The environment one grows up in really affects the person. It could be positive or negative and in most cases, both.
Nigeria is made up of thirty-six wonderful states. These states are unique in their own ways. They all have different stories to tell.
I'd be focusing on Lagos state today.
That place is both heaven and hell for different people. They are those who moved into or were born into "Government Reserved Areas (GRA)". They could be described as the elites in the state. They are the rich ones who have a constant and steady flow of income for sustainability because staying at a GRA is a whole lot of task on its own.
Moving on, there are the average citizens who are doing just fine. They are employed in one way or the other and they have the ability to live on their own or as tenants in people's houses.
There are those who are below average. They strive everyday for survival. These are probably people with a family of five and without a good paying job. They go into doing little and tasking jobs and the pay doesn't match their efforts. I really respect this set of people because, irrespective of their predicament, they still strive to make a living
And then there are those without a particular job employment. They roam the streets daily in their masses. Sometimes I wonder what it is like to be in their shoes. These are the people who can do anything and everything just to get out of their situation. In the end, self discipline determines what they get their hands into.
Living in Lagos, Nigeria is a very bittersweet experience. Everyone gets their own taste of it all. You hear stories like; a woman was robbed, people are burnt because of trivial
issues, people waking up by 4am to meet-up with appointments because of the traffic congestion and all.
There's a popular but funny phrase, "in Lagos, hold-up also holds pedestrians". This is very true because, humans who walk on their feet also find it very hard to reach their destinations, that's how congested the roads are.
Funny fact is that many people see it as the best place to go in search of greener pastures, they are not wrong in any way.
It's a good thing in a way because it teaches people to be alert and very early for their appointments. A lagosian won't wake up by 6am for a 7am appointment, except he wants to miss the appointment of course.
Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria teaches you many lessons of life, it's left for you to use it to your best advantage and act upon it. My mom has told me stories of how people's belongings would varnish just by a brush by another person in a crowd. Being careful and alert should be the order of the day.
Another phrase goes does, "if you no wise for Lagos, you no fit wise anywhere" meaning, if you're not wise in Lagos, you can't be wise anywhere, because the experiences alone teach you a lot. Experience,they say, is the best teacher. If you'd love to gain your own experience, you could always take a visit to Lagos.
With love, wongi 😊