If you are an ardent fan of Nigerian home videos, you might have watched a Funke Akindele's epic film entitled 'Omo Ghetto'. Chukwuma Okparaocha is not a film producer but his visit to some of the slums in Lagos State would interest you than Omo Ghetto. His reports:There are slums allover the world; as amatter of fact, a recent United Nations' report indicated that more than one billion people, especially in third world countries, live in slums. Therefore, Nigeria, which unarguably belongs to this class, has its fair share of slum life as well as activities associated with it.In places such as Ajegunle, Mushin, Badiya, Oworonshoki, among others, it is not uncommon to see piles of refuse close to where people live and children are raised.When Inside Lagos visited some of the places immersed in refuse, where children play amidst filth apparently oblivious of the danger it poses to their health, all normal activities, such as buying and selling, cooking, including worship services, were seen being carried out like in any other places.Many of the houses found in such places do not have toilets, while some have caricatures of toilets where people defecate and 'shot-put' their faeces into nearby bushes or canals. The situation is same for bathrooms, as many cubicle-like stalls made from corrugated iron sheets could be seen erected at various spots where people take their bath, but it is not uncommon to see kids taking their bath in the open.Mrs Chidi Nmaneke, a resident of one of the slums in Ajegunle and mother of three children, revealed that life in slum was not something she was proud of, especially given the highly unkempt nature of the surroundings of where she was living.'I live here not because I desire it, but this is where I can afford for now, because it is suitable for the level of income I make. It is not the best place for children to be raised, I admit, but given the current economic situation in the country and the fact that I cannot afford elsewhere, I have to make do with what I have,' Mrs Nmaneke stated.Mrs Nmeneke's view seems to further accentuate the view of experts that the economic situation of countries plays a major role in bringing about an increase or decrease in the number of slums in the world.Another common feature of some of the slums visited is the availability of makeshift bridges usually constructed with planks by residents as a way of aiding movement and ameliorating the suffering of people, considering the fact that most slums are often located near canals or have soils that are poorly drained, thereby making them to be prone to water logging.When asked if she loved her current living condition, one of the kids living at Badiya, Miss Beatrice Boniface, who was spotted by Inside Lagos, disclosed that she hoped to live in a better place and under a more improved conditions when she grew up, because she was aware of the fact that there were better places than where she was living.'I hope to live in a better place when I grow up. I don't like living next to refuse neither do I want to perpetually play amid filth. When I grow up, I hope things will be better,' she noted.In a recent interview, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Lagos State branch, Mr Olusola Fatoki, disclosed that slums were a general problem not limited to Nigeria alone. He, however, insisted that the government could help in reducing the number of people who lived in slums under subhuman condition by providing low cost housing as well as other necessary housing incentives such as affordable land for the citizenry.
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