The Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) is a ceremonial ground (originally called "Race Course") in

Lagos Island Lagos Island () is the principal and central Local government areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos, Nigeria. It was the capital of Lagos State until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian ce ...

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

History

Lagos Race Course now TBS, was a sports field that hosted horse racing, but included a section for football and ground to play cricket. The land was provided to colonial authorities by Oba

Dosunmu Dosunmu (c. 1823 – 1885), referred to in British documents as Docemo, reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1853, when he succeeded his father Oba Akitoye, until his own death in 1885. He was forced to run away to Britain under the threat of force in ...

in 1859, who thereafter built up the surrounding areas. The course was later demolished by the government of

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma "Jack" Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a Nigerian former military officer and statesman who served as the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. Gowon was Nigeria's leader during the Nigerian Civil War where he delivered ...

to make way for Tafawa Balewa Square. In its hey days, the course hosted the

Empire Day Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, member states of the Commonwealth ...

parades. The horse racing track was about seven to eight furlongs or a mile. In 1960, the course was redeveloped to celebrate Nigeria's independence and the lowering of the union jack.

Location

TBS was constructed in 1972 over the site of a defunct rack for horse racing. 45/57 Massey Bamgboshe Street on Lagos Island, Lagos It is bounded by Awolowo road, Cable Street, Force road, Catholic Mission street and the 26-storey independence building.

Monuments

The entrance to the square has gigantic sculptures of four white horses hovering above the gate and seven red eagles, which are symbols from the national emblem signifying Strength and Dignity respectively. Other monuments in the square include the Remembrance Arcade (with memorials to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and

Nigerian civil war The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

victims) and the 26-storey Independence House, built in 1963 which was for a long time, the tallest building in Nigeria.

Cricket ground

The square has a capacity for 55,000 people. Facilities at the square include a shopping center, airlines ticketing agencies, restaurants, car parking and a bus terminal. The cricket ground, the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval, is widely considered as the 'traditional home of cricket' in Nigeria. It hosted matches in the North-Western sub region of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier tournament. The ground was closed for 18 months to complete a renovation from a concrete surface to 10-strip turf to meet the ICC standards. The renovation was completed in January 2022, following which the ground hosted its first international cricket matches in the 2022 Nigeria Invitational Women's T20I Tournament.

Historical events

Major national events at TBS includes Nigeria’s independence celebration which took place on 1 October 1960 with the Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa, delivering his speech. Democracy Day, as well as other multifarious events such as musical jamborees and religious gatherings. The Lagos State Government hosted a Special Lagos Day during the 2024 edition of the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference. The event was held 27th August 2024.

Environment and Climate

The TBS which is a ceremonial ground in Nigeria have been faced with several environmental issues in the past years. The surrounding fence has been a dumpsite where refuse and other plastic are being deposited. There is also the issue of erosion in the region as a result of blocked drainage. As a result of the poor waste management in the area, the environment in the iconic square looks quite unkempt.

References

{{Lagos, state=collapsed Monuments and memorials in Lagos Landmarks in Lagos 1972 establishments in Nigeria Squares in Lagos Lagos Island Outdoor sculptures in Lagos