Pix: Children celebrating in a popular eatery
Hundreds of fun- seekers on Thursday besieged the Bar Beach on Vitoria Island, Lagos, in celebration of the Eid-el-Fitri.
The gaily-dressed fun-seekers, including children accompanied by their parents, massed at the beach in spite of warning signs pasted by construction companies dredging the beach.
Some of the signs read in part: “No picnic, no hawking, no loitering, no playing of football, no recreational activities.’’
Beach guards had a hectic day chasing away the children, who were swimming.
Mrs Titi Sule, a mother of three, said the choice of the beach was to enable her children to savour the Eid-el-Fitri festival at the resort.
“We are here to have fun and relax. My children want to ride horse and that is why I brought them here.’’
Another reveller, Mr Mohammed Umuru, who came with his friends, described the beach as a resort to behold.
A beach guard in uniform, Mr Ayo Ajala, said restricting children and other fun-seekers at the beach was hectic.
“We are here to monitor the beach and prevent people from going to restricted areas. We are also to prevent children and adults from drowning.
“The warning signs are there because of the ongoing dredging exercise; some areas of the sea are dangerous, but the fun-seekers do not know, so we are here to monitor them.
“For instance, during the last festive period, we rescued three children from drowning,’’he said.
At the National Theatre, Iganmu, hundreds of children were seen playing in groups, while some adults were in the queue to buy tickets to watch films.
Meanwhile, intra-city transport fares did not increase across the metropolis.
An official of the National Union Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at Iyana-Ipaja, Mr Kareem Lukmon, attributed the low patronage to the festival.
“We did not raise bus fares because many people are not travelling out of the state for the festival unlike during the previous festivals.
“There is no rush this year, market is very dull, “ he said.
in Abuja, many residents thronged recreation parks in Abuja metropolis on Thursday to enjoy the Ed-el-Fitir holidays marking the end of the Ramadan fasting.
Mr Benedict Ogbeche, Manager, Kids Fun Ville, Central Area, Abuja, said they experienced high patronage from fun seekers.
Ogbeche said the park’s services, which included bouncing castle, picnic space, roller coaster and swings, attracted many children and their parents to the Ville. “`Parents are bringing in their children to play and enjoy our services. The patronage is high and we are expecting more’’, she said.
A parent, Mrs Biliki Mohammed, said she loved bringing her children to the park during festivities.
Another parent, Mr Bello Rilwan, explained that he brought his four kids to the park to have fun, feel and enjoy the sallah celebration.
Miss Bola Shehu, a toy seller, said she brought her goods to the park because she believed that patronage would be high as a result of the celebration.
Similarly, Mr Chidi Nwosu, who runs a game centre at Millennium Park, said there was an upsurge in patronage.
However, some Muslims resident in Bwari said they were celebrating the Eid-el-Fitr in low-key.