Abject poverty
This poverty is different that other kinds of poverty, because there is an entire caste of people in such abject poverty in Oke's community that his hope of survival or escape are slim to none. Not only is it hard to escape Lagos's poverty, but there are also a lot of people who would love nothing more. In most of America, economic competition is for lives of privilege. In this abject community, competition is for survival.
Abuse and violence
The damage of poverty isn't just a poor quality of life. His father is abusive. When he is kidnapped, Oke is abused by his captors. The constantly threat of violence is present in the streets, and there isn't a respite from that threat. At home, the threat is violence. Abroad, the threat against him is violence. If the police got him, he's pretty sure they'd be violent toward him. Even the land developers are violent—they even murder his father.
Money as freedom
When Oke sees money, he sees more than the monetary value of it. He sees more than copies of currency. He sees opportunity. He knows that money brings freedom, because the people who have money are pretty much free to do whatever they want, even when they intend to harm Oke's community. Wealthy developers kill his father and get away with it, because they have money. Oke needs to attain money to escape, he feels.
Escape into a new life
Oke sees a field of opportunities and risks. He knows that he needs to escape Lagos somehow, but he isn't quite sure how to go about it, so he keeps his radar up, constantly listening to the chatter around him, hoping one day that an opportunity will arise. He is constantly distracted by the hope of escape, because he is committed to it. He doesn't forget about his goal. He is constantly in pursuit of this goal, and in the end, it pays off, because he manages to escape.
