Lagos — In the 80s, if a visitor to Lagos failed to take a break and visit the Bar Beach before living the city, he or she was regarded as having not visited city. The beach, which is located on Victoria Island, alongside Ahmadu Bello Way, was then about the most popular beach in the state nay Nigeria. This beach, which runs from the Institute of Oceanography in the West to the Eko Hotel in the East, was always a centre of attraction because of its strategic placement which made it a place for the highs and lowly. Of course, it also attracted its fair share of squatters, druggies, "ladies of the night" with their 'customers' and fervent religious worshippers (some of who saw the beach as a convenient place for their vigils). Musicians were never tired of mounting their musicals at the beach to entertain fun seekers who would savour the moments till late night. In sum, the beach indeed created a heady blend of life forms, with the wealthiest walking along the poorest and no one batting an eyelid.

But towards the late 90s, this 'hot; tourist spot began to witness sea incursions that not only threatened its beauty but the life span of the buildings besides it along Ahmadu Bello Way. Gradually but steadily, erosion took over the place and the situation was made worse once there was heavy down. This deteriorating state peaked around 2005 with the beach becoming news item, though in the negative, every now and then. Finally, the once attractive spot became a ghost of its old self with no patronage, except social miscreants who turned it into their haven to indulge in all sorts anti-social activities, such smoking of hard drugs and raping.

To regain the lost glory of the beach, the administration of Bola Tinubu, the immediate past Governor of Lagos initiated a drastic move to protect the shoreline. Although the steps was steeped in politics at a point between the state and the Federal government but at last common sense prevailed. The first phase kicked off in April 2007 covering 1000 metres, extending along the beach-front just beyond the IMB Building in a westward direction and terminating at the Akwa Ibom Liaison Office Complex. It was handled without delay.

But in July 2007, Victoria Island and the bar beach were subjected to extreme storm conditions to the extent that sea levels were elevated by two metres above normal levels and strong wind further aggravated the situation. Although the structure withstood the bashing, including three days of violent waves, areas unprotected by the shoreline defense received a deluge of water and were flooded by localised erosion.

This development prompted the current Governor to initiative the phase two of the project, few metres after Adetokunbo Ademola Street junction.

"It was at this point that we came to the realisation that there was need to extend the system by about 500 metres from where it was stopped", the Governor said with all sense of fulfillment during the commissioning, which was witnessed by Tinubu, traditional rulers and other eminent personalities in the state.

The Governor, who said his administration was committed to the renewal of the state, promised not to go back in his determination to reclaim all the lands lost to the sea over the years as a result of erosion just as he pledged to provide infrastructural facilities in every nook and cranny of the state.

Fashola, who maintained that the Bar Beach shoreline protection project was a novel idea in Nigeria and indeed West African sub-region, praised the efforts of Tinubu in kick- starting the project by approving the funding of a permanent shoreline protection solution to the perennial erosion problem at the Bar Beach.

The governor also recalled that in those days, the beach was a must-go-place for all who visited the state and that then it was over one and a half kilometre away.

"We cannot forget so soon the exploits of the late "Modupe Art Alade and the Jazz Preachers with their popular Bar Beach Show", the Governor recounted during the commissioning, stressing that in those days of yore Lagosians always had swell weekends at the Beach but unfortunately they were denied the opportunities by the gradual but steady erosion of the shoreline which got to its peak in 2005".

Fashola, who described a beach as " both an asset, a gift and a torment depending on how you use it", noted that during his visit to Brazil he saw a beach that was 1000 kilometers stretch.,

Already the beach has been showing signs that the return of the old days is a thing of time. When Daily Independent visited the Beach on Monday, it was noticed that the 'new beauty' of beach which some have described as Fashola magic has continued to draw fun lovers. The visitors, some of who came in expensive private cars, toured round to behold the 'new beach' while others busied themselves taking photographs. The beach guards, who now maintain the order and cleanliness in the area, were seen attending to people who were inquiring about one thing or the other in almost every other minute. Some even came to inquire whether religious worship is still allowed at the beach having put on a new colour of concrete X-block at the ocean side.

Residents and workers along Ahmadu Bello Way are also savouring the new look beach, as it now seems to save them from the incessant harassment by erosion.

"We feel good and thank the government for constructing the beach. We are sure that we are saved from erosion now", said a motor mechanic whose workshop is situated along the road.

However, miscreants seem to be finding their ways back to the beach. And in apparent disregard for the instruction boldly written in signboards there prohibiting sales and drinking/smoking of hard drugs, the few miscreants at the beach were having a swell time smoking themselves away and marketing their hard drugs in the open. There were also some who engaged in touting trying to extort unwary visitors. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that that beach is back to life as one of the foremost tourist centre in the country.