Arguably one of the most popular places in Lagos State, Ajegunle has been described as a community that epitomises the entity called Nigeria. It is a community, as posited by some, that swims in the pool of neglect, tragicomedy and absurdities.
It is believed to share certain similarities with communities such as Trenchtown in Jamaica as well as the slums in the northwest and southeast regions of Soweto of South Africa, where many residents rank among the poorest in Johannesburg.
Like Nigeria as a nation, the strength of Ajegunle lies in its ethnic diversity as virtually every major tribe and religion in the country are well represented; there are numerous Yorubas, countless Ibos, many Efik and Ibibio natives as well as a handful of Hausas, among others. They have all been co-habiting for decades with very few recorded cases of rancour or in-fighting.
Also known as AJ City, Ajegunle is a Yoruba word which literarily means ‘fortune has landed.’ Therefore, in a community that has such an enviable name, one would ordinarily expect to easily find an evidence of fortune.
However, the situation at Ajegunle is far from what its name suggests. It is a community that exudes raw poverty, neglect, infrastructural decay and squalor. It is not uncommon to see houses, especially those on a street called Olodan, off Ezeagu Street, built with planks on a piece of land which is so soft that by merely walking on it one would have a sensation of sinking.
Such shacks are usually ‘painted’ with old carpets which are cut like ribbons and pasted on the shacks with glue. Rows of tube-like structures made from corrugated aluminium sheets which serve the dual purpose of toilets and bathrooms can be seen standing just a few metres from the shacks just at the edge of a huge canal covered with plants and filth.
All an individual who wishes to answer the call of nature needs to do is to defecate inside a black polythene bag and afterwards ‘shot-put’ the content into the canal, which, needless to say, reeks of human filth.
Nigerian Tribune’s journey into the heart of Ajegunle started from Godo Bus Stop area of the community. This was after a somewhat shortcut leading to the community had been taken from the Otto-Wharf end of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
The road at this point was observed to be very narrow, muddy and dirty, which needless to say made walking on it very difficult.
Nigerian Tribune interacted with some of the denizens of the community, where a resident in his late 20’s, and who identified himself simply as Paul, revealed that life in the community could be ‘very radical’ and ‘restless,’ as every resident is expected to be a hustler.
He claimed that Ajegunle had its own system of doing things, and everyone was expected to watch his own back. “There is no need for the police to work in Ajegunle, we fight our own battles in our own way without necessarily involving the police, who had, in time past, added to the woes of Ajegunle. But since the Police have left us alone, there has been a high level of rest, peace, and tranquillity in the entire Ajegunle.”
Paul, who claimed to have been living in Ajegunle for over 10 years, admitted that the unkempt nature of many parts of the community had made him to have the mindset of not raising a family in Ajegunle.
The filth that has become almost synonymous with life in AJ City could be observed in places, such as Ezeagu Street, Ishaga Close, Boundary, among others. In those places, scores of children could be seen playing amid filth.
Nigeria’s comedians have overtime adduced the word ‘pikin,’ which is the general Nigerian Pidgin English world for a child, to children of the poor or low-income members of the society.
They probably had Ajegunle in mind when formulating this idea, as virtually every kid in Ajegunle is usually referred to as a pikin. “Na where you put my pikin,” one woman was heard yelling at a young girl in one of the sections visited.
Curiously though, true to what has been comically portrayed by various comedians, Ajegunle ‘pikins’ are very strong, healthy and energetically, as they can be seen always running and playing around almost half naked without a care in the world. How they manage to look healthy and strong despite the sea of refuse that surround them still remains a mystery.
A group of kids were spotted playing at Olodan Street, where it was the turn of a young boy to retrieve a ball he had been playing with his colleagues from the canal. Like a flash, the young boy expertly waded his way through the murky water of the canal which was full of faeces and other filth. Beaming with smile after taking hold of the ball which had been smeared with blackish fluid from the canal, the boy hurled it back to his colleagues and the play continued.
At another section, a young boy was seen rowing paper boats he had made in an open flowing gutter, while at the same time, at the other end of the gutter, a much younger ‘pikin’ was busy emptying his bowels into the same gutter.
Like Nigeria, the strength of Ajegunle lies in its ethnic diversity as virtually every major tribe and religion in the country are well represented; there are numerous Yorubas, countless Ibos, many Efik and Ibibio natives as well as a handful of Hausas, among others. They have all been co-habiting for decades with very few recorded cases of rancour or in-fighting.
If the birthplace of pidgin English in Nigeria, as opined by some people, is Warri in Delta State, then its place of maturity is Ajegunle, as it is very common to see everybody – adults, young men and women, including kids speaking fluently in pidgin English without batting an eyelid.
During Nigerian Tribune’s visit, at a popular street called Nosamu, scores of people had gathered round a bunch of sweating young men who were busy playing football barefooted on a busy road. At the sound of a coming vehicle, they would all momentarily make way for the vehicle to pass, while play resumed soon after.
No other place is the phrase ‘no dull moment’ better fits than Ajegunle, as evident in its night life, for as at early as 7.00pm hundreds of bars spring to life in a very competitive atmosphere, each bar tries to outdo the other in songs and style.
Places such as Mba street, Saint Mary Lodge, Godo, Achapko, among others have many residents who are from the eastern part of the country, therefore, it not uncommon to see different umunna meetings (town folk meetings), where cola nuts and liquor are shared amid shouts of “Igbo kwenu,” on Sundays.
“We live in a community where it is ‘every man for his own and God for us all.’ We have been practically left on our own by the government. We build our bridges by ourselves and also provide water and security for ourselves,” a resident at Boundary area, Mrs Rose Ahanna, disclosed.
Another resident, Mr Chidi Ikezia, who claimed to have been living at Ajegunle for over 20 years, disclosed that life in the place had become a normal thing to him. “I have been living here for more than 20 years. I am used to the kind of life people live here, and though, as a man who knows that there are better things in life, I would have loved to live in a better environment, this is where I can afford to stay. I have no regret, and I am happy,” he stated.
But another resident, Miss Uche Okafor, who said that she moved to Ajegunle just a few years ago because of circumstances beyond her control, stated that she could not stop thinking of when she would leave, adding that many sections of the place needed the kind of treatment that was meted out to Maroko some years ago.
“This is not an ideal place where I would ever want to spend the rest of my life. In fact I am here because of something I am going through. As soon as I sort things out, I will leave. Many places have become a haven for criminals, and therefore they need massive purging.” she declared, while adding that, “the place is overcrowded and highly congested. There are many houses that have more than thrice the number of people who should ideally be living in them. Security is poor, and almost all the houses here are clustered and people live and move in swarms like bees.”
Miss Okarfor’s sentiments about security challenges at ‘AJ City,’ was re-echoed by another young resident and a fruit seller in his 20s, Mr Nonso Onyegbulam, who stated that the major challenge residents often faced was poor security.
“Here, it is not uncommon to see the boys coming out at night to raid shops. In fact, I know of a particular shop that has been robbed about three times already. Many of those who engage in such acts, I believe, live among us, and they are likely to be some of the young men who are often seen loitering without any identifiable means of livelihood,” he disclosed.
Flood problems
Lagos State generally is not new to flood-related problems, as from year to year, especially during the rainy season, many of the state’s communities were often marked as flood-prone zones, and residents often warned to relocate elsewhere for the duration of the rains. Ajegunle is one of such communities.
When Nigerian Tribune visited the community, there were telltale signs that it had recently battled with another round of flood-related problems, as sections of Godo Street area of the community were observed to have been submerged in flood water that was made worse by blocked drainages and waterways.
Land of talents
Perhaps in line with Stevenson Robert Louis’ poem, which says“…….. Little play in grassy places………… Children grew to be kings and sages,” it was gathered that it was from such football competitions played in the streets of Ajengunle, such as Nosamu Street, that popular footballers such as Taribo West and Emmanuel Amunike developed and horned their football skills and prowess.
Apart from serving as the place of birth and childhood of these Nigeria’s soccer greats, Ajegunle, just like Trenchtown in Jamaica which was the birthplace of the legendary reggae singer, Bob Marley, also accounts for a number of other established stars, especially those in the music circle such as the “If you see my mama” crooner – Daddy Showkey, and the award winning hip hop singer, Oristafemi, among others.
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