Before now, Jaekel House which was named after the late Francis Jaekel, a former Superintendent of Railways who retired in the 1970s after almost 30 years of service, would not have meant anything to a first-time passer-by. Built on large compound on Quarter 17, Federal Road, Railway Compound, Ebute Meta, the house is one of the oldest in the compound of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). It was dilapidated and desolate, and occupied by squatters who competed for space with reptiles for many years. It was said to be the first two-storey building erected in the large railway compound.
NEW LOOK OLD FEATURES
Today, the duplex building has been renovated even as it is made to retain its old frame and has been turned into a mini-museum housing some of NRC’s artefacts, courtesy of the Legacy Group, a non-governmental organisation committed to restoring and protecting heritage, particularly historical sites and buildings.
Both the exterior and interior parts of the building have been painted, while all the dilapidated fixtures like windows and doors have been replaced with aluminium type. Also, the roof of the over 100 years old house has been replaced with an aluminium roof.
The renovation, according to NRC’s Assistant Director, Public Relations, David Ndakotsu, is a part of the on-going rehabilitation and renovation of corporate offices.
Over the past few years, the Railway has received much attention from the government, hence a lot of rehabilitation is going on in the nation’s rail sector, aimed at achieving national economic transformation. The railway mini-museum is just one of the buildings restored to its past glory by the Legacy Group.
The president of the group, Desmond Majekodunmi, said Legacy group is committed to restoring and protecting the nation’s heritage.
“We need to do this quickly, as many of these structures are in bad conditions and may not last much longer,” Majekodumi said.
The Vice President, Legacy Group, Ikem Okolie, told Sunday Trust that the move to renovate the building and other structures begun in 1997 during the tenure of the NRC’s sole administrator, Mr Nwankwo. He said the decision to renovate the museum house was informed by his organisation’s interest to create a museum to house the history of the Nigerian Railway, an idea that began with a visit of some of the members to the railway compound in 1996.
“The story of the museum started in 1996 when the founder of the Legacy Group, a historical and environmental interest group in Nigeria, visited the compound and later met the then sole administrator with their findings. From there, he formed the vision. When the sole administrator later became the acting managing director, he saw the need to renovate the building and that was what brought about the mini-museum. This is a museum with some little artefacts. Legacy is an NGO and our interest is to look at objects of national heritage and preserve them. The partnership began in 2008 when the authority gave Legacy the mandate to carry out the renovation,” he explained.
RAILWAY’S PRE-INDEPENDENCE GENERAL MANAGERS LIVED HERE
Okolie who is the instructor at the museum, said his body was moved into renovating the house with a view to preserve such a monument to form part of the history of the NRC. He revealed that it cost over N7million to restore the structure to its current state. He said the significance of the building is that it was the then General Manager’s building from the beginning which was around 1898
“The General Managers lived here until after independence when Nigerian managing directors had their buildings. It later became a residence for the railway men”, he said.
The initial intention, Okolie said, was to renovate the main museum which housed large artefacts like the Queens Coach. He recalled, “But when it became obvious that Legacy, through the partnership with the NRC, could not complete it, attention was shifted to the Jaekel House. The then sole administrator gave Legacy the authority to set up a museum for the NRC and some buildings were given to us. When the main museum that accommodates the Queen’s Coach was getting too much money from us, we agreed to have a small one, and that was what gave birth to the new look 100-year-old Jaekel House,” he said.
He disclosed that the parties could not have successfully completed renovating the building if not for the intervention of BP Exploration who provided the necessary funds.
Inside the mini-museum are photographs, artefacts and tea cups.
In an interaction with Sunday Trust, a member of the Legacy Group, Professor John Godwin, gave more explanations to why the group is involved in historical artifacts.
According to the professor, though the group was founded in 1995, it is concerned with the identification and preservation of historical artefacts and other relics which form a part of the history of Nigeria, and therefore they need to be recorded and where significant, could actually be restored for the public to see.
SOMETHING FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION
“We believe that the pride of a nation resides in its history. To destroy it or eliminate all its visible remains is to deny the younger generation the opportunity to learn what and why we are the way we are today. Not often do we get the opportunity to restore an old building. Most owners, particularly where land is short in supply as in Lagos, will want to redevelop their land to provide a greater return. In those cases, we can only record them by photographs and measured drawings,” he said.
Godwin said the group was fortunate with Jaekel House.
“We were fortunate with the Jaekel House in the Railway Compound in that it belongs to the Legacy/ Railway Joint Committee who have started the railway museum. This house is a fine example of the colonial style, and there are lessons to be learnt from it when looking at creating a comfortable building without resorting to artificial cooling. The light structure, sun-shading and many windows to exploit the cooling effects of the breeze, are practical and simple elements to create such a building,” he said
Some of the residents expressed happiness over the work. According to Mr Tajudeen Adeolu, the mini-museum has brought many tourists and attention of the state of the NRC to the public, and urged the Legacy Group to take up more of such buildings within the compound for restoration.
Another restoration project completed some years ago was the Lumpkin House on Abibu Oki street, belonging to the Leventis Foundation. Godwin said Leventis Foundation sacrificed a commercially valuable site, in order to preserve the excellent example of the Brazilian style of architecture.
Other areas Legacy is working on are other houses in the railway compound, the two-storey House at Badagry and the Hinderer House in Ibadan.
“We at Legacy are ready to assist any owner who is serious about financing his own restoration project”, he said
Another building which the organization has commenced renovation is the Shitta Mosque located on Martins street in the heart of Lagos. The mosque, the first in Lagos, was constructed by the Brazilians in 1886 and according to the Chief Imam of the mosque, it has hosted many dignitaries from around the world. It is owned by the Shitta Bey dynasty
A visit to the mosque revealed that though the outer part has been repainted, the inner chamber is yet to feel the impact. It was revealed that work is still on-going. Moruf Balogun, a regular worshipper in the mosque, gave kudos to the group behind the work, but urged them to finish it on time
Professor Godwin said what the group is doing is to provide generations unborn, the opportunity to learn why and what “we are today”
On the recovery of the cost of restoration, Godwin said: “Rarely do you recover the cost of restoration work, and you look for donations to carry out the work. Legacy received N7.5 million from BG Exploration to renovate the Jaekel House. But the work must be done properly- so many attempted restorations fall short of the standards required for historical restorations”.
Government intervention, i e, ‘Listing’ is a good idea provided that they retain a budget for maintaining the building, which is not happening at the Ilojo Bar, Tinubu Square, which is one of our most impressive examples of the Brazilian style. Now, the monument is at the point of collapse through almost total neglect. Private owners must be convinced of the historical values of their family houses, and the importance. Corporate organisations could subscribe to viable restorations, as a public relations exercise. Such organisations should visit Legacy, who will be able to advise them on what has to be done.
Regarding private investments in housing, Godwin said: “First, the land should be made available in sufficient areas to make the investment viable. Secondly, the entire infrastructure should be provided by government because they will have to integrate it with existing city systems. There needs to be a preferred plan, and standards of planning and construction laid down, rather on the lines of Agbara Estate, which to this day, maintains reasonable standards, then private owners will come. But a proportion of the development must be set aside for low income groups. We see a great deal of private initiatives in Ikoyi and Victoria Island, but this is only because of the exceptionally high rentals and advance payments obtainable. It is much more difficult to secure these terms in poorer areas. But shortage of land in these areas near the city centre are becoming more descernable. Look at East Ebute Meta and Yaba, and the investor needs to keep his eye on the new land use maps being prepared by the state government now. Things are changing in Lagos,’ he said.
LAGOS IDENTIFIES HISTORICAL BUILDINGS FOR RESTORATION
Majekodunmi said the group could not have done all these alone, but with the support of government.
“We are very pleased to note that Lagos State Government has responded to this call and are soon to enact a law listing over a hundred buildings as protected sites, with some provision for their restoration. We have been relying on the kind support of donors like BG Exploration, NBC Nigerite, Leventis Foundation, as well as support from our members who also volunteer their services to run the organization,” he said.
He said the group is not done yet with the NRC. “We are currently working on landscaping the garden of the Jaekel House. We are also trying to restore some of the other structures under our jurisdiction in the railway compound as part of our efforts to develop a full-fledged railway museum,” he said.
Majekodunmi said Legacy is looking at some structures in Badagry, Epe, Ibadan, Calabar, Benin, Abeokuta and Kano, which are in dire need of restoration, adding that the private sector needs to invest in the restoration as part of their corporate social responsibility to the society.
“We need to preserve our history. For how can you have a future, if we don’t have a past, even if it is just to learn from the lessons of the past?” he asked
‘HOW WE DROVE THE QUEEN WHEN SHE VISITED NIGERIA’
Another interesting thing’s worth mentioning is the ‘Queen Coach’. Though vandalised and now being used as a toilet by the intruding public, the carcass of the coach brings back memories of how Queen Elizabeth 11 travelled on Nigeria’s rail to Ibadan in 1957.
In a televised interview with one of the four drivers, Pa E. O. Adegbesan says driving the queen was the most unforgettable experience on his life.
He recalled, “When the Queen was to come, the Imperial Government insisted that as the Queen was coming to Nigeria, Nigerian must drive her. There was no driver who knew how to drive petrol locomotive in any part of the country other than those of us in Zaria. So they invited the four of us: Akabosu, assisted by S. O. Roberts, D. B. Desalu and myself. The most Junior, E. O. Adegbesan. We were in Lagos for two weeks before the arrival of the Queen. When the Queen eventually came, she was driven by our senior, Akabosu from Lagos to Ibadan. We arrived Ibadan on a Saturday evening and stayed there for a night. From Ibadan we were interchanging hands to Jebba. Another driver continued the journey from Jebba to Minna. This was how we changed hands until we got to Kaduna. The Queen had disembarked in Ibadan. So we waited for her in Kaduna .She flew from Ibadan to Kaduna. From Kaduna we took her to Kano. She flew from Kano back to England.”
Today, the once luxurious locomotive has become a carcass, vandalised, overgrown with weeds and used as a toilet by passers-by.
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