LAGOS: MY CITY OF BIRTH

Like its counterpart in the United States, it could be regarded as a city that never sleeps. For every hour in 24 hours there is always something to do.

Aerial view of lagos

 

 

People in rural areas, believe it is a place where the riches in one’s destiny can be achieved and no wonder people seem to be found in every corner of its streets doing odd jobs ranging from beggars to thugs.

Nights are worst; the bridges seem to be more of a home than a road. The upper parts are used for the latter function while the lower parts are used for the former function. Survival in it requires hostility most times. Taking a break from it by travelling somewhere else makes you feel incomplete because it seems to be the only city in the country that requires hastening. To get a bus, buy something’s in the market, withdrawal money in the bank and head back home to beat the traffic; all is done in a rush.

Though, there seems to be a wide contrast in terms of terrain between it and New York; its counterpart in the United States but could be similar in terms of the population and economy. It is a state as well as a city. The only state recognized with two names, your guess is as good as mine: Eko! No state brings people of different ethnic groups together like Eko. Houses are built in various structures with ranging prices that makes it a bit affordable. Though, the present government has in the past 5years been trying to re-structure this city, it has not in any way damaged what is mostly appreciated and that is its RUGGEDNESS.

Sometimes when you see people begging on its streets, you begin to ask yourself if these people are not better off in their villages. Actually, they could be good farmers helping to grow the economy but soon I realise that despite the hardship, you find yourself unwilling to leave, even when you do, there is this magnetic pull that draws you back urging you not to give up.

Begging could be quite lucrative provided you know the technical know-how. The story of a beggar who built a storey building in his hometown by begging makes you understand why it is a city paved with gold. Although, gold that can be only be extracted through “wisdom”. Little wonder why its residents are always respected and feared when met in other states or cities. There is this feeling of superiority or outward appearance of worldly maturity that you have when you meet someone who has never been to Eko. You feel more experienced!

 There is a saying that if you can live in Eko, you can live in any part of the world! The same principle applies to driving in Eko! The fear of Eko drivers is the beginning of wisdom!! Sometimes private vehicles owners in other states have been quoted repeatedly as placing the placard “L” on their vehicles when driving in Eko. The reason for this hilarious move is not farfetched; my city of birth has a record of having the highest number of “mad” drivers who seem not to care for anyone or thing on the road except he/she drives a vehicle with “learner” written in red ink and bold case as “L”. Public transport drivers seem to have the attained the highest stage of mad driving. Ask the present administration on how much they have spent so far on making traffic laws and recruiting traffic agents, am sure they would have a lot to say! Eko as a record of having various law enforcement agents ranging from VIO to yellow fever! The list is endless! Despite the measures put by the government to aid transportation, the yellow buses seem to always swallow the blue or red buses with passengers filled to its brim. Thank God for BRT, it sent the rugged 911 luxurious buses a.k.a. mo-lu-e packing.

The entertainment you get on the streets of Eko can equal that of your home. Though, free at times, especially when it is a wrestling competition between a commercial bus driver and passenger or between conductor and touts widely called “agbero” you could laugh your bowel out just by watching. Another, “free” entertainment show could be display of movies, football matches or wrestling matches on Televisions meant for sales by electronics merchants on the street, this style of entertainment brings people from all walks of life together from the educated to the non-educated as they would be seen gathering in groups later to form a crowd watching this road side entertainment. Although there is the tendency for you to pay after these so called entertainments, as the payment would actually not be required by the entertainers but from the fellow spectators who capitalise on the period of your great excitement during the show to rob you of whatever you need to be dispossessed of.

For an experienced lout, a newcomer to Eko a.k.a J.J.C. is a cool way to make money. All he has to do is read the “Johnny just come” expression on the face of the newcomer and he becomes a prey. You guess right, he would be robbed of all that if he manages to escape without been badly beaten. So don’t blame Eko people when they are walking on the streets without smiling because your smile may make you an easy prey. Most frowning faces are obvious in the early hours of the morning and the evenings, the time people go to work and come back from work as this is caused either by the traffic or by you trying to put the fear of God into the mind of the Conductors.

Dwelling a bit on the house structure, the face to face house is the best house to experience the bitter-sweet life of Eko. Built In the order of room entrances facing each other with different occupants, a general bathroom, kitchen and toilet. The best way to survive in such residence is “don’t have an enemy, don’t have a friend” especially in that building with you. The common thing about this house structure is that it is mostly inhabited by the average to the lower class level of citizens, people from different ethnic groups, literates and illiterates, spinsters and bachelors. With these different levels of reasoning due to background and status, there is a high level of verbal and physical assaults. Some landlords got so tired of having policemen coming around to arrest one tenant or the other that they noted a particular ethnic group as trouble maker and started using it as criteria to lease out their houses.

According to Eko landlords, these particular ethnic groups are known for dragging landlords to court, fighting other tenants or the landlord at times. This made majority of them to consider state of origin as a condition for leasing their houses. However, the beauty of living in these houses could be seen when two tenants fight lashing out destructive words at each other in the morning and chatting together in the kitchen while preparing the evening meals. Although it is not usually so in all cases, as it sometimes generate into a feud; lasting till thy kingdom comes.

For some intelligent children, the face to face house is an avenue to learn the language of their neighbours or co-tenants since the house is mostly occupied by people from various ethnic groups. Men of the house are usually more cordial as the possibility of exchanging blows is minimal compared to the women.

Face me-I face you house as it is sometimes called is also a business venture for Eko landlords, landlords in my city of birth as an history of not only collecting house rents, but also collecting agreement, commission and damages levies that usually supersede the house rent itself. So when they say you make quick money in Eko, you now know how.

Oh! My city of birth, though I am sometimes happy and relieved when I leave you, when I come back, it seems as if the missing part of me is back and I begin to appreciate the stress you sometimes bring. Lagos has it is officially known, is the where you see stress making people beautiful.