Places To Visit: Badagry abandoned Uncompleted Door of Return Monument may collapse soon: BY: Seun Williams

BY: Seun Williams 

Aerial view of abandoned Uncompleted Door of Return Monument at the Point of No Return, Gberefu Beach, Badagry. [Credit: @BadagryFromAbove]

The Door of Return Monument is an abandoned, uncompleted monument at the Point of No Return, Gberefu Beach, in Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria. The large structure was conceived to symbolise and inspire the return of descendants of African(-Americans) to their home continent after being forcefully removed from there to the Americas by European enslavers. 

The monument was created to replace and invert the essence of the former 'Point of No Return Monument' at the same spot. It was intended that the monument would drive intercontinental travel and heritage tourism and resettlement of Diasporic Africans on the West African Atlantic Coast.

Aerial view of the Door of Return Monument. [Credit: @BadagryFromAbove]

The construction of the Door of Return Monument was flagged off on 24 August 2017 by the then Senior Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs as part of the Badagry Diaspora Festival. It was planned that the project would be completed and unveiled a year later in 2018 as a permanent monument.

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Aerial view of the Door of Return Monument and Atlantic ocean. [Credit: @BadagryFromAbove]

Sadly however, it is now 5 years since its commencement, and project is now completely abandoned. Some installations such as air-conditioners and iron bars, etc. have disappeared, perhaps pilfered. The anti-rust coatings which form its outer-most surface are rapidly disintegrating and falling off. The heavy metallic parts and iron beams are fast corroding. The carcass of this iconic Door has been left at the (non-)mercy of the harsh elements—the scorching sun, and salty, humid ocean breeze which causes metal to corrode 10 times faster. 

It is high time this dilapidating messy metal mass is pulled apart before it collapses on tourists and beach-goers.

There is an urgent need to salvage this ugly situation before a partial or complete collapse wrecks havoc to some locals, tourists and leisure seekers who regularly spend some time under the shade that the structure provides.

For more information visit: @BadagryFromAbove on Instagram.