THINGS WE SEE IN LAGOS (4)

 Hey Beautiful People!

It's a few more days before we wrap up the month of March. You remember in our last post I was checking up on you just to know what you have been up to. I hope March was a remarkable month for y'all.

Like I promised, we continue our #thingsweseeinlagos series you can read up if you missed any of the previous episodes.

So today's post is an encouragement for someone. Let me first apologize if I gave you the impression that nothing good can come out of Lagos, please forgive me in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Not wanting to spill the beans, do enjoy this episode.

My Lagos Experience

Lagos! The land of crazy experiences and even wilder people! Lagos, the fast-paced land of smart people! Lagos, the land of opportunities. Lagos, the land where you could lose those opportunities in the heavy traffic and then find others; Lagos, the land that belongs to everyone and no one.

When many people talk about their Lagos experiences, they usually describe how someone tried to scam them, how they got down with the crazy conductor, got stuck in traffic for seven hours, or something of that sort. All you need is to strike up a conversation with the Lagos breeds, and they would spill countless stories of gore and gall, joy and glee! But mine is quite the contrary. Lagos has been kind and gentle to me and I hope that it stays that way. Can somebody shout amen?!

For one, I would not call myself a Lagos girl. I am just learning work. I was born in Lagos but I was mostly an omo get inside until we relocated to Ota when I was ten. Then, my Lagos experiences became limited to occasional visits and walk-throughs, especially whenever I was returning from Ibadan, where I had my university experience. I only moved back here after NYSC in search of the golden fleece! Wait, that is an idiom for getting an education! I sha came back to Lagos to find money. So, my adult experiences have been limited to the six or seven months I have spent here.

My opinion of Lagos has been one of aversion. I always thought that Lagos was a place where you had to clutch your bag more firmly, shine your eyes wider and sharpen your tongue to give fire for fire. It was the last place I ever wanted to work or live as I also felt Lagos was a place that decreased the life expectancy of its inhabitants. So, I even strongly advised my friends who were thinking of relocating to Lagos against it. Perhaps, that is why Lagos has been kind to me.

So, as God would have it, after NYSC, I couldn’t get a reasonable job anywhere else. Then I had no choice but to start applying to companies in Lagos. I was amazed when my very first attempt was a walkover. Immediately I applied, I got called for an interview and voila, I had a fairly reasonable job. Lagos is not as bad as they always say, I thought to myself. I only had to get somewhere to stay because as close as they say Ota is to Lagos, to commute to and from there daily na still die. So, I called my cousin who lived near my new office to inform her that I would be staying with her for some time.

She declined!

What?! I wasn’t even calling for permission. I had my bags packed already!

She explained that there were some problems with her apartment and so she could not help my situation. I felt my dreams fading away. I started calling every Tom, Dick and Harry I knew in Lagos to help me all to no avail. Well, na to unpack that bag and return to my “kindly find attached and best regards” na him remain o! My friend advised me to call the company and tell them about my plight before giving up. I was skeptical at first. Who does that? Reluctantly, I sent a mail about the issue at hand and surprisingly, they responded that they were going to get back to me. Wow!

Shortly after, they called me and informed me that one of the staff had offered to put me up with her for free while I sorted my accommodation issues out. I was flabbergasted. In this Lagos? I neverexperredit!

That was how I came to Lagos o… On the goodwill of a stranger! She put me up, sometimes fed me, shared her bed and her room until I was able to find my feet.

She radically changed my opinion of Lagos and Lagosians. Even though Lagos could be crazy, unsafe and filled with danger, it still has many outstanding people and terrific experiences.

*omo get inside- a sheltered child

*na still die- would be deathly difficult

* na him remain- was all that was left

* I never experredit- I didn’t expect it.

 

Written by Oluwakemi Makinde

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I hope today's post helps you see Lagos differently and encourages you that there is always an opportunity to flourish even in the midst of harsh reality. Enjoy the rest of your week and month.

#staysafe

#stayhealthy

#staypositive

#spreadlove

Photo credit: Meme Generator.

© Onyinye Udeh

© Onyinye Udeh