On a faithful day, my friend and I decided to visit a slum in Lagos Nigeria.
Guided by bus drivers,google maps and the locals, we coursed through the river in a canoe after hilighting from a Siena family vehicle. We were heading to the popular Makoko. Makoko is a small community in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Initially, I felt irritated by the Makoko river because it was black. I could not describe it as a swamp or a lake. Many simply call it a slum. I asked myself, “How are these people surviving?”
Bisola, one of my friends often refer to the settlement as a place full of lessons. Not just lessons, life lesson. He also called it the vernice of Africa.
A mixture of happiness and sadness gushed through my veins when I saw it inhibitants. The children were welcoming and cheerful. Many of them had very little to spend or rely on. However, they remain happy. They smile easily and celebrate warmly with visitors.
Makoko is close to the beautiful side of Lagos, and this closeness highlights a painful disparity between the rich and the poor. In Makoko, there are bars, small hotels, little markets, and many other structures, all built on this blackish river. They also have a school and school buses, which are actually engineless canoes. In its own way, Makoko offers something to its children.
What deeply saddened me was seeing both young and old discharging sewage and refuse directly into the river. At the same time, I saw children drawing water from that same river to bathe.
There is also the burden of malaria. Many children die from malaria, while many others suffer from typhoid. A large number of residents rely on divine intervention and herbal medicine for healing. There is a small medical facility that attends to the sick in Makoko. However, it is poorly equipped.
In Makoko, women commonly give birth in traditional birth centres and poorly equipped health facilities. This reality weighs heavily on my heart.
So, what would I do to Makoko as Mr Santa?
Today, I see Makoko as a happy community that lacks basic infrastructural and communal necessities.
If I could be Santa Claus for just one day, and I truly mean just one day, my gifts would be four major things.
- Accessible drinking water
- A well equipped hospital
- Food
- A functional waste management system
Makoko does not lack happiness. Makoko simply needs a gift that can transform the entire community. The people of Makoko are happy despite having so little, and this shows that money is not the real issue.
I have spoken my heart about the gift. If you want to know more about the people of Makoko, why not check YouTube?
Thank you.