IKEJA OF PINK LIPS AND TATOOS by Emebiriodo Ugochukwu.

Times are changing and the need to acquire the very vitals in life has basically gone from: I want a house, I want a car, I want a degree, to I want that perfect eyebrow, I want that perfect bum, oh, them pink lips, I want that too! The quest to achieve that perfect body and body features has created a lucrative business for many. On my way to the office the other day, I stumbled upon the headquarters of the lucrative body parts hustle, the a lmighty "Ikeja under bridge". The Ikeja under bridge is a whole new world where everything can be bought and even replaced. The first chatter you'd hear would be; "Psst... Psst... Bros, pink lips, pink lips here!", "Aunty, your permanent eyebrow, permanent eyebrow here!", "Sisi, yansh pad, yansh pad here!" "Psst... Bros, tattoo here. I fit sketch anything wey you want o!". If you're not used to the environment, you might be taken aback for a couple of minutes. However, with regular visits, you just smile and savour the tune of Ikeja under bridge.                                                                                                                                  Once a bus stops you under that bridge, all you'd hear is; pink lips, piercing, tattoo removal, stretch mark removal, teeth whitening, permanent eyebrow, boobs and hip

enlargement, almost in chorus! They market sex toys, customize jerseys and even put up ridiculous adverts like, "Now, are you worried about your unattractive lip(usually

the lower lip or both) or are you a smoker with black thicklip? What if there is a balm out there that you can just apply to your lip and it becomes naturally pink? You’ll be thankful for reading this info, because there is this new interesting product called Pinklip

Balm."

 Lagos embodies rhythm. From conductors screaming bus stops at the top of their lungs to beggars dishing out unsoothing tunes while begging for alms, to Okada riders using Trailer horns while driving like moto-gp racers to scare the hell out of pedestrians, to the mind disturbing early morning sermons from imams and pastors, warning all and sundry of the end time. In the midst of all this chaos, Lagos Sisis don't forget to look their very best and pay attention to the yansh, the hips, the brows and of course the cheap tattoos from Ikeja under bridge; some of the tattoos would have you asking if they were sketched with machetes or suya knives. The eyebrows nkor? They look like a fresh man Engineer's technical drawing sketch, but Eko goes on o. Ikeja under bridge art is a thing of legend, known from Buhari's Naija, to the England of Mama Charles. I once heard from a friend that was told by a friend that at Ikeja under bridge you can even change wombs... Well, let's not talk about that for now. Back to the headquarters of glam, a new saying now goes thus: whatever happens at Ikeja under bridge stays with you forever. Of course, a cheap tattoo and that dream pink lips would be bad, but a scarred skin and cracked lips would look worse.

Emebiriodo Ugochuwu can be reached on Facebook: Emebiriodo Ugochukwu Peterson Hitch.
Instagram: @ hitchoflife.
Twitter: @ fantastichitch.