A Little Girl’s Contribution to Her Family’s Upkeep

This young girl sells akara every morning before she heads to school to pay for her school supplies and support her parent

 Helping Mama Out!!

“Now that I am on holiday, I decided to help out my mom with her ogi (corn pap) business. It takes roughly 4 days to prepare the ogi, and an additional 2-3 hours to dish them out in small nylon bags after which I take them out to the streets of Lagos to sell. It usually takes a couple of days to sell the entire batch after which we begin the whole process all over again. The profits she makes from the sale of the pap is how my mother is able to pay for my school fees and other bills in the house. And as the first child I often feel the need to help her out whenever I can.”A Father’s Dream

 

 

I was born and bred in Lagos. I’ve done all sorts of jobs ranging from panel beating to politics to being a phone repairer and a driver. I struggled as a young adult and had always hoped of having a bright future. I couldn’t afford to go to school so I made it my life’s goal to ensure my 4 kids attend school. They are doing extremely well which is genuinely making me happy. I’m not one to pick a favorite but if were to pick one I would say my last born is my favorite. She’s 16 years old and aspires to be a surgeon when she grows up. When she was younger she would insist on dressing up as a surgeon whenever they had costume days at school. Now she performs surgeries on lizards, She cuts them and stitches them back up. I initially thought it was insane but hey, she’s happy and that’s all I care about.

 

In Search of Greener Pastures

I moved to Lagos from Abuja in 2012 in search of a better life. Prior to moving, I worked for a media house for 4 years but I wasn’t happy as I have always dreamed of owning my own business. After consulting several of my friends, I decided to establish a small business selling printing materials with the little money I had saved up. As time went by I learnt a lot about the business and the market. I noticed I sold more printing materials between September to February which I attributed to the high numbers of weddings taking place during this period. But in other months, I made very little profit. As a result, I had to pick up tailoring and fashion designing to augment my income. However things haven’t been rosy since I started this business. Fluctuations in prices of materials has been a major challenge. I try to explain this to customers but they immediately think I’m trying to dupe them.
Still, God has been faithful and my business is doing okay. I am happily married and I now make five times what I made when I first started this business. I hustle and work very hard, as I’ve figured that it’s an essential part of being a Lagosian.

 

Helping Each Other Out!

Over the weekend I visited a friend in a hospital around Somolu at around 8pm and just by the entrance of the house next to the hospital, I noticed a group of people surrounding a section of the fence followed by a short queue. Upon moving a little closer I realised they were all queuing up to fetch water from the tap provided by the owner of the house.
On the faces of those who had managed to fetch water in all of that chaos, I saw genuine happiness and satisfaction knowing that they were going to use clean water for their domestic use that evening, and probably for the following day. I thought to myself that the home owner did that for them. He probably didn’t think it a huge deal but he’s impacting a lot of lives. I learnt from some of them that they walked almost a km with big jugs just to fetch clean water.

Moral of the story –
It’s always very convenient to blame the government for everything that is wrong with this country (although they are to blame) and not do anything about it, but I believe if everyone did something nice for the next person or community no matter how small or insignificant they think it is, life would be considerably better. It’s high time we start taking care of ourselves!

 

Hustling to make ends meet

Isékòlowo as Yoruba use to say… This man here in the picture is collecting #1,500 per day for the hard and stressful work he is doing. I know Almighty ALLAH is somewhere watching you. May he show you his mercy.

 

With determination, perseverance and hard work anyone can make it in Lagos!

With determination, perseverance and hard work anyone can make it in Lagos. I was born in Ile Ife, Osun State and I moved to Lagos in 2002. During the first 3 years, I lived in the slums with no hope as a struggling lawyer trying to make something out of himself. I had to survive on a meagre income. I lived in a face-me-I face-you apartment which was behind a canal. So anytime it rained, I would return to a flooded home. I had to wear rain boots (wellingtons) in my home most of the time because the whole neighborhood was partially submerged in water. I remember this particular day it rained, I watched the water level rise and destroy things and I couldn’t do anything about it. The only things I was able to take out were my certificates and other documents. That was a very tough time in my life but I think it made me who I am. Now I own my own law firm which I started in 2011, live in a 3 bedroom apartment in a very good neighborhood and live a very good life. I believe being an innovative and hardworking individual helped turn my life around. Also, I’ve always had this mindset of doing my best at any job and treating it like it was mine. Never give up on yourself

 

Is today’s generation of young people in crisis?

I was born in Lagos but schooled in Jos. My father was a soldier and I had always dreamed of being one myself, but due to medical reasons I had to drop out of the academy. Now I run a ship breaking consultancy firm and work in collaboration with the Nigerian Inland Waterways. The major challenge I face in my line of field is finance. Most banks don’t want to finance small businesses as a lot of them believe it’s too much of a risk. I genuinely feel for the younger generation as there’re so many odds stacked against them. A lot of them go to school thinking once they graduate there’s a job waiting for them or banks ready to sponsor their business ideas. If only that were the case.  The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has really exposed the banks and as a result the banks have little or no money. They need encouragement and job prospects to look forward to but unfortunately there’re none. It really amazes me when I read in the news that the government wants to employ 2 million people when they are yet to pay their current staff and still owe former staff several years of unpaid pension. I’ve come across a lot of people with brilliant ideas but no one to give them support. I still can’t believe this is the present state of the country. It’s quite disheartening.

 

 

Why, Nigerian Universities

I attended CMS Grammer School and I am a graduate of Unilag. When I was 14 I wanted to study medicine. That soon changed to me wanting to study radiology when I was 15 and eventually pharmacy when I was 16. I just figured I wasn’t smart enough and my intelligence quotient wasn’t high enough for medicine so I decided to study pharmacy instead. I didn’t get into the university until after my second JAMB attempt. I remember my dad telling me if I didn’t pass the second time he was going to take me to a mechanic workshop as an apprentice. But of course I never took him seriously. When I finally got in I wasn’t given the course I wanted, instead I was given Human Kinetics and Health Education. A friend of mine who applied to study mechanical engineering at the university was given food technology. I find it really upsetting that Nigerian universities assign courses students have zero interest in. Yet they wonder why they eventually become nonchalant and often cavalier with the course, or why they end up not using their degree after graduation.

 

The Popcorn Seller

I have been selling popcorn for over 3 years now. I was born in Osun State but went to secondary school in Ibadan and then technical school in Lagos. A year after I graduated from technical school a friend of mine also in the popcorn selling business introduced me to it. It doesn’t cover all my expenses and as a result I had to take up barbing as well. Despite the fact that we’re not earning a lot, Lagos KAI task officers make our lives a living hell. So from the little we have, we have to tip them to leave us alone. I’m happily married with my second child on the way and so far we are comfortable. If given the opportunity I wouldn’t mind leaving Lagos.

 

 

Single Mother of 3

I’m a single mother of three. Their father left us when my first child was not more than 5 years old so I’ve pretty much had to take care of them myself. The first business I ventured into was buying and selling of men’s wear. I would go from office to office advertising my wares. I had to stop however when I had my kids, so I could take proper care of them. I then proceeded to selling gift items, pots and stoves. Back then my shop was always full. Lagos is known for having parties every weekend so people would come into my store to buy gifts to take along with them. But due to the recession it seemed more and more people stopped buying wedding presents, which resulted in doing my current drinks selling business. I now open shop everyday hoping someone would patronize me.  But I thank God, things are moving.

The happiest day of my life was last year November when my first born got married. I shed tears of joys on that day as I’ve had to take care of these kids all by myself so it felt extremely rewarding watching her get married. Even her father and some of his relatives showed up on her wedding day.

My goals for the next 5-10 years is to build my own house and buy a car. I’ve suffered a lot in the past so I believe I deserve every good thing to come my way.

Difficult Times in Lagos for Pepper Sellers

During the tomato scarcity last year I couldn’t afford to buy tomatoes on a wholesale basis as a basket of tomatoes that would usually sell for 3000-5000 naira was being sold for about 40,000 naira. I had to rely on other sources of income to feed my family. Buying and selling of tomatoes is the only form of business I’m really good at. My late mom sold tomatoes, so at a very young age I learnt a lot about the business. The recession has really affected the tomato selling business. People may say tomatoes are grown locally and therefore shouldn’t experience a price hike. This might be true, however, the prices of the pesticides used in farming have gone up considerably. Also, due to the increase in fuel prices, truck drivers charge more to transport them from the north. I’ve been selling pepper most of my life and apart from the brief scarcity last year this has definitely got to be the most difficult time of my life. In the past, my shop was always full of customers but as you can see it’s no longer the case. Since morning that I opened shop, I’m just making my first sale this afternoon.

 

 

Palm-Wine Seller

My husband and I are into palm wine selling business. He taps and ferments the palm wine while I’m responsible for selling it and we’ve been doing this business for over a year now. I also sell planks in Ebutte Metta due to the recession to supplement our income. My last husband left me because I couldn’t bear him a child. I remember going to several Churches and synagogues, praying to God for a miracle but I never bore a child. As a result, he chased me out and remarried. Years past and I found my current husband and I couldn’t be happier. However, I’m still not able to bear a child for him. Although he doesn’t complain, it makes me sad I’m not able to give him a child. I constantly pray to God to bless us with one so that our family can be complete.

 

 

 

The Fried Plantain Seller

I resorted to selling fried plantain when I couldn’t afford to rent a shop for my tailoring business, which is what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve been in this business for about 6 years now. I moved to Lagos about 10 years ago from Ijebu Igbo, met my husband shortly after, now I’m married with 4 kids. I love my kids and husband but often times I miss being single. Call me selfish but I sometimes miss the freedom and most things that come with being single. Marriage has taught me to be patient. It has been difficult as a lot of trials and tribulations have come my way but as a Yoruba girl I’ve had no choice but to endure and be patient. I have to say, marriage isn’t for everyone. The last time I was genuinely happy was 10 years ago. Now I’m happy just for the sake of my kids.

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Rendering Assistance in Lagos

About a month ago, a friend of mine who couldn’t stand surety for her husband due to the nature of her job convinced me to and I agreed. She told me her husband was involved in a court case over a piece of land which was supposedly settled out of court, however the case got messy and an arrest warrant was issued for her husband. She told me I had nothing to worry about and that everything was going to be sorted out within a few days, so I stood surety for him. However as soon as her husband was released on bail, he fled the city and was nowhere to be found. As a result, the court issued a bench warrant for my arrest. I went into hiding when I found out and eventually ran to the east. Eventually I found my friend’s husband after several days of searching, dragged him to Lagos and told the court I was no longer interested in being his surety. He was detained and I was allowed to leave. Never in my life will I render such assistance.

 

  The Vulcaniser

“I became a Vulcaniser 18 years ago. I attended nursery and primary school in Ibadan but when my parents told me they could no longer afford to pay for my schooling, I decided to become an artisan. I started out helping an uncle with his cattle rearing business and in a matter of weeks I became very good at it. Over time I got bored with the job and I felt unaccomplished as an individual so I moved down to Lagos to learn vulcanizing which has been very fulfilling. Over the last 18 years I’ve a lot about tyres and if there were to be an exam on tyres I’m certain I would get 100%. I don’t make a lot of money but I’m content with what I have. Both my kids are currently in the University and that alone makes me very happy and accomplished.”