“Where do they want me to go or what do they want me to do now? I cannot be an ‘agbero’ at my age. Well, the only option left for me is to go into armed robbery.”

Those were the words of Alhaji Jubril Ibrahim, a vulcanizer at 53, Warehouse Road, Apapa, whose shed was demolished to pave way for a beautification project in the area, when he visited P.M.NEWS. Alhaji Ibrahim told P.M.NEWS that he had been occupying the demolished shed since 1978 when he finished his apprenticeship.

He warned that if his shed is not replaced or if he is prevented from operating in the area, ”the only option left for me is to pick up arms.” The frustrated man, who looked totally dejected, said those doing the beautification work should have the feelings of the people at heart. The man, who claimed to be a father of seven, said: “It is from this job that I feed myself, my wife and seven children and now that I have been sent packing, how am I going to feed the children.

“I cannot go to motor park and become an ‘agbero.’ I will become an armed robber, that is the only alternative I have now.” When told of the implications of what he was saying, he blurted out defiantly: “I will become an armed robber and start robbing people and if I am caught and killed, I am okay. By sending me away from my work place, they have already killed me. So, I don’t care. I will take to robbery, that is what is left for me to do.”

He also disclosed that he prefers to lose his wife to another man than lose his job. “If anyone takes my wife, I will happily forsake her. But my job is very important to me. Anybody that takes my job has already killed me. Taking away my job is taking away my means of livelihood,” he added. Alhaji Ibrahim, who claimed to be a member of the Action Congress in Ward B, Apapa Local Government Area, appealed to the state governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, to intervene in his plight, so as to enable him change his decision.

http://thepmnews.com/2009/03/23/i-am-going-into-armed-robbery-%E2%80%94frustrated-vulcaniser-tells-fashola#comments

He should have thought about all this before having 7 kids.
Go ahead Fashola, under bridges were not built for motor packs, or mechanic shops

lol

roflmao!!!

Yes all of you laugh long and hard because you are not in his situation.

.

yarodin:

Yes all of you laugh long and hard because you are not in his situation. 

You are right its not something to laugh about. But, after 31 years he has not saved enough money to move from the "illegal" place he has been using. I am sure he is one of those men, who was spending his money foolishly chasing girls. I wonder if his wife or children even got any of the money.

i think children are gifts from God so to me he should atert another thing like selling cards or look for a hand work like sewing and start from somewhere

Na wa ooo!

does he ned to announce it first.
He should just start na
Funny

moneygurl:

He should have thought about all this before having 7 kids.
Go ahead Fashola, under bridges were not built for motor packs, or mechanic shops

tpia:

maybe Fashola told him to have 7 kids.

Who can mistake the expected ridicule of the poor in a society filled with illiterates who worship morons they call "billionaires". Jubril Ibrahim, his wife and seven kids deserve to starve because he's just "another poor man"? That's Nigeria for you! The poor man who steals twenty naira is decapitated, mutilated and burnt to the chant of an endless hoard of zombies subservient to their rich masters and "ogas", while criminals who connive with politicians to subject the entire nation to poverty stealing billions of dollars are hailed as "great men" and given chieftancy titles. Pathetic!

Jubril Ibrahim should be compensated for his loss! Oh, I forgot, who dash monkey banana? Nigeria, a banana republic?

yarodin:

Yes all of you laugh long and hard because you are not in his situation.

I laugh because it is funny that he is being honest about it.

moneygurl:

You are right its not something to laugh about. But, after 31 years he has not saved enough money to move from the "illegal" place he has been using. I am sure he is one of those men, who was spending his money foolishly chasing girls. I wonder if his wife or children even got any of the money.

WOW!!! You are piece of work, aren't you?

.

On that thread about Fashola demolishing peoples sources of livelihood,I said this.
He'll push people into illegal acts and now Pa Ibrahim is threatening to pick up arms.
I know Fashola has the best intentions but he should have provided alternatives before the demolition.
What's this husband and father of 7 expected to do?
no unemployment pay out
no social security
no council flats or homeless shelter
no food stamps and Govt help

I do feel for him.
He and several others have been treated very unfairly in a bid to clean up Lagos.
Should we trample on the low income wage earners just because we can?
This is very very sad.
He could have been any of our parents or even us.

With that kinda jobs, how cld he have allowed himself to have fathered 7 kids, he is his own enemy.

Fhemmmy:

With that kinda jobs, how cld he have allowed himself to have fathered 7 kids, he is his own enemy.

Oh come on!! if you lived in a country like Nigeria, where people can make do with very little, do you think majority are thinking of limiting the number of kids they can have the way it is done out in western and more developed countries? He was able to father his kids with that kind of jobs apparently. Let us not focus on the number of kids he has or does not have but the fact that the man is NOW jobless. When you are jobless, it does not really matter how many kids you have or do not have. The fact is this man is suddenly having to deal with being jobless, only that in his case, he is jobless in Nigeria, with no other place to turn but crime.

Kobojunkie:

Oh come on!! if you lived in a country like Nigeria, where people can make do with very little, do you think majority are thinking of limiting the number of kids they can have the way it is done out in western and more developed countries? He was able to father his kids with that kind of jobs apparently. Let us not focus on the number of kids he has or does not have but the fact that the man is NOW jobless. When you are jobless, it does not really matter how many kids you have or do not have. The fact is this man is suddenly having to deal with being jobless, only that in his case, he is jobless in Nigeria, with no other place to turn but crime.

It is not possible to not focus on that, cos part of the reason why things are rough for him now is all cos he has too many mouths to feed.
However, if we have to forget about the number of kids and still think just how jobless he is now, i am sure that Fashola is trying to make things work for lagos and relocate all these people that are affected by his changing the face of Lagos.
The guy could go and attach himself to some mechanical shop where he will be able to still pump tires like he is doing at present.
The point is, in every situation, all cant be winners.

Fhemmmy:

It is not possible to not focus on that, cos part of the reason why things are rough for him now is all cos he has too many mouths to feed.
However, if we have to forget about the number of kids and still think just how jobless he is now, i am sure that Fashola is trying to make things work for lagos and relocate all these people that are affected by his changing the face of Lagos.
The guy could go and attach himself to some mechanical shop where he will be able to still pump tires like he is doing at present.
The point is, in every situation, all cant be winners.

WHAT!!!! lol

There is no way development is going to meet Lagos State, that certain foot will not be stepped on. Unfortunately, we live in a society where alternative planning and arrangement factoring 'risk assessment and management' are not been undertaken and compensation given to those who are 'negative' recipients to such development.

If Pa Ibrahim or whomever decides that, the easiest way to survive is by armed robbery, he would have himself to blame. It is a crime against the law, and there are consequences for such an action. If his brain can think of a negative means to earn his living, I am sure, there are more than one other alternative in positive thinking and development to Lagos State, as to how he can once again make his earning.

**osisi:

On that thread about Fashola demolishing peoples sources of livelihood,I said this.
He'll push people into illegal acts and now Pa Ibrahim is threatening to pick up arms.
I know Fashola has the best intentions but he should have provided alternatives before the demolition.
What's this husband and father of 7 expected to do?
no unemployment pay out
no social security
no council flats or homeless shelter
no food stamps and Govt help

I do feel for him.
He and several others have been treated very unfairly in a bid to clean up Lagos.
Should we trample on the low income wage earners just because we can?
This is very very sad.
He could have been any of our parents or even us.

People say government should provide alternative.

I agree with that but, the problem is most of them cannot afford it. That is why most of them were using free illegal structures that lead to drainage problem, traffic, a dirty environment, outbreak of diseases etc.

The only alternative the government can provide is free Shops. If that is the case more people from other states will be coming to Lagos for their free shops. And I do not think the Lagos government can afford to provide free shops.

moneygurl:


People say government should provide alternative.

I agree with that but, the problem is most of them cannot afford it. That is why most of them were using free illegal structures that lead to drainage problem, traffic, a dirty environment, outbreak of diseases etc.

The only alternative the government can provide is free Shops. If that is the case more people from other states will be coming to Lagos for their free shops. And I do not think the Lagos government can afford to provide free shops.

GBAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm. Interesting. There is definitely collateral damage here. Displaced pple like this Alhaji will definitely take some desperate measures, however I was informed that these people were given enough notice to vacate. Also looks like a good number of these folks are emigrating to cities like Ibadan (another reason crime is up there). In all, I would say this is the typical challenge in politics. You can't please everyone. But dude has been in the same spot since 1978?? Not sure what to say about that.

moneygurl:


People say government should provide alternative.

I agree with that but, the problem is most of them cannot afford it. That is why most of them were using free illegal structures that lead to drainage problem, traffic, a dirty environment, outbreak of diseases etc.

The only alternative the government can provide is free Shops. If that is the case more people from other states will be coming to Lagos for their free shops. And I do not think the Lagos government can afford to provide free shops.

Yes the govt should have provided them with legal structures and charged them rent for it.
That's what soceity ought to do
The country has the money to do so
You don't go demolish peoples sources of livelihood just like that.
There's something like low cost housing
low cost stores are not unheard of.

There are reasons why we're in this shithole we find ourselves today. And one of them happens to be Nigerians' lack of appreciation for the concept of 'taxpayers money'.

Why should taxpayers' money be used to 'compensate' people who were breaking the law? Why should Fashola be derided for not showing a 'human face', when he's merely doing what we all need: zero tolerance to illegal acts?

Most people complaining here are outside the country. How many of them have attempted building shanty huts in public areas overseas?

It is irresponsible to insist that Fashola compensates these people. If the guy wants to go into armed robbery, that's his lookout.

The sad thing is that it is the poor who suffer all the time. If he steals a shoe he will get burned while Obasanjo, IBB, walk freely like nothing is wrong.

.

That man was also paying taxes. Besides the useless government allowed it to happen. If they put  a stop the 1st time they wouldn't have the issue now.

Anyways 7 kids and you know damn well u aint even middle class or rich na stupidity. What happened to family planning?

udezue:

The sad thing is that it is the poor who suffer all the time. If he steals a shoe he will get burned while Obasanjo, IBB, walk freely like nothing is wrong.

Stealing is stealing, pure and simple. Besides, in most cases the person whose shoe is stolen feels the pain far more than whatever IBB et al have done to him.
What's more painful to a struggling, orphaned student - Obasanjo's theft or his lecturer that forces him to buy handouts of N5000 before he can pass?

**osisi:

Yes the govt should have provided them with legal structures and charged them rent for it.
That's what soceity ought to do
The country has the money to do so
You don't go demolish peoples sources of livelihood just like that.
There's something like low cost housing
low cost stores are not unheard of.

That's OUR money, paid for by our taxes, obtained from our sweat. Why should we be thrilled for the Govt to compensate these people?

By the way, even the low cost housing and stores are still far out of the financial reach of people like this vulcanizer.

**osisi:

Yes the govt should have provided them with legal structures and charged them rent for it.
That's what soceity ought to do
The country has the money to do so
You don't go demolish peoples sources of livelihood just like that.
There's something like low cost housing
low cost stores are not unheard of.

The government is already providing low cost stores, a N400,000 store is not bad . It is also providing financing by covering half the cost with taxpayers money while the bank covers the other half. But in Nigeria that is not enough, they want it for Free.

People's lives are also affected because of the illegal structure.

The government is already providing low cost stores, a N400,000 store is not bad . It is also providing financing by covering half the cost with taxpayers money while the bank covers the other half. But in Nigeria that is not enough, they want it for Free.

People's lives are also affected because of the illegal structure.

Make i hear word!

Stealing is stealing, pure and simple. Besides, in most cases the person whose shoe is stolen feels the pain far more than whatever IBB et al have done to him.
What's more painful to a struggling, orphaned student - Obasanjo's theft or his lecturer that forces him to buy handouts of N5000 before he can pass?

Rubbish talk.

moneygurl:

The government is already providing low cost stores, a N400,000 store is not bad . It is also providing financing by covering half the cost with taxpayers money while the bank covers the other half. But in Nigeria that is not enough, they want it for Free.

People's lives are also affected because of the illegal structure.

Which taxpayers? how many people pay tax in nigeria?