Dee Documentary Lifestyle

MY AMAZING MAKOKO STORY: LIFE IN LAGOS SLUM

makoko

Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams – Donovan Bailey

So I decided to take my time off writing today and focus on another love of mine, photography.

I concluded my photography training and I wanted something fun, that would tickle readers’ interest. An everyday thingy in Deedees own way. Pictures of a place that reeks of strangeness, poverty but yet outstanding living amidst a cosmopolitan Lagos; Makoko came to mind.

Makoko is a settlement of about 85,000 settlers situated at the Ebuta Metta diversion just below the Third Mainland Bridge. You will see the settlement if you are coming from the Mainland towards the Island through 3rd Mainland bridge.

Naijdotcom described Makoko as unlivable, Wikipedia termed it the Venice of Africa, even Aljazeera claimed that it is a small fishing village built by fishermen who came from Benin to make money more than a hundred years ago, before it grew into an illegally constructed one-square-kilometer urban settlement.

I remember back in 2012, when I won a scholarship for the Venture in Enterprise and Management Development Programme (VIEMP) at the Lagos Business School (LBS). Slum to School, an NGO focusing mainly on the malnourished in the society partnered with the LBS project for a “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) at Makoko. The scene was unbelievable and the hustle and the terrible environment provoked my interest. I wanted to come back and here I am.

I spoke of my plans with my friend Adeola Joshua who lives around Yaba, quite close to the community and he was absolutely interested in being a part of LifeLens.

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We got to Makoko at exactly 3:17pm on 12 March and then proceeded to the floating settlement. Segun our tour guide informed us of the need to meet with the Baale, but unfortunately he was not in. That notwithstanding we got the go ahead to move into the community and take pictures.

After haggling with the guy that paddles the canoe, we agreed at a price to paddle his taxi canoe around the slum. Weird though, there were no available life vests to protect us from any form of mishap (I no go try am again in my life) LOL! It was crazy.

The first odour that hit me was that of the brackish water. A very thick nauseous smell is what greets you as you enter the lagoon due to the dirt, poo and all sorts that have piled up over time. Untroubled by the smell, we forged ahead.

Most of the inhabitants in the community are engaged in the fish selling business and I quickly noticed that the air was thick with fumes; smog seeps out from the hundreds of wood-burning kilns and smokehouses all around the community.

Our taxi canoe maneuvered through the informal canal which serve as routes in the community. Hawkers were selling their wares along these informal canal as if it was the Sabo/Yaba market. From a mobile boutique to a local “Buka”, life is as enjoyable as living on the mainland.

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To satiate your lustful desires is a floating hotel very close to Timi’s barbers shop where you can decide to have a romp depending on your agreement with the seller of the ‘good’ if you know what I mean… (winks)

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Not to forget are the “agberos” that we met along our way to the floating school who asked for N5,000 before we could pass through a canal, surprised but motivated to move on, I negotiated with these guys and parted with some amount of money, and we continued our adventure on water.

I know what would be going through your mind, was Deedee not scared, oh! I was. The fact that there was no life vest made matters worse. Anyways, our nerves were calmed a little when Segun (our canoe paddler) told us we had not gotten to the deep part ‘yet’.

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We could not get to the floating school though. How disappointing that was, and it was because yours truly was scared stiff.

I was able to take awesome pictures of the environment, the floating school and we even got a Makoko View of the Third mainland bridge because we were so close.

My Take: Makoko is as amazing as it sounds, people live in such agonizing conditions and there has been no evidence of endemic or pandemic outbreak  over the years. Amazing!

I could have written more! Let me stop here and allow my timelines of pictures do justice to the rest. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Makoko. Wouldn’t you? See pictures after the cut:

He had no water to wash the fishing net and so decided to wash using the lagoon water

He had no water to wash the fishing net and so decided to wash using the lagoon water

Flora on her way to Yaba to sell her wares

Flora on her way to Yaba to sell her wares

Work! Work!! Work!!!

Work! Work!! Work!!!

'We created our even amusement park for ourselves'. Little kids playing in the dirt

‘We created our amusement park for ourselves’. Little kids playing in the dirt

A friendly girl selling her biscuits and 'chocomilo' on the lagoon!

A friendly girl selling her biscuits and ‘chocomilo’ on the lagoon!

Back from School, let's hang out! Kids taunting the taxi canoes on the lagoon

Back from School, let’s hang out! Kids taunting the taxi canoes on the lagoon

Mobile Boutique on the lagoon

Mobile Boutique on the lagoon

Oga snap me. He is having his fun and decided tp pose for the camera

Oga snap me. He is having his fun and decided tp pose for the camera

Just behind the 3rd Mainland Bridge is VI, see it?

Just behind the 3rd Mainland Bridge is VI, see it?

Looku Looku

Looku Looku

The Popular floating school, we could not move near

The Popular floating school, we could not move near!

I have played my own part. I have been able to show through these pictures that regardless of your situation, look at these pictures above, reflect and thank God for your life!

Now it is time to play your own part. Click the like button and share button below to share this post with your friends and family.

Let us make them see what is going on in the slums so that they would be motivated and thank God for their present situation!

If you have seen this and thanked God for your life. Don’t you want your friends to see these pictures too?

 

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22 Comments

  • Reply
    VinceKoni
    April 16, 2016 at 10:30 am

    Nice one uncle Deedee. Good write-up and use of catchy expressions. But wait o, who do EQAR for you? Need to watch the “typos”. Ride on bro. The only way is up.

    • Reply
      Deedee
      April 16, 2016 at 11:26 am

      LOL!…Thanks for your feedback and corrections smart sire, please send your charge out rate and invoice..hehe

  • Reply
    Martins Cole
    April 16, 2016 at 10:46 am

    People actually live here? Damn! Cant they like clean up the environment or something?

  • Reply
    joshua
    April 16, 2016 at 11:20 am

    I just hope u realise that u are starting to carve a niche, owning d space. Am proud, I really am. Still waiting on a follow up to this and the part 2 of love letter. Lol

    • Reply
      Deedee
      April 16, 2016 at 11:28 am

      Josh Josh! Thanks for the feedback, needed it for motivation. Please watch this space for more!

  • Reply
    Charles
    April 16, 2016 at 1:22 pm

    Nice write-up. Very Inspiring

    • Reply
      Deedee
      April 16, 2016 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks Charles

  • Reply
    Charles
    April 16, 2016 at 1:22 pm

    Nice

  • Reply
    Joshua Adeola
    April 16, 2016 at 1:39 pm

    This is nice. It brings back the memories of that day. But ehn my face strong oo. Like pako.

  • Reply
    Perfecta
    April 16, 2016 at 2:11 pm

    Wow. Great!

  • Reply
    Perfecta
    April 16, 2016 at 2:12 pm

    Wow. Great! Weldone Deedee.

  • Reply
    funmi
    April 16, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    This is another world entirely,just imagining people still live this kind of life and yet still survive.Just realised that I’m some how lucky to be where I am today.Nice write up

  • Reply
    JoJo
    April 16, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    With this blogpost I know what to expect if/when I visit Makoko. Thumbs up Deedee

  • Reply
    Olubunmi Mabel
    April 16, 2016 at 10:12 pm

    Strange world in a usual word. Kudos for exploring!

  • Reply
    Oyindamola Abbatty
    August 2, 2016 at 2:32 am

    Growing up, I spent some years in Makoko (although in the not-so-slummy area). It was actually not that bad, especially going to the Yandoro market, where fishermen come to sell their crabs and big fish almost as tall as a ten-year old me back then. This post made me nostalgic. Thumbs up. By the way, great photography, we should do a shoot sometime.

    • Reply
      Deedee
      August 3, 2016 at 9:41 pm

      At your service, Oyindamola, whenever you are ready. Deedee is…

  • Reply
    ITy
    August 12, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    Living their will give you strong character by force

  • Reply
    Queenlawunmi
    August 28, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    Wow!!! This is an amazing story! Thanks for showing us what it is like to live in the slums, thanks for bringing their stories out. These people are survivors ooo! Ku ise dear, expecting more of this, nice job you are doing here.

    • Reply
      Deedee
      August 28, 2016 at 10:34 pm

      Thank you for your feedback Queen.

      We intend to inspire people with stories like this. I hope you have shared with your friends?

      Be on the look out for more!

  • Reply
    BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT : ADETOLA ADEGBOHUN – as told by moyin
    December 13, 2016 at 11:39 pm

    […] community a while back and it really was inspiring to read about them. You can read all about it here and here Here is a little about […]

  • Reply
    Debs
    January 18, 2018 at 7:38 am

    Wow, this gave me chills. I’m ever thankful for my life.

    This is a beautiful documentary, Dee. Welldone

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