The last time...

The last time I saw mom, she looked so beautiful. She wore a flowing white gown, and was fast asleep inside the box in the center of our living room. I wondered why there were so many people in the room. Couldn't they see she was sleeping? But I was only 7, and powerless to chase them away.

But they said she wouldn't have minded the crowd. She was accommodating. She was kind. She was a good person. They taught me about my mother. And I drank in the information, like Nna Eruo used to drink his palm wine. I became obsessed with any information about her. I collected the photographs, and the obituary newspaper clippings. I collected her books, and even her employment letter. Anything to feed my curiosity. But my thirst has refused to go away.

The last time I spoke with mom was on the midnight of the last day of the year. I recall she called me to her bedside and taught me how to greet 'Happy new year.' Little did I know that it would be the saddest year of my life. They said I must have been dreaming, for she left us on the 28th. But I know what they don't know; she came back to say goodbye.

But why did she have to leave so early? Can a good person be that mean? How could she abandon us? They said I would understand when I get older. But I know what they don't know; you never come to terms with such a thing.

My first time...

I remember my first time. She was so good that there was none of the awkwardness associated with first attempts.

I had approached her with trepidation, because I was just 13, and I knew I wasn't ready for the affair. The room was dark because I didn't want to see her and lose courage. Her scent was overpowering, she was fresh and undiluted, and so I had no trouble finding her in the dark.

I didn't hesitate as I grabbed her; the first drops of the palm wine tickled down my throat, and I winced. Not from the penetration, which was smooth and gentle, but from the agonizing pleasure that caused my body to go into convulsions.

I shivered, I arched my back, and I barely succeeded in stifling the scream that struggled to break lose off my clenched teeth. I wiped my tears, and grinned from ear to ear. I could now hold my head up as a man.

And then, the door crashed open and grandpa stood in the doorway, his white beard bristling with rage. The scent of our intercourse hadn't escaped his uncanny sense of smell. He was furious, especially because for him, the rituals of a priest and his sacramental wafer were nothing compared to that of mixing the raw palm wine with the right quantity of water. “Nwata aruo ala,” he bellowed.

And for the first time, I offered no excuses. For the first time, not even a whimper as the strokes of the cane hit my back again and again. I had discovered manhood. I had discovered an unrivalled source of pleasure.

Well, so I thought then, until I discovered sex.
But then, that one is another story.
That I will tell soon.

Yahoo boys keep Lagos cyber cafe's alive

After a few false starts, Azubuike Ejiogu finally retired from cyber fraud; but not before making sure that his last scam paid a handsome pension of $12,500. With the money, the 32-year-old 2002 Chemistry graduate of Imo State University decided to become a legitimate entrepreneur. He bought a struggling cyber cafe off its relieved owner at Okokomaiko, a suburb of Lagos, and plunged into business.

"My siblings were all against my decision because they were arguing that cyber cafe business is no longer lucrative," he said. "But I told them to just watch me and see how things will be. I have practically been living in cyber cafes, from Owerri to Lagos, for over five years, and I think I know how to run one profitably. I know what to do."

His siblings were justifiably concerned, considering the dearth of the cyber cafe industry in Lagos. A snap survey conducted in selected areas of the metropolis revealed that a lot of cyber cafes were closing shop, while most barely hung on by offering skeletal services.

The vanishing cafes

The proliferation of smart phones, cheaper laptops and Internet packages from telecom companies, bandwidth problems, diesel costs, and maintenance costs are some of the reasons that owners attributed to the death of some of these cyber cafes in Lagos.

"My biggest problem was power," said Onyeka Nwelue, who recently closed her cyber cafe at Surulere. "Every day you buy at least N2000 (worth of) diesel, and maybe only six people will come in that day and spend an hour each. At times, I couldn't even make N10,000 in a week."

Despite the gloomy outlook, Mr Ejiogu remains confident because he has an ace up his sleeve. "I am going to call all my friends who are ‘Yahoo boys' to come and start patronising me because I will offer them security, and they will be comfortable operating in my cafe," he said. "Already, eight of them have promised to be coming all the way from Igando to that place to work. Of course people like students coming to apply for exams, and (job) applicants will also be there."

‘They keep us alive'

His enthusiasm of retaining scammers on top of his clientele list underscores the fact that Internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo boys in local parlance, have kept a significant percentage of Lagos cyber cafes alive with their patronage.

Most of the cyber operators were reluctant to admit that the scammers constituted the greater part of their clientele. However, Okechukwu Obiwuru, a Surulere-based cyber cafe manager, admitted that he frequently toys with the idea of closing shop, "If not for the fact that there are four boys who usually buy bulk time (flat monthly subscription), and at times I just start the generator for them when I consider how much they have paid for that month," he said.

The owner of another Surulere-based cyber cafe, which closed shop early this year, and who gave his name as Olatunji, acknowledged that the ‘Yahoo boys' were his major customers before he closed shop. "Apart from during exam periods, when students will be coming to fill (online) forms, or when people come to apply for (American visa) lottery, the business is dry, and it is only those boys that will be coming," he said. "But after police raided my place, most of them stopped, and even me, I got tired of the business."

Long arm of the law

The Deputy Head of the Cyber Crime Unit of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Lagos Office, Chukwunonso Okoro, stated that the anti-graft agency was constantly revising its strategy in its effort to rid our nation of the scammers. He also confirmed that the intermittent raids on cyber cafes have scared away fraudsters from Lagos cyber cafes.

"To catch a thief, you must be a thief, so we are continuously undergoing training and retraining on the new methods and the workings of the minds of these fraudsters," he said during a Crime Prevention Summit organised by The African Youth Initiative on Crime Prevention at the University of Lagos, last November.

"We are also collaborating with ISPs (Internet Service Providers) who must now register with EFCC before operating. When we identify IP addresses that were used in Internet crimes, we block it if it is a Nigerian address; if it is foreign, we write to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and they block it. Various specialised units have been set up in the EFCC to deal with the various new forms of cyber crime. We also ensure that money recovered from the fraudsters is given back to the victims."

If this information fazes Mr Ejiogu, he doesn't show it. He has swiftly swung into action to revive his cyber cafe by giving the place a face-lift and hiring two workers. "I know it won't be easy because even some of those my friends are buying laptops and avoiding cyber cafes, but I am optimistic that it will work because I will also do stuff like photocopies and scanning of documents," he said. "All I know is that I won't join those people looking for work."

(This article was first published in NEXTonSunday).

Preying on Lagos children

Lagos residents woke, on June 7, to the startling news report of a 45-year-old man, Sunday Jacob, who was arrested for allegedly having illicit sex with a 7-year-old girl. The next morning, a similar, but more bizarre story broke. Philip Benson, 37, was arrested for impregnating his 12-year-old daughter.

In the past couple of months, Lagos residents have been startled by scores of reported cases of paedophilia across the metropolis. Suddenly what previously used to be viewed as an alien occurrence associated with the western world has jarringly and repeatedly happened closer to home, and parents are getting worried.

Unreported cases

Parents have every cause to worry, going by the fact that experts believe that majority of such acts go unreported for fear of stigma, or for financial gains.

“That is just the ugly fact,” said Ikechukwu Onyekwere, a public affairs analyst. “Most times, parents do not get to find out about such acts, and the children just live with it throughout their lives without ever revealing the abuse to anybody. And it’s not just girls, I know a friend who was sexually abused when he was 11 by a housemaid, and of course he never told his parents.”

Anthony Okoye, the chairman of residents of a public building in Ijesha, Lagos, had invited the police to arrest a 30-year-old tenant who was accused of defiling a 15-year-old daughter of his neighbour, and was jolted by the reaction of the girl’s mother.

To my utmost surprise, they came and started insulting me for taking the man to the police,” he said. “They said I was too rash. What else should I have done when the man confessed to rape? The eventually settled the case when he agreed to pay N60, 000 to the girl’s mother

.

Affecting our culture

A snap survey revealed that parents, especially among the high and middle-income groups, have begun to take protective measures as regards who their children are exposed to, a fact that sociologists say is alien and threatens the fabrics of African culture.

“The truth is that the whole thing has made me begin to distrust anybody that is not a close friend or relative around my daughters,” said Ifeoma Akanwa, a banker and mother of three. “I used to have a house boy, and since he left last year, I have been reluctant to get another help, despite that my youngest child is just a year old. I prefer taking her to a crèche, or even locking her up with my eldest child (aged 10) at home at times.”

Uwadiegwu Otisi, a sociologist holds the opinion that this portends a dangerous trend, and might fracture the fabrics of Africa’s familial culture if left unchecked.

“The unfortunate fact is that people have started distrusting everybody that comes around their children,” he said. “I know a case where a woman even avoids leaving her small daughter alone with the girl’s step brothers living in the same house. It has become that bad! And the implication is that these children will grow up disconnected with people that ought to help shape their lives. And then what happens to the proverb, ‘One person does not train a child?’”

Assisting the victims

Experts state that children who suffer abuse are likely to have serious psychological hang ups later in life, if not counselled properly. They also advice efforts should be made to avoid publicity when such events occur, although not at the risk of letting the perpetuators go scot free.

For us at Project Alert, we are primarily concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of these little girls,” said Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, the executive director of Project Alert, a Lagos-based nongovernmental organization that promotes and protects the rights of women and young girls. “First is taking them away from the environment where the abuse occurred, and taking then to a safe place; appropriate medical care and counselling for them. Also of immediate concern side by side with this, is prompt arrest and prosecution of the victims.

While the details of the young victim should be kept secret, so as to protect them as they grow up, that of the rapists, should be made public, and should remain throughout the period the case is in court until the time judgement is given. That way it will serve as a deterrent to others. The media has an important role to play in this.”

UNICEF Nigeria’s position

Geoffrey Njoku, a communication specialist at the Nigeria Country Office of UNICEF, said the organization would continue to work towards ensuring the protection of children from all forms of abuse.

“Over the years, UNICEF has supported the establishment of the appropriate legal framework/structures in parts of the country and capacity development of law enforcement agencies to handle all protection issues against children,” he said. “UNICEF would like to see a Nigeria where all rights are accorded to all children all the time.”

However, while parents hope for the day when Nigerian children enjoy the full repertoire of the rights accorded to them in the Child Rights’ Act, they gradually come to the realization that they need to take the protection of their children from predators such as Messrs Jacob and Benson into their own hands.

This article was previously published in NEXTonSunday

Sola Oba’s bloodcurdling scream broke over the din that is associated with Oshodi during peak hours.
The tyres of the huge commercial bus popularly known as ‘molue’ had climbed over her right feet as she, and other commuters, frantically tried to board the bus that was still moving.
Traffic management personnel at the Oshodi area face an uphill task in controlling flow of traffic, especially during peak periods, due to the mass of commuters who converge at various spots along the road in wait for buses.
The commercial bus drivers often slow down along such spots, disgorging passengers inside while those outside scramble to get inside, often resulting in accidents such as befell Ms Oba.
Sina Thorpe, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport, accuses commuters of impatience and disregard for the proper use of amenities.
“There is no bus stop atop that bridge in Oshodi, yet commuters congregate at various spots there instead of moving farther down to designated bus stops,” he said. “And because they stand there, the commercial bus drivers will want to stop and pick them, thereby causing traffic congestion.”
“People will even prefer to have bus stops right in their houses; we need to start doing the right thing. Let’s take the case of pedestrian bridges where people dash right across the highways even under the bridges. It is like an endemic problem, we have to start with the reorientation of the people,” he added.
A survey reveals that most bus stops in the Lagos metropolis are either in various states of disrepair, or have been taken over by touts and derelicts who have converted them to their hangouts.
Critics have also questioned the unavailability of bus stops in the metropolis and expressed concerns over the dilapidated state, and misuse, of most of the bus stops.
“Look at how pathetic some of Lagos bus stops are,” said Ugochi Ukeje, who commutes between the mainland and the island every working day. “Some of them are so dirty that you dare not stand inside them to wait for a bus or you might catch a disease. I think the state government ought to embark on an overhaul of the bus stops and even builds more.”
Responding to this, Mr Thorpe reveals that the state government was about concluding plans to engage the private sector in the construction, and management, of more bus stops in the metropolis.
“There are plans, at an advanced stage, to redesign and build new modern bus stops,” he said. “The government will franchise out to private investors who will now recoup their adverts through adverts. We are still dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s”

Bus stop Parliaments.
Many of these bus stops have also been converted to parliamentary grounds where issues like the lingering fuel crisis, the Niger-Delta war or Yar’Adua’s state of health is vigorously debated by legislators made up of commercial motorcyclists, vendors, and touts. At the Igando bus stop, last week, tempers flared and a free for all almost developed when ‘parliamentarians disagreed on the rationality, or otherwise, of the arbitrary increase of bus fares in the wake of the fuel crisis.
“Some of the things they discuss can be quite interesting, and I must admit I have been drawn to join in the debates at times while waiting for a bus,” said Taiwo Fasuyi, an insurance marketer who resides in the area.
Mr Thorpe promises that the new bus stops would take care of this situation. “In so far as the person is not committing a crime in those bus stops, he has a right to be there. That is the reason we want to come up with new bus stops that will correct the inadequacies of the old ones, look at the BRT bus stops, they were built in such a way that people will not use them as bunks.”

Bus stop as markets.
Some bus stops are scarcely recognizable for what they originally were. The Oyingbo bus stop has evolved as a market due to the determined market women who have taken over the place. The Ijesha bus stop disappears completely in the evenings, and in its place a market is born. Score of women, and young girls, armed with makeshift tables and large umbrellas, start converging at the bus stop from 6pm and display their wares which range from oranges to designer shoes.
“I find it convenient to buy something for my dinner here on my way back from work,” said Anthonia Mbamala, a regular commuter along the route. “I know it is illegal for them to display their wares like this in this area but if other commuters, and the government, don’t seem to mind, then life must go on.”
Reacting, Mr Thorpe promised that the state government would prosecute illegal traders but warned that it would be impossible to expect a miracle.
“Will the state government police all bus stops? Of course the security organizations will continue to dislodge illegal traders whether in bus stops or anywhere, but people should start being more responsible.”

Bus stops as homes.
Just like the motor parks and uncompleted buildings, bus stops are also a favourite of touts and derelicts who convert them to homes at night. Early morning commuters, especially bankers, who congregate at the bus stops to wait for their staff buses confirm that the bus stops are turned into dormitories by touts.
“We usually have to be at the Igando bus stop as early as 6am to able to meet our staff bus,” said Ms Ukeje, a banker. “You will see some of the ‘agberos’ (touts) still sleeping inside the bus stop. At times we even have to stand in the rain because they occupied the shelter. If not that we usually come in groups, it can be frightening.”
Indeed some of her colleagues were recently scared out of their wits when they fell victim of armed robbers while waiting for their bus at the Motorways bus stop, Alausa.
“A colleague of mine was robbed of her phones and cash when armed robbers accosted them while they were waiting for the bus at Motorways,” said Ms Ukeje. “I wish the government would make these bus stops more secure.”
Luckily for Ms Oba, her leather sandals got the worse of the brush with the tires of the bus, and she hurriedly limped on board the next ‘molue’ that rumbled along when someone suggested taking her to the orthopaedic hospital at Igbobi.

Child hawkers

Chibuike Ibe jumped nimbly aboard the large bus that was just rolling to a stop at Oshodi, managing to precariously balance a tray of beef rolls in one hand and hang on for dear life to the doors as passengers struggled to alight from the bus. He is nine years old, and the time was few minutes shy of 10pm.

Reacting to the queries of a couple of incredulous passengers on the Mile 2 bound bus, the youngster retorted, “Even my junior brother dey sell for Cele (bus stop on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway), and proceeded to hawk his wares at the top of his voice while striding the length of the 50-seater bus.

“Look at how such a small boy is selling things by this time of the night that he should be in bed, what kind of parents will send such young children out to the streets to sell? What will he even sell?” asked a Shola Akanbi, a passenger aboard the bus.

Not all passengers, however, shared Ms. Akanbi’s concerns, as the wad of cash that Chibuike clutched in his dirty hands showed sufficient proof that business was good.

As the massive population of Lagos state continues to swell considerably, the activities of child hawkers have continued to increase, despite the efforts made by the Lagos state government’s at curtailing this development.

What the government did

Concerned with the trend, the Lagos state government rolled out series of sensitization programmes last year, and warned that parents whose children were caught in the streets, especially during school hours, would be issue a ‘yellow card’ for first offenders, and a ‘red card’ for repeat offences.

Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the commissioner for women affairs and poverty alleviation, subsequently instructed law enforcement agents to sweep the streets and apprehend defaulters, specially targeting the arrest and prosecution of parents whose children were caught.

“Education and proper upbringing of our children is the only way to eradicate poverty,” she said. “The law forbids the use of under-aged children for domestic labour, negligence and maltreatment on the part of parents and guardians as it negates the tenets of the Child Rights law.

“The Lagos state government through the various agencies of government will ensure the survival, development and protection of all the children in the state, the laws will be enforced to the letter in order to ensure that all the rights of our children are protected.

Parents, scared of finding themselves on the wrong side of the law reigned in their children, and they subsequently stayed off the streets. However, the child hawkers simply came out at night, when law enforcement officials are scarce. And their numbers have continued to swell considerably.

Spots like Oshodi, Ojuelegba, Obalende, Cele bus stop, and Mile 2 are their favourite haunts due to the high number of commuters that pass through these places, and their bustling night life.

‘We make money to support’

Another child hawker at Oshodi, who gave her name as Toun, said she had to make sure that she sold out her oranges before going home, often as late as midnight. She gave her age as 14, but looked 10.

“Our house no far, so if I finish this one, I will go and take more from my mother who is peeling them there,” she said, while expertly balancing a tray of oranges on her head and darting in between the buses at Oshodi. “Why my mama say make we help am sell na to support am.”

Not all of them, however, are trading to supplement family incomes; some, like 16-year-old immigrant Sherrif Adebisi, have no family to take care of them, and simply have to live off the streets.

“Before I used to beg (for alms), but one Good Samaritan gave me N5000 and I started with pure (sachet) water business before I went into the soft drinks that I am doing (selling) now,” he said.

Bad economy

Oluyemisi Wada, founder of Haven for the Nigerian Child Foundation, an Lagos-based NGO that rehabilitates street children, is not comfortable with the government’s efforts so far, and blames parents for contributing to the increasing population of street children across the metropolis.

“The economy is so bad now even in urban areas, not to talk of rural areas that majority of these children come from, so parents often end up subjecting these children to street hawking,” she said.

“Often, these children run away to the cities in search of better lives. I think parents should pay more attention to children, and strive not to put them in situations were running away from home becomes attractive,” added Mrs. Wada.

For some of these children, like Chibuike, it is simply a question of survival.

“If I finish selling, I go follow big bus go Cele and help my mama pack for where she dey sell before we go begin go house,” he said.

This feature was published in NEXTonSunday.

Sex on the beach

When Uche Okoro moved into his Lekki apartment, he was particularly pleased that it was close to the beach. The euphoria did not last long.
“I used to be happy whenever I received visitors, because we would just stroll to the beach and entertain them, but now I struggle for reasons to deter my visitors from going there whenever they come,” he said.

Mr. Okoro’s concern stems from the large number of commercial sex workers, and touts, that have become a regular feature of the Lekki Beach. These ladies, some of who are teenagers, flock out in their hundreds especially on weekend nights.

NEXT investigations have revealed that an increasing number of commercial sex workers throng to Lagos beaches in search for trade. Some of them who spoke to NEXT revealed that the crowd of fun seekers that frequent the beaches, and the party atmosphere that envelopes the beaches on weekend nights have guaranteed brisk business.

“Apart from the fact that people frequent here to catch their fun, it is cheaper here than when you go and lodge in a hotel (brothel),” said one of the girls at Lekki Beach, who gave her name as Eunice and spoke in Pidgin English.

Doing it on the beach
According to Lagos beach crawlers, Kuramo beach, located on Victoria Island, enjoys the unenviable reputation of being the most notorious among the lot. Apart from being the dirtiest, with faeces decorating some portions of the fine sand, it plays host to the largest number of commercial sex workers, derelicts, and criminals.

At the Lekki Beach, scruffy looking young men collect a toll fee of N200 which they claim is needed for maintenance of the beach, while the boys at Kuramo collect N100. “Don’t you know that people will sweep the place?” retorted one of them, when NEXT inquired.

However, some beach regulars reveal that some of these young men act as gigolos for the commercial sex workers, and in some cases, provide protection to them. “One of them is either a boy friend or a brother to one of the prostitutes here (Lekki Beach) because I always see both of them,” said Augustine Ifeanyi, a frequent visitor to the Lekki Beach.

Some of these commercial sex workers are immigrants who have lived on the beach since they moved to the state. A teenager, who gave her name as Richael, said she has lived at the Lekki Beach since 2007 with her siblings. They only know that their father is Lebanese, but do not know his name or location.

At both Kuramo and Lekki beaches, the commercial sex workers make arrangements with some of the bartenders on the beach so that their crude makeshift wooden shacks can be used as quarters for sex with their customers. A space, in some cases as small as one square metre, is carved out at the back of the bar for what one bartender, who requested anonymity, called, “The C-room.”

“They have a mat there, and if some customers like, we can even do it on the beach were people are not too much,” said Eunice. “At times some people will come that just want to sit with a woman and be watching the (waves of) the ocean, but most of them want sex finally.”

Blight on the face of Lagos tourism

Respondents have criticized the development, and urge the relevant government agencies to address this blight on the tourism potential of these beaches.

“I was so embarrassed when I took some friends who were visiting to the Lekki Beach, and they came in contact with some of those girls,” said Kingsley Achonu, a Lekki resident. “If not for the cool breeze that we enjoy from the beach, I would have started thinking of moving elsewhere.”

Efforts to get the Lagos Commissioner for Tourism, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, were unsuccessful as repeated calls made to his mobile phone went unanswered.

And so, while residents like Mr. Okoro, continue to hope that something is done to address the development, the commercial sex workers are having a field day at the beaches.

This article was published in NEXTonSunday of April 4, 2010.