Life at Kuramo Beach: A teenager’s true life experience

[MrVan]

By Bose Adelaja

As survivors and others affected by the recent ocean surge at the Bar Beach continue to count their losses, the Lagos State government has once again frowned at the ugly incident, while reiterating its earlier warning that people who reside at the Beach and other disaster-prone areas should relocate for their own safety.

But it would appear that the warning has so far fallen on deaf ears as some of the beach dwellers and users are yet to

Seun at the Bar Beach relocate, with most of them pleading that they have no place to go or lack funds to secure accommodation elsewhere.

This is the pitiable story of a teenager by name Seun Adegbola populary called ''Nescafe''. A native of Abeokuta, Ogun State, his sojourn in Lagos  began in the Ojodu/Berger area  where he used to hawk loaves of bread for survival. That was about eight years ago. But not finding fulfilment in doing this, he decided to seek greener pasture elsewhere, a dream that was realised when he had an opportunity to visit Lagos Island where he saw some teenagers hustling to survive.

He became particularly interested when he saw how easy it appeared these teenagers were making money on daily basis. It was an opportunity, he felt, should not pass him by, so he opted to follow suit in earning his living at the Kuramo Beach and residing there.

Seun told Vanguard Metro,VM, he was a product of a broken home and left his parents at Abeokuta after his primary education at Ita-Elega. After wandering about for some time, he became an automobile apprenticeship, a training he could not complete due to lack of fund.

The only son of his family, he said he decided to abscond from home because his father's wives and concubines were after his life. He subsequently became a street boy.

How he ekes a living

Little Seun claims he is a local diver, a talent he gained at the Beach. He also engages in menial jobs like commercial load carrying, fetching water from the Beach for spiritual purposes and any other jobs that come his way, all for survival. Seun said he had been doing this for the past five years, while still hopeful to one day complete his apprenticeship. But he is presently lamenting the fact that the recent ocean surge and the demolition of structures at the Beach had aborted his dream in this respect.

Where and how he lives

Seun lives in the shanties with his friends and he makes a minimum of N300 daily, except on weekends when the sales may rise due to the patronage of spiritualists or white garment church worshippers who come for the Beach water. When asked about the spiritual services he rendered, he said: ''We don't charge because it is spiritual; we collect whatever they offer because the ocean might be angry if one sells it''.

But with the position of the Lagos State Emergency and Management Authority, LASEMA, which has ordered the evacuation of operators at the Beach and the  demolition of structures there and the sand filling of the area, what becomes of poor Seun as he will be throwned out of business and accommodation since there is nobody to lean on and as well as where to lay his head?

Now that it has dawned on him that he has to go back to complete his apprenticeship,  Seun has to contend with the dilemma that he cannot go back to his parents' house. Presently, he sleeps on the Beach in company of other victims of the ocean surge.

Vanguard Nigeria