₦airaland Forum

Makoko is a settlement of about 85,000 settlers located at the Ebute Metta diversion, just below the third mainland bridge.
This article tells the tough conditions residents in Makoko, a slum neighborhood located in Lagos, western Nigeria, go through to survive daily life.

Makoko is a town surrounded by water, illegally occupied according to the government but people are staying on. It’s a town with diverse cultures and traditions. Majority of the occupants are Egun, quite a large number of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa also reside there. The area has a traditional leader called the Baale.

Anyone can already guess the nature of job in Makoko Community without being told. For the residents of Makoko, “life is good, as long as we catch lots of fishes to sell, either fresh or smoked” says Baba Ibeji, an housing agent.

Majority rely on produce from the sea for livelihood, either by being fishermen – mostly men, selling fresh or smoked fish- mostly women, dredging for construction sands.

They make their own fishing nets and canoe to move around on the water, each household has at least two canoes, one for the parents and the other for the children to go to and from school “the paddle is our key, just like car keys so we keep it safe” says one of the children.

Everyday is the same in Makoko, they go about their lives normally. The community is full of creativity, creativity forced to spring out from their reality of life on water.

Schools, religious houses and hospitals are all built on water. There’s a popular hospital where patients are attended to by white men, its called The Floating hospital; it’s like a hospital on patrol, it moves from one place to the other; but always on the water.

Although they are surrounded by water, the water is unhygienic for drinking. A few people in this community buy water from the Lagos State Water Cooperation and they resell at a fee, they hawk the water in big yellow kegs or small drums in their canoe and paddle from house to house every morning, and sometimes in the evening too.

Trading of anything and everything goes on, on water. Women and children selling cooked food, provisions, cooking ingredients like tomatoes, vegetables and pepper, clothes, soft drinks and even drugs on the water: it’s called “the moving market” says Micheal. Most of the floating houses have stores where they buy and sell household items and provisions in front. They have accepted this life on water, and adjusted to it over time.

“The people of Makoko live a very simple life, everyone does one thing or the other to survive, we don’t look down on one another or judge anyone. “Survival” is our theme here” says Micheal, a student of Adeyemi college of Education Ondo State.

Buyers who live outside the community flood the Asejere fish smoking market, popularly called Better Life market; everyday. Most of the buyers are interested in the seafood: fish, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, snails and also fresh vegetables, fruits and other items. “We get buyers from far and wide everyday, because everything here is cheap and affordable” says one of the market women.



Floating houses built with plank goes for three thousand Naira, while those built with aluminum and PVC goes for three thousand five hundred Naira. Both type of houses still have one thing in common : toilet and bathroom hangs by the side of the house: residents have to bath, urinate and defecate in the water, they also do their laundry with these water except for a few that can buy water for this purpose.

As the reporter journeyed along, she came across a banner advertising a brothel: Olobiyi Hotel. There are a few other brothels where girls live for short term to get their business up and running, “Most of the runs girls you see at night live and work from here, some of these girls go to yaba, Allen and Ikeja at night; some of them are students of various university and polytechnics” Says Micheal

“To live here in Makoko you have to be smart” says a bike rider

Although Makoko is highly polluted and inhabitable, the people are very enterprising. The huge market for seafood, creativity and tourism will always attract people to this floating community.


Read More On officialuniqueblog.com.ng

Toyin took us to her Pastor at Felele, an outskirt of the town. Good morning sir, this is Nneka and her husband, the one I spoke to you about. We greeted the pastor at the same time. He was an elderly man in his 60s but he was still full of life. He greeted us and asked us to narrate our challenges. I took the
stage because my husband is an extrovert and he hardly give details. While I was talking the pastor kept
shaking his head in pity
 
After all my stories, he said the next thing was confession of our sins. I knew we were going to have problem with that because I doubt if my husband would want the old man to hear what we did with Prophet Ade. I raised my head and starred at my husband and he turned his face away, then I got the signal. The old man was patiently waiting for us to confess our sins. I was the one who broke the silence, sir we are all liars, we keep malice sometimes, we skip our tithe most times and other sins we do daily unconsciously. The man sighed loudly and began to speak in tongues.
I was not wayward but I knew I have committed an abortion before and I have never told my husband about it. Not even Toyin knew anything about the abortion. It was a secret I had kept for a long time.
Could that be the source of our childlessness baba wants us to confess? But how can God block my womb for just one abortion yet I have seen many who lived a dirty lives with several abortions who have
good marriage and wonderful children today. This can’t be the reason, I waved the thoughts away. Baba insisted he won’t pray for us if we don’t confess the main sin that had rendered us childless. I excused
my husband, is there anything you know that we need to confess? Nothing more than what I have told
you before, he replied.
 
We went back to baba, sir we have thought and flashed back but can’t remember anything we did that
we have not confessed. He didn’t argue with us but refused to pray for us, not even a word of prayer. As we drove back home my husband did not utter a word as he drove. I turned from the front seat and
looked at Toyin, I thought you said your pastor is powerful and he could help us? Yes, she replied. He
had helped many other people and the testimonies are everywhere.
Deaconess Adeola waited for fifteen years before she met with papa and today she has been blessed
with two boys. Dr Ogun and his wife had no child when they joined our church five years ago but today
they have a son. I believe your case won’t be different. The same God who did for Deaconess Adeola and
Dr Ogun will do it for you. She encouraged us.
 
When we got home that night we barely talked to each other over the issue. I didn’t want Kassim to ask
me if I have something I haven’t confessed. I have told him everything about my paste except for the
abortion. I really don’t want him to know about the abortion because his reaction may be devastating.
Kassim is a very jealous man who cannot withstand knowing his wife was ever impregnated by someone
he knew. I have confessed to God and he has forgiven me, I can’t open the old wound again. God is merciful and he will not let my sins of many years to be remembered.
 
Kassim’s silence and indifference over what Toyin’s pastor told us worried me a lot but “he that comes to equity must come with clean hands”. I can’t accuse him when I myself is guilty. For one week, none of us said anything about it. Should I go back to baba behind my husband to confess my abortion? What if he insisted I must do the confession before my husband? I can’t stay another year without having my own baby. I need to carry my own child soon. I will summon courage today and talk to Kassim over what
baba said. Maybe he has something he’s hiding, he too must confess it.
 
 
Read Previous Episode Here
 
https://officialuniqueblog.com.ng/2020/05/09/story-abomination-episode-1/

Please come back for Episode 3.

Many a times people go through life’s challenges without knowing the source of their problem.

This was the case of my husband, Kashim Olabisi.

We were married for ten years without an issue. We had done many tests and sought for all manner
of medical help to no avail. We even did IVF twice but they both failed. The second IVF we did in the US
that failed was the first failure in Dr James Daniel’s career. All medical reports pointed to the fact that we were both medically fit to have children but none came after ten years.
Beside childlessness, we had loads of problems in our marriage. My marriage with Kashim was like hell loosed on us. We attempted many spiritualists and prayer houses but we couldn’t get help. Our search
for a baby led us into many abominable things and almost stole our salvation from us. The frustration, humiliation and anxiety was unspeakable. It was so bad that one of the prophets we went to had to sleep with me right in the presence of my husband and then asked my husband to do same thereafter.

Assuring us that his sperm will prepare the ground for my husband’s own to fertilize my egg to enable me conceive. That month, I didn’t get pregnant and he advised we have to repeat the process all over.

Words cannot explain the pain and shame I went through, having sex with a man I didn’t love in the
presence of my husband just because I wanted a child. It will be difficult to believe the second process didn’t give the desired result and we had to do it again. This time for one week non stop. I was having sex with two men at the same time, one after the other in front of each other for eight days.

Toyin my friend, was my saviour who aborted the fourth attempt. We had scheduled to meet with
Prophet Adelaja for two weeks on the same process when I confided in Toyin. What? Toyin screamed.
Are you out of your senses, Nneka? How can you accept to do this dirty thing because you wanted a child? Don’t you know only God gives children and his time is the best? But why? Why? Why? She asked and bursted into bitter tears. This time you are not going back to that wicked and heartless prophet again. In fact, I will get him arrested and make sure he rots in jail. We looked at each other and cried bitterly. Toyin knew what I had been through all these years while trusting God for a child.
Please, Toyin you can’t arrest the man. You want everyone to know what had happened between us?
You would obviously make me and my husband a laughing stock. Please drop the idea of arresting him, I
begged Toyin. She quickly adjusted her emotion and reasoned with me. You are right Nneka but that
man must not go unpunished. Do you know how many other women he must have molested like you?

He must pay for his evil acts. She rained curses on him in her bitterness. But how we both agreed with my husband to do such an abomination is yet a mystery to me.
I will take you to my pastor tomorrow for prayer and counseling. You may also need to carry out some
medical checks on yourself. I just hope he hasn’t infected you with dangerous diseases! It will never be
well with him in Jesus name. This man will not know peace, his children and children’s children will pay
for his evil deeds. I hate him, Toyin boiled. She picked her phone and called her pastor, booking an
appointment with him. I will be coming with my friend, Nneka. Tomorrow was like a year to me, I wished
we could start going immediately.

But how am I going to tell my husband that we are not seeing Prophet
Ade but Toyin’s pastor? I began to think how to convince my husband.

Please come back for Episode 2.

Check officialuniqueblog.com.ng for continuation.

Or https://officialuniqueblog.com.ng/2020/05/09/story-abomination-episode-1/

Action simply mean "To do" but unfortunately almost everyone craves to be successful but find it difficult to act as we all know that the easiest thing to do in life is to make a wish.

Every successful person in the world today wouldn't have been successful if they didn't act upon their wishes and dreams. It takes beyond our imaginations to be successful we have to start "Acting" like someone I know would say "Add something to something to get something" this is just a simple way of telling you to act, keeping doing. Move from where you are.

On a final note, I leave you with this quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe which says "Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."

- Oluwatoyosi Malomo