A 60-year-old man has revealed how he has been sleeping under the bridge in Lagos for more than 30 years.

The man identified as Liya’u Sa’adu described the space as his home and calls himself the "guardian" because if guides and protects other homeless individuals who seek shelter in the space.

In a BBC report, he said he monitors the activities surrounding the bridge, advising newcomers on ways to survive in Lagos, a town prone to crime and drug dealing by many young individuals.

“I am 60 and there are young people who came here a few months ago or a few years ago. I see it as my responsibility to guide them, it is so easy to lose track here in Lagos, especially for young people because there is no family to watch their steps”, he told the BBC.

Sa’adu speaks the Hausa language, identical to many others who have sought shelter under the bridge.

Speaking in the Hausa language, he disclosed that he arrived in Lagos from Zurmi, a small town in north-western Zamfara state in 1994 in search of decent living and good working conditions. While he might not have found what he wanted, he said he eventually adapted to the situation in Lagos and decided to make the best of it.

His properties include a mattress, bedding, a mosquito net, and a wooden cabinet that forms his living area beneath the bridge.

He has relied on jobs such as shoe-shining and picking up metals from streets and shops for recycling which earn him N5,000 as a way to stay afloat and feed his family back in Zurmi.

It might be far from great for Sa’adu, but he is making beyond the “extreme poverty threshold of $1.90 a day and is not deterred from finding his own place to rent in the days to come.

Nigeria’s economic situation is a tough one for its low-income earners and the poor, yet Sa’adu remains resilient under the Bridge, hoping that a better day arrives as he navigates his way through the day-to-day struggles in Lagos.