He is nondescript.

And walks and works in the shadows.

Silently.

Diligently.

Expertly.

A cleaner.

Soft-spoken and demure.

Slight of frame, average of height, and dark of complexion.

In his late fifties.

Always in t-shirts, shorts and sandals.

Neat.

Until he changes to his work clothes.

Cleans once a week.

N10,000.

To make a monthly salary of N40,000.

He does that for 6 other homes.

Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Magodo, Ikeja G.R.A and Ogudu G.R.A.

One home a day.

To rest on Sunday.

N240,000 a month.

N2.88million a year.

And the gifts and tips he receives from time to time.

Untaxed.

He is a widower with three children.

His wife died during childbirth.

The child died too.

He and the other three children live in a modest two- bedroom apartment close to Boundary, somewhere in the Ajegunle axis.

His oldest child is doing her NYSC.

The other two are in University.

But he is also paying school fees for five other people.

The children of his younger sister.

And that younger sister has a younger brother.

Two siblings.

Siblings whose fees he paid himself.

Siblings who lived with him when they left the village.

Siblings who had helped him with his children as he was busy at work.

Cleaning the house of the rich and well to do.

He speaks.

Good English.

A measured tone.

Pleasing to the ear.

With a slight south southern accent.

"... they have refused to join me in this job. I told them, let us open a cleaning service. Three of us. We can even hire more people and clean a lot of houses. People who see my work are always asking me to come and clean their homes. But how many homes can I clean at the same time? I use to even clean on Sundays until I gave my life to Christ. But my brother and sister have refused."

He stops.

His face is pained.

He sighs and continues.

"They both have finished university. I paid for their degree with my sweat. The younger boy says he wants to leave the country at all cost. He says he is tired of looking for work. It is office work he has been looking for and nothing less. He argues with me that why will a graduate be doing menial jobs? What can I say? I just look at him in sadness. Imagine, me who trained him has only WAEC. So in other words, suffering is my destiny and not his. I could have used the money to train myself to university but I spent it on him and his sister, with the hope that they will get good jobs and their life will be set. But has it been set? No. Don't you change tactics if conditions have changed? For him no o. He says he will knock on that door until it opens. He says the pastors praying for him have told him that his destiny is not in this country."

He shakes his head.

Exhales heavily.

Then continues.

"Well, I still give him money to help with his daily expenses, visa fee today, transport tomorrow, new passport the next. I cannot turn my face and watch him suffer. He is blood. I have to support his dreams and pray that it will be better for him. His sister, that one is even a pitiable case, she worked for only two years, then she decided to marry, marriage didn't last up to four years and she had five children, two sets of female twins and one daughter. Husband walked out on her because she couldn't have a boy. But what does my sister do? She dumps the children on me and carries church on her head. Praying from morning to night that her husband returns. Says it is the enemies from the village doing her. Blames this and that. Work she has refused to do. She says that she is a church worker, but the church is not paying her anything. It is all from my pocket. But can I turn my back on her? No. I have to take care of her and her needs, because she raised my children like hers when she was going to school first at Command Day secondary school, Ojoo and then at LASU."

He goes quiet again.

His eyes glazes over as though seeing a vision.

He speaks.

"I have told my children, your degree does not guarantee you anything. All it shows is that you have gone to school and studied a course. But it is left for you to show that you have been educated by applying what you have learned in school to tackling the challenges life throws at you. If you allow life deal you blows which you cannot dodge and allows it throw you on the ground, from where you cannot stand up, then you are an illiterate. Your degree is supposed to say to anyone that encounters you - this one can use his or her brain. They can tackle life. They can adapt. They can apply themselves to solving the complex issues of life. But when those issues confront you and you cannot solve them or even find a way around them, then that means you are waste. University does not equal an office job. It is just a platform to launch you into life. My first son, I have told him, when you are done with your service, do all you can to find work in your engineering field, but if nothing comes along, open your mind to other opportunities. Look at life and see where you can carve out a niche and launch something else from which you can build a career. Do not think that if someone does not employ you, then there is no way you can succeed in life. There is no one who was born to employ people. Even the wealth of the richest family can be squandered to nothing by a child in that family. To create wealth is by grabbing onto opportunities and running with them."

Then he smiles for the first time.

His eyes come alive.

His cheeks fill out.

He looks avuncularly handsome.

He speaks.

"For me, I am happy. My youngest daughter. Two more years to go now before she graduates. She has said to me - Daddy, once I finish school, I am going to use all these things they thought us in my business management, accounting and economic courses to take our family business to the next level."

Then he laughs.

As he throws out the words.

"She will say - I will make it 21st century compliant. App on your phone. Order a cleaner, state what you need done, quote sent to you, accept, cleaner is at your door step. Security cleared, trustworthy, skilled, good communication skills, you pay well and you get quality. We take care of homes and offices. Five star hotel level cleaning."

Then he rubs his palms together in relish.

And continues.

"But what pleases my heart, gives me hope and tells me that the future will be better than our past and present, and that one day, I or my children would be like those whose houses I clean, because there is an understanding of how generational wealth begins, is that my baby calls this cleaning work I do - our family business."

Lagos.

Jude Idada