It’s 4am on the first day of a new school year in Lagos and the Osolowo family, as most families with young children in Lagos are getting set for what is usually a hectic day for both parents and their children. Young couples are in the mould of the new generation of couples, their tasks are divided to allow them to meet the timelines for their departure. Jide Osolowo handles bathing the boys, starts dressing them up and dashes downstairs to clean the family car.
All the while his wife, Bolanle, is busy fixing their school lunches and packing food for parents to take along to work (this is a health and cost-cutting measure on their part), and later comes to take over helping the boys with their dressing and grooming. She has that attention to hair being brushed properly, buttons being done all the way up and shoes sparkling that only mothers seem to have. Once the boys (Dipo, 8 and Bode, 5) are ready, they are given a bowl of cereal each and installed in front of the TV to watch cartoons while their parents got ready for work.
The Osolowos live in the Ibeshe area of Ikorodu a sprawling and fluid town bordering Ogun State with a rapidly expanding population of middle and low-income families. Both spouses work in the upmarket neighbourhood of Lekki on the Island; the husband is an Insurance Broker, while his wife is a Teacher in a Private Secondary School.
5:15am on the dot, the caravan moves out of the compound and the commute begins. Getting onto the main thoroughfare linking the densely populated areas, they are confronted by a long line of headlights of vehicles slowly making their way out of Ikorodu. Mrs. Osolowo being a teacher developed a good rapport with one of the teachers in the kids’ school, who lives close by. They drop the kids off at her place and she takes them to School when she resumes later in the morning. This takes away the risk and uncertainty that comes with dropping off 2 young boys with just the school security guard as early as 5:40am when no teacher would be on ground to receive them. For this service, they pay her a monthly stipend that also covers her taking them to her home after school from where their mum picks them up on her way back from work.
With the kids safely dropped off, they have 3 vacant seats at the back of the family Honda Accord (popularly known as the Honda Halla). They proceed to pick up 3 passengers charging them N500 each to take them to Lekki Roundabout at the foot of the iconic Lekki–Ikoyi Link Bridge. As a means of subsidizing the cost of fuelling his car to and from the Island every week, Jide had to join the growing list of car owners who are forced to incorporate an unlicensed cab service into their daily commute.
On a few occasions, he has been accosted by policemen asking for his Hackney permit, to which his regular retort is that the passengers are his neigbours and he is just giving them a lift. Sometimes he is forced to part with a token so he can beat the rush ahead of him, other times he is let go on personal recognition (it is his usual route after all). The commute takes him through Mile 12 Market – Ketu – Ojota – Alapere- Ogudu – Iyana Oworo onto the Third Mainland Bridge and terminates in Lekki. Alternatively, he takes the stretch of Ikorodu road down to Eko Bridge – CMS and Bonny Camp into Victoria Island.
Due to financial reasons, he has been unable to renew his vehicle papers and his intimate of the exact location where Road Safety Officials are positioned is an added skill to evading their scrutiny. He has no need to worry about the State VIO Officers who are not out on the roads by the time he plies and his return journey they would have closed for the day. This cat and mouse game is one many vehicle owners in the state play with enforcement agencies and their officials.
The Mile 12 axis also comes with its own peculiar obstructions to the free flow of traffic from broken down high capacity BRT buses, Trucks and violent clashes involving transport unions or warring cult groups. As recent as 3 weeks ago, the death of a popular NURTW leader led to reprisal attacks that disrupted traffic and required the intervention of the Police.
At the close of business each day, the wife closes from work and joins her husband on the commute back home. They repeat the process of picking up 3 (sometimes 4 passengers) from the Lekki Roundabout, but this time break the journey into phases. They pick passengers going to Iyana Oworo who are the major passengers at the bus stop and charge them between N300 – N400 per person. These rates are not fixed and are dependent on the number of passengers at the bus stop, traffic and the possibility of rain during the rainy season. As they approach Iyana Oworo, Jide announces to the passengers that he is going further towards Mile 12/Ikorodu axis so any passengers going in that direction can sit back after the payment of another N300.
In this way he is able to double his takings and have enough left to buy petty things such as plantain for the boys and eggs. On their way home, they first pick up the boys from the Teacher’s house where they would have done all their assignments before they arrive. Arrival is usually anytime between 9pm to 10pm and is subject to them starting the trip early and the traffic situation on each day.On Fridays when their mum closes early, she picks up the boys and they go home via Tricycle aka Keke Marwa.
For Jide Osolowo, his Car has become both an asset and an economic tool; without which daily life would become so harsh and unbearable. On the few occasions where the car was faulty and they had to take public transportation, the whole family had to walk quite a distance very early in the morning to an area they can get Keke to take the boys to their drop off point so the parents can continue their journey. The sight of parents tugging along their kids and their personal effects is a sight too familiar to them and one they always hope they can avoid.
An alternative mode of transportation which reduces overall travel times is the Waterways between the Island and Mainland. The main issue here is cost, as an average trip can cost upwards of 1500 per trip one way for a single passenger; and comes to about N15,000 a week per person. The other issue is the proximity of the Jetty to where a sizeable population lives. For instance, if the Osolowo’s were to utilize the Waterways, they would have to spend N1500 each to get to and from the Jetty each day without adding the cost of the Boat or Ferry Service.
The daily commute is having an adverse effect on Jide’s health and overall well-being. He has been advised by his doctor to take it easy or find another job nearby; as his blood pressure is steadily inching beyond the acceptable threshold with a concurrent effect on the quality of his health. His experiences are not unique to him, as many breadwinners have to undertake the long commute to and fro the island daily as that’s where most of the jobs are.
In recent times, the Lagos State Government has commissioned a Feed Mill and other integrated projects that will provide jobs for the people in the area. It is hoped that in time, residents of Ikorodu will be able to find jobs closer to home (or find more suitable cost effective travel options, so as to remove the need for the long daily commute. The long awaited Fourth Mainland Bridge will also significantly reduce travel time in both directions, while opening up new opportunities for all concerned.
Beautiful piece, understand the money of sports is not easy. Well done guys.