'Las Gidi' VS 'Iwo-Small London'

When we were leaving the NYSC camp, there were several buses lined up to pick us up. Once we were told which local government we were posted to, we then had to look for people carrying placards with the names of our LG areas written on them. These people would then direct us to the buses that were sent from those LG areas. I was posted to Iwo. The guys carrying the Iwo placards kept yelling "Iwo Small London". I thought, "right". Before camp, the only related thing to Iwo I had ever heard of was Iwo road. Little did I know that my knowledge was about to be expanded.

First of all, Iwo is no London; big or small, lol but it is quite a lovely little town (situated in Osun but closer to Ibadan than lots of other towns in Osun), and I have to admit that being here has opened my eyes to a much different lifestyle from what I'm used to. 

I didn't think it was possible for there to be such a strong difference between people of the same country. As much as we all identify as Nigerians, there's no denying that there's still a huge divide between our towns and tribes. I'll explain... 

In a 'survival of the sharpest' community like Lagos, its inhabitants realise that it is a rich city and there's money 'somewhere sha' and they are on a mission to get it. As a result of this desperation, trust fails, security fails and dishonesty is the order of the day because like you, the next guy is a hustler, trying to find that cool cash you're looking for. It's a race, it's competition. Hence, survival of the sharpest. 

Las Gidi

Out here, it's a little different. In Iwo, a much smaller and by far poorer community, there is more togetherness, trust, helpfulness, honesty and security. Everyone has a pretty similar standard of living, so the lifestyle isn't competitive, as is the case in Lagos. Everyone cares about the next person. In fact, the peaceful living condition and security has never stopped surprising me. Every now and then I forget that I'm still in Nigeria (I mean this in terms of the difference in lifestyle in comparison with Lagos). Growing up in Lagos all my life, the concept of Nigeria I'm used to is a community where there is no dulling, and everyone is aggressive, quick and "sharp". Also, unlike Lagos, because Iwo is such a small town, my neighbours always feel my absence, even when I'm away for just one day.

Iwo-Small London

I'm excited to be exploring another side of Nigeria.

I do miss Lagos a lot, though. Lol.

PS: It's a town, not a village! :P