Nigeria, March 22 -- I spent part of my formative years in the market town of Onitsha, in Anambra State in the mid 1980s. During my sojourn there, I lived with my uncle, then popularly known as Alhaji Umaru, who was a trader in Ose market. Our "yard" was located at no. 33 Ajasa Street, very close to Ose market, where other people from across Nigeria equally plied their trades. Onitsha was as fascinating as it was exciting, with its ever hustling and bustling people struggling to earn a living. Everybody worked hard and endlessly, with a brief respite mostly on Sundays when it's predominantly Christian population, observe "Sabbath."

Okene, my birthplace and where I came from to live in Onitsha, was a sharp contrast to my new abode. While ...