MAKOKO...THE CITY THAT SLEPT AWAY WITH TIME

In the morning give thanks…’for food… give thanks…
For shelter give thanks…
For good health …give thanks

Sometimes in life, we are so consumes by our won insatiable quest for things that makes us comfortable and able to live life to the fullest, so much s o that we forget to appreciate the simple things that has freely been given to us.

For the fifth edition of Nigeria’s biggest fashion, Modeling & beauty international mag, F.M. & B. after much consideration, the editorial team decided to do an exclusive on a community that once was the cynosure of all eyes but gradually slipped away with technological

development...

The City Time forgot.

(standing on a heap of reffuse which has become home to many...In Makoko!)

In our mag FM&B, we have a page we call street life. Like the name indicates, it's about life on the streets of Lagos and the way of life of Lagosians. In the last edition, we did the area boys and street kids, this time we decided to go to a place that used to a city of life....

The city called MAKOKO…

a small community in the Yaba Local Government area of Lagos State. Majority of the people who live there are the Ilajes and the Eguns, from the Western part of Nigeria. Their main occupation is fishing.

This is how they live...their homes are made of wood and built on water. When it rains, well you and I can only imagine their plight...

The community has only one government school (primary).It does not have any general hospital; the closest is at Ebute Metta, that’s about 20 min. drives from the community.The community depends on bore hole water, and the other good source of water for drinking is one they have to buy daily, depends on the size of family and water usage.


This is how they move from one part of the community to the other...via a little boat. Walking long distances is usually not advisable, except you're a good swimmer because the planks they use to construct their bridges aren't very strong and could give way at any minute.


If you want to go from one section of the community to another and don't want to go via the boat, maybe because you're not going very far, then you can cross this 'bridge'. It's a single plank that can break at any minute.


This is their kitchen.


Behind is their bathroom. The bathroom is also built on water and not very private. If you cared to, you could see a naked person having a bath.

While we were doing this story, so many things kept coming to my mind…

This is their playground, on a pile of rubbish


This is their only source of drinking water.

Here's the little girl again with another little one. See how close they are to the gutter? And there's no one around checking on them. One of the residents we spoke with said they've had cases of children falling into the gutters. Some of them survive it, some don't.

Talking to some of the residents of Makoko

(Linda Ikeji & a resident)

Despite their living conditions, the residents of this community are friendly, helpful and very accommodating.

The Team: Oteri Agboro, linda ikeji, Gbemi Mowarin and My Self.

I dare say that if only some of us would take time out to experience this city, the life and the way of life, we would without any option
Understand poverty and appreciate it more…
Appreciate the life that has comfortably been given to us freely…
Understand kindness and the worth of a simple smile.

despite the poverty, deprivation and suffering we witnessed, we still I still found reason to smile...

As you go went through those pictures, I sincerely pray that you were able to see reason(s) to daily be thankful and above all, how to add a meaning to that next life by your side and also bring a smile to that face that you have over looked cos you felt it wasn’t your business…

Remember, life is like a flowing river, you never know when the river you helped to flow will become that same river you will need to quench a future thirst,