The land is taken away

Marine bridge is a border entrance to the ghetto slum of Ajegunle where people rally everyday for survival and also, is a link towards Apapa (the industrial site), a place where workers and the poor classes burn energy to multiply the pulse of the top gunners; Is also connected to other places like Ijora-Badia (another slum), Ikeja, CMS,Victoria Island.

This place focuses on what goes on everyday of the millions who strive to feed their belly, hustling day and night to meet-up with the far-reach existence the hand struggle to sustain.

Passing through this “hustling quarter” when in the bus, or possibly exercising the limbs, eyes won’t deny look to see how boys, girls, mothers, fathers, the old of the same people from different tribes in Nigeria come every morning to dig the meaning of life from this meaningless society, where life already is always slaughter by the sword of the faces screen on television that chronically makes the poor bleed agony in experiences, and even psychologically.

This bleed experiences and psychologically trauma weigh ponderous shock in one morning on June, 2012 as the colony when highly busy, and as usual hustling is never scarce in the field to see the day hold water to fill the jug, was terribly painted with morning that mask the faces of the poor with pain that clinches the heart, as the paupers hold their heart in the hand, because of the unleash attack befall on them (us) by the government who has cap that (this) day in ghetto with the footprint of boots, uniform men and state officials commanding that this land should be handed over to their business counter-pact, announcing on top of their authoritative tune to the people to move their rag life away from this land (marine beach); chasing the hungry plates like chased goats to another unbearable conditions they won’t stop  mounting on the head of the poor class.

The tents, the means of survival, the scavenging characteristics and all forms of feeding the belly were all scrapped to the earth by the bigger machine teeth, dipping their larger shovel to up-root the tents, swept the people’s feet and level the ground to the dust with guided gun-men of the state, who threaten the people with fear; intimation and harassment to shot and kill with the license from the authority.

While this act was going on the people begin to run after their petty commodities by protecting their necessity and means of livelihood but they couldn’t, because the attack has a mighty unleashing, falling anything fallible that the government thinks nonsense and eyesore to the environment. So, for this irrational motive, they begin to ensure people are forcefully chased away from the land with disguise of their talk of development, whereas it meant another meaning.

Why this land was militarily taken away after the massive destruction beginning from the edge of the under bridge down to Ijora bustop and the link to Apapa, the people still come back to hustle to feed the dry empty belly, because of no other place to go.

Like the section of the youths from the four poles of Nigeria who majorly scavenge for condemn iron, aluminum materials in the street of Lagos, and after then go back to supply these wastes to the depot at marine beach, means “returns” (money) will be given to them after weighing the value; were still seen coming back to scavenge for wastes materials listed above for survival.

Why this land still mean something meaningful in the life of the poor class who have no place to go, who does some back to hustle to feed the belly, who does come and hang around the place, come every morning to scavenge for existence. Like those youths whose means whose means of livelihood rest upon to buy roast irons and sell to the recycling companies including other poor class.

The thinking behind such is that this land is to be given a new luck of mega city by the government of authority and continue filling the bowl without looking at what their hands always create.  Many of the people that come to hustle in marine beach some lived there, some do not. For the some that live in this don’t have any shelter. They sleep under the bridge.

Before now, levies mount on these people hustling in this squalor commercial center like the motorcyclist (okada riders), hawkers, refuse dumpers, youth who deals on roast irons and materials paid everyday for these levies that do not live the table of the local council. The council is always on the charge of forcing the little pennies out from the pocket of these paupers with either way they know is best.

In the ghetto slum like this the land that was taken away means the parch of life the people live has been taken and left with memory of wondering what to do next in this heart broken existence carved into.