The City under the Sun where I was born and bred, is exceedingly modern; tall buildings scrapping the sky, bustling streets, big luxurious malls, with well stocked supermarkets.
Its probably the most beautiful and well planned cities in Africa in the likes of Johannesburg, Cairo, Abuja etc, to mention but a few.
"I don't need to visit London to know the beauty of a city.
I only need to visit the City under the Sun," remarked one former Head of State from a neighboring country.
Whenever I have travelled outside my country, I have always bragged about this magnificent city.
But of late my heart bleeds with sadness as I see its glory dwindling.
The image that made this city an envy of other African states, has been compromised by the influx of urchins sprawling all over her streets.
Dogo, a young boy of ten years, is a living example.
He is emotionally battered due to the hardships he, his mother and two sisters have endured in the slums.
He does not understand why life is such a misery.
Dogo has witnessed his mother and sisters sexually abused.
At most times they have slept hungry and who cares? One time his mother said to them,"Enough is enough, let's go to the streets to beg.
" On arriving the streets, their mother pulls out remains of cartons from an old sack which she spread on a pavement near an abandoned vehicle.
This was to serve as their mattress from now on and endure the chilly nights and the sneer of people passing by.
When it rained, there was no refuge except in the abandoned vehicle.
And soon Dogo is to come across other several street boys, some older than him.
This catorie forms a group that is later to be known as Amagedo.
It is a terror group, as it comes up with weird ways of begging.
"From now on wen go toilet, put yur shit in cellophene paper bag and yur urin in plastic container.
D'you understand?" said Kanyoo their ring leader.
This is sickening because when they approach a person to beg for money, and the person ignores, as it always happen, they would splash the pungent stuff on them.
Walking down the streets of City under the Sun was nothing less than a nightmare.
This Amagedo was becoming a terror and everyone dreaded it.
Ladies walked the streets clutching their handbags tightly to themselves.
No one wore wrist watches or jewelery anymore while walking down the streets.
Tourists became main targets, while some of them had their jewellery and handbags snatched from them.
One day I chose to walk down the streets to watch the events.
It was a beautiful sunny morning at around 10 a.
m.
(east African time).
I was reminded of what my journalism lecturer once said, "I can guarantee to come up with at least three stories for a newspaper's gossip column, merely by walking down the streets.
" As a correspondent I had my deadlines to accomplish.
I stood outside Mega Supermarkets, and watched the burstling streets.
I see a small girl probably five years old following a man.
She follows him keenly, and when it appears the man was too fast for her, she runs and overtakes him.
She quickly stretches out her hand, but the man only gives a sneer look and ignores.
She cries loudly.
She sobs and groans, but everyone looks and go on with their own business.
Failing to keep track with her would mean losing a good story.
I followed her as she went through a narrow lane that divided the Mega Supermarket and The Oliver Twists Bookshop.
As I follow her, I see her mother clothed in rags stretching her hand towards her.
When the little girl had nothing to offer, the mother gives her several slaps.
I stared in dismay, said a silent prayer, and almost ditched my hands into my pocket to find anything I would offer, so that the mother does not inflict more punishment on her.
But suddenly a revelation dawn on me, that this girl needed more than just pieces of coins.
Something that will change her destiny, and make her a whole person, and society fit.
So I decided it was time to go to my office which was not far away.
Yes...
to work on my computer on this new found story.
As I was about to cross the road to the other side of the street, I heard a siren, a City Authority Landrover stopped just near where some group of Amagadons were idlying, sniffing their usual staff.
They rounded all of them and put them in the vehicle and drove off immediately.
I felt this was another antidote for my story, but my main issue in the story is to declare a wake up call, to the government, religious institutions, non-governmental organisations, to think seriously about the street children.
Months later, after my article was published, as I reclined on my sofa watching the television news, I saw Mrs.
Koyo the Financial Director of the City Authorities meeting with one Bishop and a Director of a non-governmental organisation.
The main agenda for the meeting was to discuss the plight of the street children.
I felt a wave of joy cross my heart.
My spirits bubbled, I laughed alone in my living room.
I knelt down on my carpet to thank God.
It looked like I had suddenly grown insane - but I was very sane and happy.
"I welcome the move to rejuvenate the lives of these children.
These are our tomorrow's leaders, they deserve to live decently," said Mrs.
Koyo.
She promised that her first step was to have the City Authorities open an account where donors can deposit funds to salvage these children from the streets.
Tons of money was put in this "Save The Street Child Account.
" But many questions rose from various sections of the society, whether such money would not be taken hostage, in an institution that was reeking with corruption.
The population of the street urchins increased, the Amagadon grew in number, while other similar subgroups emerged.
Some of the street girls became victims of unwanted pregnancies, while others contracted HIV virus.
With the Amagadons throwing human feces and urine all over, the streets were stinking.
Mrs.
Koyo was doing nothing! One time she astonished members of the Financial Board during a meeting.
When they had questioned her about the street childrens account, she exhaled air, and suddenly stood up from her chair.
"There are more important issues to address than to discuss about those little brats in the streets," she said arrogantly while she stormed out of the meeting.
It became evident that the "Save the Street Child Account" was being tampered.
Mrs.
Koyo and her cronies at the council were noted driving different exotic cars everyday.
Their family life styles changed, with their children attending the most prestigious schools.
At the same time, their wives adorned themselves with jewellery and expensive dresses.
A time came when The City under the Sun was to host a three days symposium.
It was geared for environmentalists from all African nations.
The theme of the symposium, was crowned as "Making our cities environmentally friendly.
" Mrs.
Koyo was honoured to be one of the speakers.
Her Secretary was on the edge at such occasions, as she had to put up with extra hours.
But somehow she had gotten used to this frenetic kind of working style.
She had known Mrs.
Koyo as a person who put things together at the eleventh hour.
The symposium starts on a Tuesday at 10 a.
m.
at Eagles International Conference Centre.
  The traffic menace in this city is just as bad as the street urchins' menace.
So Mrs.
Koyo decided she would leave her car behind and walk to the venue of the symposium.
   Her glaring personality was something to smile at on this day.
 With a glamarous hair style, she wore a beige executive skirt suit and red shoes that matched with her handbag.
In addition she carried a folder where she arrayed her speech for the day.
As she left her office, she walked several yards when she bumped into two members of the Amagadon.
They were both armed with their usual feces and urine.
The older one approached her.
"Madam, me hungry, buy me one bread," he said, while his counterpart watched.
"Get out of my way," Mrs.
Koyo rebuked.
He repeated his plea, but Mrs.
Koyo ignored him.
But lo and behold, in a twinkling of an eye, the older urchin ran to overtake her and splashed the feces on her chest.
And before she knew what was happening, the second urchin splashed urine on her from behind.
She fell into a state of shock.
Her heart beat a tatoo! Her body treambled followed by hot flushes.
The pungent smell from the feces and urine repelled surprised onlookers who were beginning to form a crowd.
"Madam, lets find a taxi and get out of here," said one sympathizer.
She was so disoriented and embarrassment that she could not face the surging crowd.
"She stinks more than the feces and urine," shouted one man from the crowd.
"Don't worry mum, that is life, I can drive you home," said one man who had pulled his ramshackeled taxi near where she was standing.
The driver stepped out to open for her, while she encrouched into the taxi.
While in the taxi, she took out her cellphone and made a call.
"Dorcas, I have had a small accident.
I may not make it for the symposium, please give my Assistant a copy of the speech and ask him to represent me," she tells her Secretary.
The pungent smell was unbearable but she and the taxi driver had to endure until she would arrive home.
It was indeed a baptism of fire! Would Mrs.
Koyo ever recover from this? ENDS WORDS 1659