This Is My Lagos #MyEkoSeries 005

Living is Lagos is crazzzzyyy, oh my goodness! It absolutely requires some sort of expertise to survive in this ever-moving, ever-rushing, ever-noisy, ever-dusty, ever-angry, and yet, ever-bubbling city that is the apple of Nigeria’s eyes.

With how crazy the city is, man, aren’t there hundreds of people still flooding into it on a daily basis, looking for greener pasture. Well, I’m one of them. I won’t be surprised if you reading this are one of us too.

As Adekunle Gold already sang it in his hit song, Ire:

“The grass is greener on the other side… That’s what I thought before I took the ride”

Without doubt, there are lots of opportunities imbedded in this Lagos – for those who know what they are doing – but damn… it gets really hard to get your hands, even a single finger, into the big treasure pot, because what brought you to Lagos is the same reason tens of thousands others have migrated into the yellow-bus city. With well over 21 million people fighting for a space on a 1,171 km² land mass… Yeah, it is a serious hustle.

Sometimes, most times, I forget Lagos is a state. It just feels like one big city with no state or capital, just major streets and landmarks.

Eko akete

Eko ilu ogbon

To ba duro, wa gbe e lo, 

To ba weyin wo, wa gbe e lo 

Meaning; Lagos the land of the smart ones where you cannot afford to dull yourself else, you will be forced back to your village. Hey, read about how I was rubbed twice in Lagos here.

---

I remember always saying, “Me, I can never live in Lagos. Never ever!”

“Not with all their crazy hustles and bustles and rushed life. Lailai, I can and will only go visiting”

Well… here I am now, like a ton others like me, trying all I can to understand and adjust to the lifestyle of Lagos and I’ve been doing this for two years and some weeks.

Pheeew!

Who would have thought, right?

***

Why did I move to Lagos?

It’s no news that Lagos is the hub of entertainment in Nigeria and in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I literally live, breathe, think, eat and drink entertainment.

After much deliberation, I handed in my resignation at the radio station I was working in Ogun State, packed my bags and off I came to Lagos in the first quarter of 2018, in search of greener pasture.

How has the search been?

I wasn’t expecting Lagos to be immediately smooth and rosy, but boy, first few weeks after my relocation; I started to question if the move was right.

I attended countless auditions. So much so that I earned the nickname, “Audition Queen”. Cost of living here is so freaking high that I was broke in no minute. Savings got dried up like methylated spirit yet no callbacks. Chai! I thought I was suffering with the merger salary I was receiving at my former workplace, but Lagos redefined hunger for me. I was always hungry, almost to the point of starvation. {Watch out for more details in my Memoir}

Dearest #Galaxy, Lagos is not an easy place for a hustling creative with no financial backings. Everybody is doing what you are doing. Heck, everybody can do what you can do! It then boils down to ‘who get leg pass’ or ‘who fit open or bend am pass’. BUT of course, there is the time-and-chance-happen-to-all set.

As if the hunger and numerous “We’ll get back to you” were not enough, I got evicted from where I was staying. Hehehe… it wasn’t even funny. I was going to find the NCCF hostel at Iyana-Ipaja to stay until I figured things out but luckily, one of my oldest friends came to my rescue –God bless his heart. He housed me for about a year and again, I got evicted. Only that this time, it was impromptu eviction. Gosh! I was too scared to cry. What was I to do? I couldn’t go back home. That wasn’t even an option.

My aunt said maybe it’s a good thing, I can finally move on from Lagos but damn, I wasn’t ready to give up. I never give up. I am legit the most tenacious person I know, no caps.

The next day after my eviction, I packed a small travel bag and my laptop (Goodbye, Mine) and left Lagos with a promise to myself that I would be back in three months.

That was funny and sounded unbelievable to the few persons I told, even Bobo, because they knew I had no plan, no money, no nothing –just my zeal and passion worn on my sleeves and my faith in God. I stayed at my uncle’s place working on a script while praying and trusting God for a miracle. At exactly three months after I left Lagos, I got a job offer from Lagos asking me come in for an interview the next day. God answered my prayers but then, I had no place to stay.

You must be thinking my village people were after me, right?

Did the village people get me?

Nah, my God is bigger than them…LOL.

My gift of friendship came through for me, yet again.

Quick advice; get you friends who believe in you and you, them. People who can go the whole nine yards for you, and vice versa. Otherwise, why are you guys friends in the first place. Friendship, in my opinion, should be a symbiotic relationship.

Anyway, that was how I found my way back to this polluted city where everyone is always in a hurry to God-knows-where.

I, who had said I’d never ever live in Lagos, got the opportunity to ‘escape’ yet I fought and dragged my behind back.

Why? Why did I come back to Lagos?

I came back because I’m resilient and I can persevere.

I came back because I have a burning hunger in me and I know I can get what I want in Lagos. It didn’t matter anymore if Lagos is a crazy place. I wanted back in. A setback wasn’t going to be the reason I left. Believe it or not,

Lagos is intoxicating 

Lagos is addictive

Lagos is Lagos. 

When you are in Lagos, the stress and traffic you’ll face to locomote from one destination to another is enough for you to crave the peace and tranquility of another town but nope, people like me will always find our way back here. We won’t be called hustlers if we didn’t hustle now, shey? So yup, I came back to Lagos because I’M A HUSTLER.

It’s been over two years since I made that move. And believe me when I say it hasn’t been rosy –far from it actually. I’ve passed through hell. Nevertheless, here I am still fighting, hustling, keeping faith and totally (maybe not totally sha) enjoying the ride.

I have earned the right to boldly say… THIS IS MY LAGOS.