadows of their old glorious selves.
Standing on top of a hill, called Empire Hill in Baro, Niger State, are vestiges of British colonial structures built by Lord Lugard in the first decade of the 20th century. Lugard’s residence with its collapsed walls, his cart, military chalets, a dispensary, a power generating plant and a towering communication mast have all been taken over by overgrown weeds and grasses.
Like the British cemetery in Zungeru, a one-time headquarters of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, the graves of some railway engineers that constructed the Baro-Minna-Kano rail-line as well as of some British troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) are all covered by thick bushes within the colonial cemetery at Baro.
The tomb of Sultan Muhammadu Attahiru I, which lies in the ghostly town of Mbormi in Gombe State, is another sad story. Mbormi is four kilometres from Bajoga, the headquarters of Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State. Muhammadu Attahiru I, who fought British troops, was the 12th Sultan of Sokoto Caliphate from October 1902 until March 15, 1903, when the British took over and colonised the sultanate. In a fierce battle in Mbormi, he was killed by British invaders alongside his two sons, the chief imam and over 600 followers.
Attahiru had stopped over at Mbormi 119 years ago on his way to Saudi Arabia after leaving Sokoto in protest against the invasion of the caliphate by British colonialists. Mbormi town was completely razed by British authorities who banned the people from erecting any structure at the site.
A story by the newspaper in 2021 showed how the three graves of Sultan Attahiru I, the Chief Imam of Sokoto and Major Francis Charles Marsh, a British soldier, lay in the middle of farmlands; with nothing to indicate that the tomb of a revered personality like the sultan is situated there. According to the story, the tomb lacked the presence of security personnel. The wall fencing the area was just about five feet long; which made it easy for passers-by and even animals to enter the premises. The entrance to Attahiru’s resting place at Mbormi is permanently left open. What shameless neglect! The construction of a wall to fence the tomb of Major Marsh, located about 150 metres away from the sultan’s, was abandoned and grasses have made it completely inaccessible. The grave, the story said, is not even visible.
Some national monuments in Lagos, including the 25-storey Independence Building otherwise known as Defence House and Tafawa Balewa Square where, at independence, the British Union Jack was lowered for Nigeria’s green and white flag, also have their share of neglect. This is believed to have been occasioned by the relocation of Nigeria’s capital city from Lagos to Abuja.
The moribund state of these edifices reflects long years of poor maintenance culture. The Independence Building, which was built by the British government, was the tallest edifice in Nigeria when it was inaugurated at independence. In 1993, a portion of the building was gutted by fire and since the incident, it is yet to receive a major face-lift. Neither concessions nor public-private-partnership initiative has helped to rescue these monuments from crumbling.
The refusal to develop the tourism potentials of other monuments such Zuma Rock located in Madalla, Niger State and Gurara Falls in the same state, shows how less we care about exploring non-oil sectors of the economy. After nearly 40 years, Niger State government has failed to complete the hotel it started building near Zuma Rock. Huge revenues could have accrued from tourism activities around these sites if attention had been paid to developing them. Tourism is also a big employer of labour.
This utter neglect of our monuments depicts our failure to appreciate the significance of same to nation-building. The carelessness with which we treat issues connected to our history and culture is dangerous for posterity. Paying attention to monuments should be seen as a way of preserving our national treasures. Practical measures must be taken to reverse this inexcusable neglect of our cultural and historical monuments.
urges the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and local government authorities where these monuments are located to reverse the ugly trend by rehabilitating historical and cultural monuments. It is time to rescue the vanishing heritage of our civilization.