Nigerians are known to be creative, using situations and things around them to make fun which gets to social media.
People from this part of the world have created their own slangs which has become a vocabulary signature. The slangs have been consciously altered to suit their need for an expanded expression.
There are millions of Nigerians using social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. The community built on social media platform have their own lingua franca to which they relate better.
Some of the Nigerian slangs making rounds on social media were engineered during the #ENDSARS protest. They have grown from being a mere word spoken to becoming a cyber language.
Here are 7 of the Nigerian Slangs Currently Making Rounds on Social Media
- Soro Soke: This is unarguably the newest word for Nigerians this year. ‘Soro Soke’ came to be during the #ENDSARS campaign. The origin of the expression could be traced to one of the protest ground in Ilorin, Kwara State. ‘Soro Soke’ is a Yoruba word meaning ‘Speak Up’. This became a cyber-culture and was one of the most searched word on Google’s search engine in the past month. The word became the cliche during the protest while Nigerian youths were called ‘Soro Soke Generation’. It is not just a mere word, it is an anger-based directive demanding a feedback. It can also be used to mock an unpopular opinion.
- Werey Dey Disguise: This Nigerian slang coined from Pidgin English is the second part of ‘Soro Soke’. It is translated as a ‘Mad Man’s Attempt to Disguise’. As far cyber insult is concerned, ‘Werey Dey Disguise’ tops the list. When used, the expression is always employed as a verbal attack at another person’s exposed trickery. This slang is a choice insult.
- We Move: This is self-explanatory. ‘We Move’ was popular during the END SARS protest as social media users use it as an encouragement to advance in spite of what had happened. It is a nudge to heed some form of clarion call.
- Six Hundred Years: This come to be after a video of a Pastor’s prayer-cum-curse on a man who had offended him became viral. The man had stated, “600 years of suffering for you”. The internet warlords have therefore taken it up. Six hundred years is now used sarcastically either for positive or negative reasons on the cyber community.
- Wahala Be Like Bicycle: This Nigerian slang comes from a place of humour, preceding a humorous situation. Whenever a social media user starts with this line, it is definitely ending on the naughty scale. It can also be used in other ways like saying in Pidgin ‘Wahala Dey For’ which is followed by a naughty/funny line.
- Problem No Dey Finish: This is another word coined from Pidgin English which is one of Nigeria’s adopted lingua. It is translated as ‘There is no end to problem’. This is to show that life goes on no matter where we’ve found ourselves. Problem won’t end as long as we are still breathing as human. It is just another popular cliche among Nigerians using social media platforms.
- E.B. Things: This is another interesting slang created by Nigerians. It is a pidgin word written like a person’s initials. ‘E. B. Things’ means ‘It is something’. It is used to show the magnitude of an occurrence. Don’t feel it’s an author’s name or a street name when you come across this. E. B. Things if you don’t get the scope.
Other commonly used Nigerian slangs used on social media today include, ‘Wawu’, ‘Gbas Gbos‘, ‘Off Your Mic’ and so on.
You can add to this list of Nigerian slangs in the comment section.
1 Comment
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