Hightser: This is me saying “thank you” to my mum for all the sacrifices she made for me and my siblings, even though this post is for documentation and reminiscent reason cause I have told her “thank you” in person.
In July 2021, my mum called that the reverend father in our local parish selected some women in the church for a title (women of faith) et al.
I was skeptical about the whole thing, cause it’s first time since my years in the Catholic Church.
I reluctantly travelled from Lagos to my village for the program.
The program turned a life celebration as family and friends joined us in the church and at home to celebrate my mum.
It was an opportunity for us to say “thank you” to my mum for everything, there were drinks and food for everyone that came around even though there was a down pour which disorganized the program.
Let me give a little throw back.
My dad was one of those type of men who worked their ass off for a better living but nothing to show for it and was adviced to get married as women sometimes bring luck to change the situation.
He got married to my mum and everything went from bad to worse, he was educated but my mum wasn’t.
Dad depended so much on his physical strength to make money and so was my mum.
Recap: there is poverty in Nigeria but the one in ebonyi state is beyond poverty, it’s more than poverty.
Mum did odd jobs from mason to farm jobs to feed us while dad was away on a long trip to hustle too.
Year 2000, dad returned home with ripped off fingers from bakery engine cause he worked as a mixer in a bread industry.
Mum and dad now together in the village while dad was jobless.
2009 dad got a job at an Airtel network mast with a salary of 9k a month.
2013 I gained admission into a polytechnic 2013 dad broke the news of a second wife. 2013 dad got married to a second wife.
One day, I wanted to return back to school, I asked dad for money and he said no money cause he is taking care of his new wife, I got angry and picked a stick, threatened to beat up the new wife if I don’t get money for school.
Dad organized the village vigilante and I was taken to the police station.
Dpo discharged me and said it was a family matter, that I haven’t committed an offense worth coming to the station.
Before I got home from the station, the community people said they have ostracized me, my mum and siblings, until we pay a fine of 13,000 naira.
We had no such money, so after 3 days they came to our hut and picked every little thing available, spoon, knife, mat, pot etc. we were left with nothing to even cook, or lay on at night.
2 days later the Catholic brethren came and paid the fine and we were relieved of the ostracism and our utensils released to us.
My dad rented an apartment at the busy place of the village where he lived with his new wife, he hadn’t built a house, my siblings, mum and I lived in the mud thatch hut built by my great grand father.
I wanted to drop out of poly but my passion for educated didn’t allow me to.
2014, the new wife was pregnant, died during child birth.
My dad shamefully came and built a 2 rooms after that, I was doing a phone battery charging business by the network mast where my dad was doing security work, the proceed from the place I used to see myself through poly and university.
He built the 2 rooms and left it unplastered, no door no windows. The mud house was already falling off, my two sisters would go to sleep with their girlfriends in their houses every night while my mum, my younger brother and I would sleep in the hut.
Whenever it starts to rain I would stay awake with my mum to pack the water leaking from the roof into a bucket and throw it outside while my younger brother will be covered to sleep at the only spot water was not dropping.
After sometime I raised money to plaster a room in the new house and my mum and siblings moved into it while I was in school.
This is a recap of my story, I hope to sit down, write the story in details one day and publish a book on how I survived poverty.
I remember how my mum would be turning cement and sand while I moulded blocks in a block industry in my village.
I remember how my mum carried mixed concrete while pregnant to a story building for decking.
I remember how some rich families from the church would call my mum to their house to gift her of a basket of water yam.
I remember adding salt to water to eat roasted yam.
I remember everything, my mum did all of this, this article is for my mum, my dad even though has his flaws, but it’s my mums celebration and definitely my dads turn would come.
Today’s marriages collapse because the women of today can’t bear what our mothers went through.
Please if you don’t have money, handwork or investments, do not get married, it’s better to die single.
The trauma of growing up in poverty is overwhelming.
Like I said earlier, I’m grateful to my mum, may God bless her for me, I’m glad I had the opportunity to say thank you mum for everything you did for me while she is alive no matter how little it is.
Thank you for reading if you have read till this point.
#Modified.
God will bless you more to take care of your mum. Don't forget to build her a good house if you can. God bless your hustle. Its just the beginning of things to come. But stay away from trouble please.
God will bless you more to take care of your mum. Don't forget to build her a good house if you can. God bless your hustle. Its just the beginning of things to come. But stay away from trouble please.
Thank you Chief, I’m never a trouble maker or receiver .
Recap: there is poverty in Nigeria but the one in ebonyi state is beyond poverty, it’s more than poverty.
That part caught my attention.
Op, why do you think that is so? What can be done to better the lives of people there? At least, to make their lives easier...
Bro, when it comes to community development, cash inflow and outflow is what makes the economic situation of a community, for instance, traders in the community travel to onitsha to buy goods, that’s cash outflow, teachers receive salary, that’s cash inflow, but what is the population of teachers compared to traders who travel every week to buy goods?
This is why schools or markets are built as a means to bring development to a community because new persons will visit and bring revenue to the community.
The villages in ebonyi is devoid of such cash inflow, things are difficult, the communities are dwindling in terms of economic development, structural development is on the rise but of what use is it when the people can’t eat good meal three times a day?
I don’t want to go the way of education, how do you tell someone to go to school when he hasn’t eaten? There are still mud thatch houses in most local communities as at 2021.
I guess you know what I’m Hinting on right now?
Every decade produces different grades of illiterate youths who become touts due to ignorance and lack of advanced education.
There is no poverty in the South East. The op is a AFonja agent or he has never been to Ebonyi before. Ebonyi is a small London
It's a city of Pomp and Splendor
Bro, this is not a political or tribal issue, most times, I wonder the level of economic rot going on in most northern states when it’s obvious ebonyi is better than them.
Nigeria needs over hauling, just two days in the village and 2 persons were already killed by unknown gun men, insecurity is on the rise, how do you beat someone and tell him not to cry? How many persons can afford a higher education in the state with state university tuition at 100k plus?
And federal university at 300k plus? The federal government knows ebonyi needs a federal university so the good luck administration gave us one, the federal government also knows the economic situation of the state and still allowed the fees to get to as high as 300k when the basic salary of a civil servant in the state is below 60k
I managed to gain admission into uniben when the fee was 14,000 naira, anything more than that, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my education and you know what they say about half of education.
Bro, this is not a political or tribal issue, most times, I wonder the level of economic rot going on in most northern states when it’s obvious ebonyi is better than them.
Nigeria needs over hauling, just two days in the village and 2 persons were already killed by unknown gun men, insecurity is on the rise, how do you beat someone and tell him not to cry? How many persons can afford a higher education in the state with state university tuition at 100k plus?
And federal university at 300k plus? The federal government knows ebonyi needs a federal university so the good luck administration gave us one, the federal government also knows the economic situation of the state and still allowed the fees to get to as high as 300k when the basic salary of a civil servant in the state is below 60k
I managed to gain admission into uniben when the fee was 14,000 naira, anything more than that, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my education and you know what they say about half of education.
The post is meant to shame those who try to ridicule the whole of South West.
They run down to southwest because it's a paradise compared to the hell-hole they are coming form; and what do we get? They call us AF0nja and cowards; all kinds of derogatory names. At a point, they even said our lands is a no man's land... All because the yourba is accommodating...
There is poverty in Ebony. While Umahi is doing well in infrastructure he mustn't forget economic empowerment. Even that mall will be useless if he doesn't do something. It's like AkwaIbom state years ago until Akpabio recalled the gatemen and housemaids and empowered them. The ppl are hardworking though especially their women.
The post is meant to shame those who try to ridicule the whole of South West.
They run down to southwest because it's a paradise compared to the hell-hole they are coming form; and what do we get? They call us AF0nja and cowards; all kinds of derogatory names. At a point, they even said our lands is a no man's land... All because the yourba is accommodating...
Yoruba now and forever. I rep Yoruba
The part of Yoruba is a no man's land got me laughing
Bro, this is not a political or tribal issue, most times, I wonder the level of economic rot going on in most northern states when it’s obvious ebonyi is better than them.
Nigeria needs over hauling, just two days in the village and 2 persons were already killed by unknown gun men, insecurity is on the rise, how do you beat someone and tell him not to cry? How many persons can afford a higher education in the state with state university tuition at 100k plus?
And federal university at 300k plus? The federal government knows ebonyi needs a federal university so the good luck administration gave us one, the federal government also knows the economic situation of the state and still allowed the fees to get to as high as 300k when the basic salary of a civil servant in the state is below 60k
I managed to gain admission into uniben when the fee was 14,000 naira, anything more than that, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my education and you know what they say about half of education.
I love your resilience bro. Please do take care of your mum. She deserves nothing but the best from you.
The post is meant to shame those who try to ridicule the whole of South West.
They run down to southwest because it's a paradise compared to the hell-hole they are coming form; and what do we get? They call us AF0nja and cowards; all kinds of derogatory names. At a point, they even said our lands is a no man's land... All because the yourba is accommodating...
Yoruba now and forever. I rep Yoruba
You ought to be ashamed of yourself for gloating over an issue that involves the lives of people!
Awwww this is so beautiful ❣️... Thank you momma... Moms are a gift to us children.... How did your father even think about having an extra wife when he had no money....
or he has never been to Ebonyi before. 