Once a thriving centre of learning, Kadara Grammar School in Ebute Metta, Lagos, has now become a hub for plank sellers, with the sounds of students replaced by the hum of sawmills and engines.

The school, located on Kadara Street, Adekunle, was demolished in 2017 under former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration due to deteriorating structures that posed a risk to students and staff. While the government had promised reconstruction, eight years later, no new school has been built, leaving the land abandoned and repurposed by traders.

Lagos Reporters visited the site and observed that it had been transformed into a bustling informal market and sawmill. Trucks loaded with planks were seen offloading their cargo at the entrance, while traders carried on their businesses uninterrupted.

A local source revealed that some of the plank sellers moved in after being displaced from Oko Baba Sawmill and relocated to Agbowa by the Lagos State government. With no visible government intervention, they have now taken full control of the premises.

Before its demolition, over 500 students were relocated to Jibowu High School in Yaba, a move that has since been criticized by residents due to the distance from their community.

For many in Ebute Metta, the continued abandonment of Kadara Grammar School represents yet another unfulfilled government promise, leaving children without access to education in their immediate surroundings.

Lagos Reporters will continue to follow this development and seek answers from the relevant authorities on the future of the school.