Stories N Series

Deòlu was tired of poverty. Born and raised in Ìlorin, she had known suffering all her life. Her father was a bricklayer who worked under the scorching sun for daily pay, and her mother sold roasted corn by the roadside. Feeding was a struggle, and school fees were a luxury. The streets had taught her one thing—if you wanted a good life, you had to grab it with both hands. So when her childhood friend, Teni, invited her to Lagos, promising her “soft life,” she didn’t think twice. “Lagos no be your village,” Teni had laughed over the phone. “If you sabi package, you go blow.” Deòlu packed her few belongings—just a small Ghana-Must-Go bag filled with second-hand clothes and cheap perfume—and boarded a night bus to Lagos. The city was a monster, but she was ready. Apapa Hustle Begins Teni lived in a cramped one-room apartment in Apapa, close to the port. The air smelled of fish and sea salt, and the streets were always busy, filled with truck drivers, market women, and men with wandering ...