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Lagos Story is a weekly series that features a quick story of an individual who lives in Lagos, detailing why they came to Lagos and how the struggle has been. This week, we spoke to Fawziyah, a 28-year-old lady who came to Lagos for her youth service and came to love it in Lagos and made a career here. Note: This interview was edited to fit the tone of Lagos Laif. What made you come to Lagos? I was a young girl with a dream but I didn’t travel much and to be honest, I didn’t know there was much life anywhere outside of where I lived in Uyo, until my service year. I was posted to Lagos and all I could think of was how I would survive. If there was anything I saw myself doing, it wasn't leaving my comfort zone, but at that time, I was already thinking of a new adventure so I decided to come to Lagos instead of redeployment, and that has been the best decision I’ve made in a long while. Both career-wise and for my personal life. Serving in Lagos opened my eyes to different possibilities that I didn’t know existed before I came here. Like being retained where I did my PPA. It was the main reason I started contemplating living fully in Lagos. Even though my job here wasn’t paying that much, but over time, I was able to build. What was the first mistake you made while you arrived? I won’t really say it was a mistake because I didn’t really know much about Lagos. If not for God, I would have slept on the streets. I had heard of how notorious Lagos was when it comes to pickpocket so I was extra careful so I don’t lose my money. I packed everything I needed in one bag, including my money and even my phone. Because I had many bags that I needed to carry, I didn’t know how to move. Back then, the transport was not as easy as it is now because there was no Taxify or Uber back then. I called a yellow taxi and started going to my aunt’s place in Maryland. All my other bags were packed in the boot but the one with my money, phone, and a laptop was with me in the car. Also, because I didn’t want to be removing money in the presence of the cab driver, I had taken out the money I needed from the bag. ALSO READ: “Lagos is the land of opportunities” – Judging from this 24 years Lagos story Sha, I forgot the bag with my phone, laptop and all the money I came to Lagos with. The cab driver refused to pick calls and that was how I became phone-less for a while when I got here. Do you still think coming to Lagos was a wise decision? Like I said earlier, coming to Lagos is still one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve had the chance to work in one of the biggest creative agencies in Lagos. I can simply boast as one of the best designers in Lagos and I have so many people who look up to me. I live comfortably and I’m in a phase of my life where I can say I’ve achieved something. I’ve also been able to raise money for my Master's degree and soon, I’ll be bagging that. So, yes, coming to Lagos was a wise decision. How often do you go back home? I go home at least once yearly for Christmas. That I never miss because I get to see everyone. And once in a while, I go home for Easter too, depending on how free my schedule is at that time. But I never miss going home for Christmas. Final take away One thing I can always tell everyone is to never let anything, anyone, or any situation stop them from living the dream. When you have a dream, wake up and chase that dream till it becomes reality. If you don’t give up, and you keep chasing that dream, you will get what you want.

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“Lagos opened my eyes to different possibilities” – A 28-year-old’s story

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