"I am surprised that Oshodi of all places went through this stunning transformation. In the 80s and 90s, Oshodi was an eye sore, very dirty, rowdy, and with massive population that made me wonder if actually all the people seen in Oshodi then were human beings." This was the candid opinion of Mazi Aloysius Nwosu, an Aba based Igbo trader who comes to Lagos to sell palm oil in drums.

Still, another passerby, Mrs. Oluwatemi Bose, who goes through Oshodi everyday on her way to her office at Apapa, told this writer that, "I never thought Oshodi, of places, will undergo this level of transformation, because this town was dreaded by many Lagos residents, due to high rate of crimes recorded here in those days. Whoever did this transformation deserves commendation from users of this modern Oshodi."

These were comments from two people, familiar with both the old and new Oshodi, who saw the great changes that made them to believe something marvelous, has happened to Oshodi. Oshodi is a town in Lagos State, located not too far from the Ikeja Military Cantonment on the express way which leads to the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, and the popular Mile 2.

It is known widely because of markets located in some areas within the town, and the motor parks, which serves as gateway to many parts of the country. The railway line from Iddo, Lagos, to other parts of Nigeria, also passed through this town, which equally accommodates some industrial firms, located along the express way and near the markets.

As a participant observer, this reporter who have been passing through Oshodi to his working place for over fifteen years, recalls that going through Oshodi in those days was near passing through Golgotha, for if one was not very careful and lucky, he or she could run into hoodlums, who will not only steal from the person, but inflict painful bodily harm.

Then, Oshodi was notorious for all things negative, which includes armed robbery, thuggery, extortion by the combined forces of the police, social urchins, nick-named area boys, with terrible traffic hold-up, that lasted for hours. Also, this town was notorious for rowdiness, dirtiness of the environments, and conversion of every available space by traders to markets, including trading on the rail line, despite the dangers inherent in such act.

Market women who had no money to rent shops invaded the rail lines and were allocated spaces to stay and sell their wares by some unscrupulous local government officials and area boys, who collected meager sum from the women. Those women traders were happy to get a place to hawk their products, without minding that their lives were in grave danger of being knocked down by fast moving vehicles or trains. A market woman, Mrs. Safiat Ogundele, who rented a space on the rail line, recounted how her friend and three others were killed by train, as they traded on the rail line. "On that bloody day, we were all engaged in serious marketing, being a Saturday, when most housewives came to the market to buy things for their families. As every body was involved in trading, nobody noticed that a locomotive train which sounded its presence with a loud horn was already very near. Before we could realize its closeness, the train rammed into the crowded area of the market, grinding three people to death, including my good friend."

Mrs. Ogundele said that after that incidence, her children stopped her from selling on the rail line, and instead contributed money to rent a shop for her. Another trader Mr. Innocent Njoku who witnessed the bad days of Oshodi said, "It is a thing of joy to see Oshodi in this form, as I never believed that Oshodi could be turned into an organized place like this. I witnessed the selling on the rail line in those days, and even escorted my wife to the rail line to buy food items. Also, the menace of area boys was very painful, as they forcefully extorted money from us, not minding whether we sold something or not. They were lords, as nobody dared them, because of their deadly nature."

Another user of Oshodi road network in those days, Mr. Saheed Ola, remembered the traffic jam which made going through Oshodi a painful experience. "Passing through Oshodi could take hours because of the menace of area boys, who extorted money from commercial drivers, thereby causing serious hold-up in the process. Nobody challenged them, because we knew they worked with tactical approval from security agents, who looked the other way, while they forced money out of helpless drivers."

But presently, beacsue of the organized method the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), and the police adopted to check traffic, Oshodi Oke where the bottle neck of hold-up was mostly felt has eased, with motorists obeying traffic rules, for fear of being arrested by law enforcement agents.

In the past, area boys stayed along the express, puffing out smoke from marijuana, right in front of the police and passersby unchallenged. But the new spirit in Oshodi made them to relocate under the newly constructed pedestrian bridge to smoke their lives away with Indian hemp, a bit far away from the public. Before now, the environmental situation in Oshodi was nothing to right home about. Every corner was converted to toilets, this time not only by area boys but passersby pressed to the level that they had no alternative than to look for space to pass out the stool. Mr. Ayo Deola said that, "in those filthy days in Oshodi, if one was careless in walking and mistakenly marched on a black polythene bag dropped on the road, that fellow may be unlucky to march on stool passed by someone else, who tied the stool inside nylon bag, as a way of disposing it."

But today, the new face of Oshodi has modern conveniences, which level of sanitary condition is very encouraging, as this reporter took time off to use the one located down the valley at Oshodi Oke, close to National Agency for Foods, Drugs and Administrative Control (NAFDAC), Forensic Laboratory. One good aspect of the new conveniences is that travelers, especially traders from other states in the South-East and the North, who journeyed all night to come and buy or sell goods in Lagos, but have no rented apartments, paid N50 to bath and go to toilet, before embarking on their businesses. Those who just wanted to pass urine paid N20 to ease off. This has helped to ensure clean surroundings.

Even the environmental sanitation of Oshodi has improved from the garbage area tag it wore in the past. Then, because of the adjourning markets, lots of refuses were generated, which were not properly disposed, making the environment very dirty, with foul air perceived all over. Today, with the efforts of the Lagos Waste Management Development Authority (LAWMA), and determination by traders in the markets to keep their surroundings clean, Oshodi has shifted from a dirty area, to one which could be made very clean, if the major users are determined to do just that.

Another major aspect of the new face of Oshodi is the resolve by the state authorities to create many green areas and relaxation parks within the Oshodi environment. These parks, with flowers and other trees planted inside them, are to ensure safer environment through balanced ecosystem, which will work against greenhouse effects, and prevent depletion of the ozone layer. A beautiful park, just after LASTMA office, is nearing completion, and would serve as a spot where people in that area could cool off, after a very hard job.

Although, area boys still collect money from drivers at Oshodi, their do-or- die attitude has been relaxed just a little, perhaps in the spirit of the new found Oshodi. Before, shops were built onto the fence of NAFDAC by some illegal property agents, who connived with the notorious area boys, and corrupt local government officials to rent these stores out to traders. This, sometimes ago, led to fight between the tenants who rented those shops and their so called landlords, when they frequently increased rents, which the users of the stalls rejected. A trader, Mr. Ikenna Onyedika, said "in one occasion, one trader was stabbed by area boys when he refused to part with the money they requested from him. Thank God he did not die, but that ugly incidence jolted some of us, who left the shops for fear of being killed by these heartless area boys, who did nothing but to smoke marijuana from morning to night."

Even the motor parks are being renovated by the government, and very soon, the parks will also wear new looks, depicting the resolve of the government to really turn Oshodi to a benefiting transit route.

Anyone who has been absent from the town for a long time, and just had the opportunity to pass through Oshodi at night, will think he or she was passing through a stretch of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, due to the well designed street lights which aesthetically illuminates Oshodi at night. In fact, someone coming from Toyota Bus Stop, will think that he was about to enter the Abuja city gate because of the beauty offered by the street lights at night in Oshodi. These lights make it difficult for hoodlums to hide under the covers of darkness to commit crimes, as one could see virtually all areas in Oshodi, once you are on Oshodi Oke.

A passerby, Miss Florence Daniels told this writer that, "passing through Oshodi in those days when these street lights were not operational was like passing through hell. Some people were robbed, while some ladies were sexually molested by criminals, who hid under dark areas at night, only to jump out from their dens to attack unsuspecting passersby. The wise thing to do then was to pass through Oshodi before 9pm, when people were still around. If any person passed through Oshodi very late in those days, that person actually invited trouble deliberately into his or her life."

However, some critics are bothered that these innovations at Oshodi may not last long because of lack of maintenance culture in our country. Mr. Ndubisi Okorie, who has been trading in Oshodi for the past twenty years, said that, "it is a good thing for the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola to carry out these goods works at Oshodi. But, he should ensure maintenance, because, if the new projects are not maintained, we shall go back to the bad days, when passing through Oshodi both in the day time and at night was a nightmare, which some of us that witnessed the very ugly side will never wish to see in our lives again."