Castles Lifestyle

Our landlord’s favoured brother is a safety risk for us?

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Neighbours

The premises where I live can best be described as a Market place at the moment as everyone seems to have put aside pride in a bid to have their voice heard. We could say, ‘razzness’ has replaced ‘tushness’.

The current situation is why I’m now conversant with the background of most of the neighbours. I know where some of them grew up just by their utterances. It’s right there in their accent and mannerisms, especially now that there’s an argument.

I happen to be the only bachelor on the premises which houses about 4 families. Dayo, my Landlord’s younger brother has been driving everyone crazy since he insisted on not letting us fix the security lock of the house gate.

Since he started this Point of Sales business, all kinds of individual­s from far and wide troop in; even at night.

For a block with many children, I consider the influx of Dayo’s customers a security risk, more so that the folks in the next building were robbed 3 days ago. You don’t need a soothsayer to project that a business that involves loads of cash would certainly lure thieves to its domestic location. But Dayo is insisting that he’s only just getting back on his feet, and he can’t afford to go back to being a poorly paid house boy.

Because of his status in the building, he knows we would hesitate in taking up the matter with the Landlord.

He argues that installing a security lock to the gate is bad for his business.

Dayo

I was the only occupant in this building when my elder brother built this house. In fact, the tenants are people I know personally and some of them, I worked with way back and instrument­al to their tenancy. I lost my job during the covid19 lockdown in 2020. I went through a hard time. My neighbours sometimes provided food for me. I also got money to buy petty things for my two daughters from them. I was able to accumulate some cash from washing their cars every morning and running errands. I invested the proceeds into this POS business.

Now that things are beginning to change positively for me, they want to revert it to the bad times. The money I realize from this business is what my family survives on. I pay my two children’s Nursery school fees with the profit.

Once that lock is fixed, my customers won’t have easy access to my apartment, and this is bad for business. I cannot afford to lose my only source of livelihood because they all want to protect their interests. I have told them not to worry, that ‘everybody is safe in Jesus Name. I will be praying for them’.

Indeed, Dayo is in a fix. The tenants also have valid fears. How should they reach a compromise?

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