Daniel Light Ezekiel, 28, a vendor with The Big Issue Lagos, had to choose between working in an ethnic militia force in the Niger Delta creeks along with his peers and enjoying all the spoils that go with it or struggling for survival.
He opted for the latter.
Ezekiel left his homestead a few years ago in search of greener pastures in the city of Lagos. To support himself he juggled menial jobs such as washing cars in the ever-busy Lagos traffic. His mantra remains: "Work and pray."
Ezekiel is not alone in his hardship. Lagos has a population of 14 million people and is home to some of the world's largest slums. Poverty is rife and there is a severe lack of employment, training and education for people on the margins of society, which forces people into drugs and prostitution.
The Big Issue Lagos addresses these problems by providing employment and training to people living in poverty. Vendors buy the street paper at half the cover price and sell it at a profit.
As a vendor, Ezekiel's typical day begins at 8 a.m.
"When I wake up in the morning after saying my prayers, I get prepared to go out and sell my Big Issue magazine at the Stadium in Surulere. Depending on how I do that day -- if I make sales I want to remain to make more