Growing up in the slums of Lagos or as it is popularly called now the trenches. Is not an easy task.
You would see a family of six struggling to live in a one-bedroom apartment, they don’t have the access to basic amenities of life like clean water, good roads, electricity, and so on.
Remy ajenifuja
Hi, my name is Bumi Adebayo and I’ll like to take you on my daily activities in the slums of Lagos. I’m the second child in a family of six, I have three siblings and we live with my parents in a room and parlor in Ajegunle Lagos.
We use a public restroom, a public bathroom, and also use a public kitchen which we all share with our neighbors in the same building. The road is nothing to write home about, The kitchen is barely functional and the toilets and bathrooms are disgusting. We have to wear flip-flops while using the toilet and while taking a bath.
There is usually a long line of people waiting to use the toilets and the bathroom especially early in the morning, so we have to wake up very early so we don’t meet a very long line. Using the kitchen is also a big challenge because we had to be cautious of what we leave there, as to not have anything stolen. I guess that’s the struggle of life.
“Bumi” “Bumi” my mom called.
“Ma” I answered still half asleep.
“ go and fetch water from the well. I want to take my bath” she said.
“ yes, mama,” I replied.
Drifting into the wonderland a few seconds later I forgot I was sent on an errand.
“BUMI” my mom angrily screamed.
“Do you want me to flog you this morning?
Go and fetch water for me before I descend on you this morning” she said with a scream which awakened me instantly.
My mother doesn’t warn you twice.
“I’m already going ma” I replied.
I took a bucket from under the bed but before I was able to leave the house,
“BUMI fetch for me also I’ll soon go to work” my dad demanded.
“Yes sir” I begrudgingly answered.
I took another bucket and while going out I called my junior sister Shade
“Shade come and follow me so we will be fast, “I said.
“Leave me alone joor”
She replied.
“Mummy come and tell shade o tell her to follow me fetch the water “I reported to my mum.
“Shade follow your brother now I don’t have time this morning,” my mom told Shade.
“Ooo yes ma “ she replied.
She gave me a death glare before standing up and following me.
[picture taken by me]
We went to the compound well,
A shabbily built well, we fetched the water and took it to the bathroom for my parents luckily there was no line seeing as it was as early as 5 am.
We have 3 public bathrooms and 3 public toilets which we share with our neighbors.
I told my sister to go call my parents while I stood guard and watched the water.
I left as soon as they got to the bathroom and went back to sleep.
“Bumi” I heard someone call.
“Ooooo what is it now” I replied angrily.
“Are you not eating? come and take your food o” my elder sister jane said.
“I’m coming, what are we eating sef,”? I asked.
“Ewa agoyin (beans)and bread,” she said
“Nice I’m coming” I replied.
My elder sister jane is my padi(close pal) we always have each other's backs.
“Where is Ayo,”? I asked Ayo is our last born.
“He has gone to the shop” shade said.
“Ok,” I answered.
“Why are you not at the shop shade,”? I asked.
“Ooo Bumi leave me alone o let me eat in peace” shade replied.
“You self leave her alone, “ jane said.
“That one concern you(that's your concern)” I said and went to eat my food.
I took my time to make fun of shade while eating my food,
Then I took my bath ready to leave the house and go to my best friend's compound.
If you are wondering, don’t dey go to school?
We do go to a government school around
But seeing as school is on holiday we are home.
Not long I arrived at my best-friends house
“Knock” knock” knock” I banged on his door.
“Who is that”? a voice I know so well asked.
“Idiot come open door joor(idiot come and open the door)” I replied.
“Ah bumi i dey come(ah bumi i’m coming)”he said.
Soon the thin plywood door was open and I went inside.
My best friend gbemi, also live’s in a room and parlor with his parents.
He is the only child of his parents.
“How you dey na(how are you)”? gbemi asked.
“I’m good my bro how momsi and popsi(how are your mom and dad)” I replied.
“Dem dey (they are good) what about you how are your parents and my wife,”?he asked.
“My parents are fine”
“You don come again(you have come again” I replied.
Gbemi has a huge crush on my sister jane.
“Wetin I do woo leave me o(what did I do, leave me alone)”gbemi said.
“Anyways what's the plan for today,”? I asked gbemi.
“I don’t know, I was thinking we go round look for iron to sell to iron condemn guys,” he said.
Condemned irons are usually collected by some people, we call them iron condemn. we give them the iron and are paid for it.
“Make sense”
“Get dressed let us go then” I replied.
We scoured our street first with our polytene bag picking anything metallic in sight, from empty drink cans to aluminum spoons.
We moved to the next street and we did the same.
After about 3 hours, we had our bags filled and we felt accomplished.
Seeing as it was a moving business,
In no time we saw an iron condemn guy moving and we sold what we had gathered to him.
Since we were spent, we decided to go to an amala joint around (amala is a Nigerian dish from the Yoruba tribe).
“Madam please give me 2 raps amala and ewedu with 1 goat meat” I ordered.
[image taken by me]
“I’ll have the same” gbemi said.
We took our food and we sat down to eat.
While eating gbemi started a little conversation.
“Today was stressful,” gbemi said after swallowing a mold of amala.
“You can say that again”
“But it was worth it” I answered.
“Yes it was,” he said.
“If Bill Gates can just give me $1 billion it won’t be bad na,” I say.
“Hahaha,” dey their dey wish ( stay there and be wishing)” gbemi laughed.
“Let's eat fast so we can go play ball,” I tell him.
“Nice idea “he replied.
As soon as we were done eating, we left to go play some street football with our peers.
This was in the evening
My team(set) was dominating the field gbemi was on another team.
Moosa Moseneke
“Goal” we screamed for the umpteen time
Celebrating another goal when we heard a loud bang and people running.
It was a normal thing around here for the police to be chasing criminals, but they do it dangerously without consideration for the other people on the streets.
We all took to our heels as we scampered to safety.
“Why are you running,” jane asked as we barged in.
Gbemi and I ran to my house since it was the closest.
“Police are chasing people” I replied.
“Those people again!”.
“They won’t rest until they kill a new person each day,” she said.
“The world we live in,”gbemi said.
“How are you fine girl,” gbemi said to jane.
“Gbemi leave me alone don’t start” Jane replied.
My parents were not home yet
They usually come back late at night.
When we were sure the dust had settled, Gbemi went home while I reminisced on the happenings of today.
This is a typical day in the slums of Lagos and we survived another day.