Nigeria: COVID-19 - Self-Isolation, Social Distancing in 'Face-Me-I-Face-You'

27 March 2020

As a child, my family lived at the Iponri Jakande Estate in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria. It was a collection of closely built blocks of flats. The Jakande estates, 18 of their types around the state, were initiatives of a former governor of the state, Lateef Jakande. They are blocks of six two and three-bedroom flats with a bathroom and a toilet in each apartment. Ours was a two-bedroom flat. Easily, my family of seven was a crowd when we all sat together in the compact sitting room.

My four siblings and I shared a bedroom that had one bunk and one queen-sized bed and my parents had the other. Guests often joined us in the children's room and the living room became a bedroom at night if we had many guests at a time or my parents were uncomfortable with having a guest in our room. At different points while growing up, three to nine people occupied the house. Our block had a stairway that took residents to the four apartments on the first and second floors. All the occupants of our block and the one facing us shared clothe lines, water taps, parking and play area in common.

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