Ogudu… A tale of two worlds

AT the mention of Ogudu GRA in Lagos, one thing that comes to mind is a calm, serene and lovely estate tucked in the suburb of Ojota.

The community boasts of exotic houses, good road network, with the full complement of functional streetlights and drainage, and is surrounded by equally expensive estates such as Omole, Magodo Phase 1 and 2, populated by the rich and upwardly mobile Lagosians.

But like several aspects of life, Ogudu is not defined by a single story. In this same posh area is a fast-expanding slum that is a direct contrast to everything good about Ogudu. With no drainage, dirt is littered all over the dilapidated roads.

For residents of the area, all is not well living in Ogudu. According to Ejima Nwankwo, security is a real issue. “Goods and property are not safe, as we experience incidents of theft every week.

“Cars parked on the streets are particularly the target of thieves and there are many houses in Ogudu without enough parking space for occupants of the buildings. They have no choice than to park on the streets and it is not safe because vehicle parts are expertly removed, sometimes without the owner taking notice until days after.”

Another resident, Steven Oluwole, laments that beyond the façade of a GRA is the problem the common man faces. “Everybody here is a government unto himself, you provide your own security and other amenities. For instance, there is only one source of water that serves the whole community.”

Pointing to some women fetching water from a tap, he said: “That is the only water serving us here, and it is not free. This is where everybody buys water from.”