I had relocated from one state to another (Lagos State to Ogun State), and on getting to Ogun state they were so many things I needed to learn, and it was very clear that I could not act based on assumptions.
There was a particular afternoon when I was trying to assist my mum in roofing her shop, so I had to visit the sawmill to buy some wood. The purchase of the woods was a success, but I faced the challenge of transportation, so I had to search around there to get a pickup truck I could hire. Eventually, I was able to get a pickup truck, and we were on our way.
On getting to my area, I was told to pay a gate fee, and it was compulsory. At first I was confused, and I asked fee for doing what exactly, and they told me that the fee would be used for road development and the community. I felt happy thinking that at least I would be able to contribute, and they would put the money to good use. After paying, I was allowed to pass, and I was able to complete my mum's roofing.
A few months had passed, and I had totally forgotten about the payment until I had witnessed someone else being asked to make the same payment. Then it hit me, and I asked myself what the payment was used for. Well, I was unable to answer, and even when I had asked around, there were so many talks but no way of confirming if it was true.
Those are one of the challenges I currently face in my new state on a street level, though. Money is asked to be paid, but it's not used to provide a permanent solution; rather, they would prefer to keep bandaging the wounds, then reopen them later and ask for money again. I really hope all things will wrong things would stop one day.
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