I know most
of you may have heard of Lagos. The Mega city. A city where people come to in search of their dreams, of opportunities and or their
destiny. I like many Nigerians, I am no different. In 2001 I came Lagos, I came to Eko with the hope of realizing my dream.
Umm but why Eko? You see I am Igbo and like may tribes in Nigeria or dare I
say Africa, the fate and future of a woman is dependent on her male counterpart.
With this I mean first her father, then brothers, uncles, her husband or any other
male counter part for that matter. Well let’s just say I wanted to be able to
decide for myself. I wanted to be in a place where accepting decisions and
guidance wasn’t about gender but competence. A place where my voice and my opinion
would count.
From the
tales I had heard Eko sounded like such a place. A gateway to opportunities, a
melting pot of desires, of creativity, of sheer will and tenacity – I wanted
in. Of course I would later learn that in reality, the story does not always have a happy ending for all parties involved. Nonetheless its the energy, the drive, the emotions you feel in the streets of Lagos that makes it such a special place for me. How would I convince my very traditional and yet modern father that, I as a young lady wanted to wander off alone to a place where most parents considered back then to be Babylon – a place of many freedom and sins.
Well thankfully
my dad believed in the power of knowledge. He wanted every child of his to get
an education . I studied
Fine and Applied arts in IMT Enugu. After my OND (Ordinary National Diploma) I had
to do a one-year placement in an area I wanted to specialize in. That was my
opportunity – Eko seemed the only rational option. There I would be opportune
to work with the newest technologies, the most exciting ad agencies at least in
my opinion. I had to sell this idea to my dad. I asked my dad if I could go to Lagos for the one-year placement. He said only if someone offered you an employment and you lived in the house in Lagos where your brother, your Uncle and Aunty can keep an eye on you. At least it wasn’t a no.
And in all
honesty when I arrived Lagos for the first time, I understood my father’s
concerns. I saw how easy it was for youths to stray from their initial path and
goals. For one to be dazzled by the seemingly easy path to success Eko could
open for you. The big city Life with all its flare.
I wrote 50
ad agencies and my dad mailed them for me. You see back in the days you didn’t do
applications by emails but luckily enough I typed them using my Dad’s computer
and not a typewriter 😊. After weeks of waiting I had
gotten 3 replies from 50. Two rejections and one invitation for an interview. I
was excited, I would be going to the gateway of my dreams. My dad said so long
as you have the Job you can stay but as soon as you are out of employment, you must
take the first bus and come back to Enugu.
Of course, customary
to those times I took the night Luxurious bus from Enugu to Lagos. And so, it began
my quest and thirst for the road. My head was buzzing, the Eko girls from my
secondary school Federal Government Girls College Onitsha had painted vivid
pictures of Eko for me. I starred in my sleep, my eyes opened on time enough for
me to see the three chiefs, to the read the words “welcome to Lagos” before our
bus continued to the garage closest to Festac area where I would be staying
with my relatives. This was it, Swim or Sink – hello Eko ours is a story yet to
be told.
Did I swim?
Find in out my next piece. One thing I can say for sure is, Eko did not care if
I was a woman or Eko only wanted to know if I had what it took to deliver what
I said I could deliver. Eko wanted to know if I was willing to learn, willing
to grow and willing accord respect to those who came before me.
Yours truly
Liesel81
Comments
Post a Comment