Slum-dwellers say they pooh in bush after paying N5k for house rent

The residents of Oto-Ilogbo slum in Ebute Metta area of Lagos have opened up on the challenges they face despite the fact that they live in the metropolitan city. In the most recent episode of Slum Chronicles on Legit TV, they talked about the amount they get to pay as rent in order to live in wooden houses.

The residents talked about how hard life is in that part of the city as they have to deal with a whole lot. Houses in the slum cost a lot as residents have to part with as much as five thousand naira in order to get a roof over their heads.

While speaking with the correspondent of Legit.ng, one of the residents pointed out the kind of houses they live in.

Slum Chronicles: We pay 5k for houses without toilets, bathroom | Legit TV

Shocked at the reality in which these people live, the correspondent asked them if they get to pay as much as that to live in wooden houses. Sadly, that is the only accommodation available to the slum dwellers.

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Moving on, the residents revealed that the houses they pay for do not have toilets or bathrooms; they are forced to use the bush in order to dispose of their waste products. Having a bath in the slum was also said to be a major issue as they pay fifty naira in order to use the bathroom.

A resident was kind enough to break down the house rent charges by explaining that they also pay for agreement and commission while sorting house rent. Some of them pay as much as thirty-four thousand naira per year. She said that it all depends on the standard of the house as some are built with finer wood.

One of the residents was so touched by the situation of things that she opened up other cans of worms concerning living in the slum.

She stated that they live with bedbugs and suffer bites from various insects. Cockroaches and other rodents infest their space and compete with them for survival. Their food, in particular, gets eaten by them if they do not keep it well.

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A resident went on to show the marks left on her body by bedbugs. Mosquitoes are not left out as they have the perfect environment to breed. The rats said to be in the environment are also big.

A father of three threw in his own quota on the slum life. As a family man, he lives in the slum with his family after his apartment got burnt.

Life in the slum is tough as stated by him but they put up there in order to manage. He said he lives in a one-room wooden apartment and pays two thousand naira monthly as rent. His wife and children stay in the same space as him.

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Another man also spoke about the living condition in the slum. He stated that politicians like the Lagos state governor have been to the slum before. According to him, these top officials come to them during the election period in a bid to get more vote. Once elected into power, they fail to look back at that community. He said they should remember that they are also residents of Lagos state irrespective of their environment.

In the past episodes of Slum Chronicles on Legit TV, slum residents have opened up on the harsh condition in which they live. A 29-year-old single mother of three cried out to the president as she said her baby does not deserve to grow in such an environment. A middle-aged woman also revealed that she has been scavenging for the past twenty years. Her children joined her when they were younger.

Despite the fact that people living in the slum struggle to make a living by doing odd jobs, witches reside there. A resident revealed that the witches in the slum turn to cats at night.

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Source: Legit.ng