The Ayubas' - Sadiq Sarumi

Elijah age five, the last of three siblings lives in Agwan Kwaso, Tunga-Maje an indigenous town within the city of Abuja with a landscape view of the beautiful nature of Abuja. He attends LEA nursery & primary school, Agwan Kwaso with his immediate elder brother, Chris age eight who is in Pry 3.

Many of the children in Tunga Maje falls within the ages of 5 & 15.

Elijah was born couple of months after his father died in the year 2014, in Yoruba where I come from the name Babatunde (which means 'father returns') would have been given to him.

Elijah bares a significant resemblance with his late Father so he is so much of a consolation to his widowed mother Naomi Ayuba 28years, who also doubles as the mother and Father to her 3 boys.

She is doing amazingly well I can tell from the ambitions and intentions of her sons.

Caleb who is the eldest of her sons already molds local bricks with clay soils with the intent of building a house for their beautiful mother on a land she owns.

Elijah and his immediate sibling are unfortunately amongst the hundreds of kids who attends a community school built with zincs and has two rooms as classes, with school materials in short supply. Though the school has a permanent site in construction, things can be better for Elijah and his peers in Tunga- Maje before they finally relocate.

A happy portrait of Elijah 5yo. at the LEA nursery & primary school Agwan- Kwaso permanent site, Abuja.

Naomi happily exchanges gaze with her last born Elijah while the two boys stares at her excitedly.

Elijah with a passport photograph of his late father.

Naomi in her room doing mother duties.

Chris with a photo of his late Dad and Mum during his naming ceremony.

Portrait of Naomi Ayuba looking back (a lot was going through her mind I could tell).

Portrait of Caleb with the bricks he molded to build a house for his mum.

Happy Portrait of Naomi Ayuba 28yo widowed mother of 3 sons.

Elijah against the backdrop of his school

Elijah and his peers at the LEA nursery & primary school Agwan- Kwaso permanent site.

SADIQ SARUMI