The Road I Was Given: A Memoir of Survival From Lagos Streets to Ifo

This is my true story of growing up amid family separation, rejection and constant movement between homes in Lagos. As a child, I struggled to find safety and belonging while being passed from Ricca Street on Lagos Island to Orile-Iganmu and Surulere. After harsh treatment at home, I entered street life in Oshodi in the early 1990s. I worked as a bus conductor and load carrier, slept in buses and learned how quickly survival could become a child’s only education. During the unrest after the June 12 election annulment, a near-fatal encounter pushed me to leave Oshodi. I later moved through Surulere and Abeokuta, trying to reconnect with family and find a place to call home. But the search continued until an unexpected stop in Ifo opened another chapter of my life. This memoir is my account of pain, resilience, mistakes and survival. I share it as I remember it, and I welcome thoughtful corrections, questions and observations as the journey continues.

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