Tenant Tales: Travails of a poor man living in Ikoyi
This man had an accommodation problem and was lucky enough to move into a house in the upscale Ikoyi, one previously occupied by his former boss who was transferred out of the country. Now, his joy is turning cold as his experience in the area is making him despondent.
I work in a construction company on the Island and was one of the favourite staff members of the expatriate who headed our company. I used to live in a mini-flat around the Owode area of Lagos with my wife and two children before problems started with the landlord. I had some arrears on the rent which I promised to pay up soon but the man got impatient and threw us out of the apartment six months ago.
Fortunately, at about the same time, my boss was transferred to Ghana as the new Regional Head for West Africa. Just before he left, I told him about my predicament and he asked me to move into his four-bedroom duplex in Ikoyi since he still has a year and a half on his rent. I was grateful for his generosity and we moved in the day after he left.
The house was beautiful and my children, Tayo, 13, and Sola, 15, had their own rooms for the first time in their lives. The big 40KVA ‘silent’ generator that powered the house was still available and that was where trouble started for me. After a week of running the generator, we were out of diesel. Calculating diesel costs meant we needed to find an alternative and we switched to the ‘I-better-pass-my-neighbour’ we brought from our former apartment. With this, we suddenly became a nuisance to the quiet neighbourhood because you hardly notice when there is no power from the mains as all the generators come on silently.
My kids are already getting used to the standard of the area and now despise me for not being able to afford the upkeep of the house. Anytime I have to put on our little generator, they just grunt and head off to bed. As if that was not enough, I have been harassed several times by the neighbourhood security men who often take me for a loiterer anytime I take a stroll. The look on the faces of some residents of the area when they drive past me in their flashy cars also reveals a lot of disdain as if I were an unwanted intruder. My kids have also had similar experiences on the playground of the posh school in the neighbourhood. The school allows children of local residents to use the facilities during out-of-school hours.
“I don’t understand why they won’t play with us,” Tayo had said one day. “Anytime we get there, they just pack and leave.”
I’m already tired of the whole situation and I still don’t have enough saved up for another apartment. I won’t be due for a loan at work until the next two years after I pay up the present one I’m servicing. The only other option I have is to move in with my mother-in-law at her house in Ikorodu. She is a nice woman and wouldn’t complain but I’m very reluctant to take that option. This place is turning into a nightmare for me and my family but I don’t know what to do. Should we stay and continue enduring all these hassles or just move to Ikorodu to stay with my mother-in-law? I honestly don’t know! You can take a poor man out of Owode but you cannot help him to live in Ikoyi