Author: stephanie

Nigeria is notorious for being a fraudulent nation. This is due to the high rate of Nigerians engaging in fraud both in Nigeria and in countries like the USA, UK, Malaysia, South Africa, and Cyprus. Yes, it’s true, a lot of fraudsters come out of Nigeria, but in my opinion, they are pawns being used in the grand scheme of things.  Other countries have people who have jumped aboard the scamming ship so it’s not clear why Nigeria is still known as the number one sanctuary for scammers. It probably has a lot to do with ‘first-mover’ lead that Nigeria…

The entertainment industry in Nigeria has fully opened its welcoming arms to the idea of web series. Web series are now a thing because people have hopped on the bandwagon due to the commercial success and appeal that they have shone. With the availability of free online streaming platforms, content creators have taken advantage of this to show off their talents. It has resulted in the growth of web series and Nigerians chose to not be left out of the movement.   Over the last 10 years, there has been a change in the film and television scenery in Nigeria. It…

Comedy in Nigeria is booming after morphing into a full-fledged business from what used to be a side hustle in the 90s. A comedian can earn millions within a few minutes of standing up on a stage telling jokes. Imagine how much they make when they have a number of comedy concerts that are on the calendar all year round. Without mincing words, the Nigerian comedy scene has a misogyny problem, with women being on the receiving end of jokes. I remember seeing this scene from a movie and wondering how millions of people actually find it hilarious. I probably…

I’m of the firm belief that if you believe in the existence of a supreme being, you should believe in jazz as well because goodwill never exists without evil. Jazz (juju) is a form of Nigerian worship often referred to as voodoo in many other cultures. It supposably involves being in contact with the spiritual realm, traditional deities, and ancestors who grant supernatural wishes to the people who implore these spirits.  Most of the time this communication with spirits or ancient Nigerian deities occurs through the use of a native doctor or witch doctor who is the intercessor between the…

Nigeria is a patriarchal society with many people including women, having no knowledge of the rights of women and how to treat us. Feminism, not only in Nigeria, is still a highly controversial issue that people frown on due to the surrounding misinformation and misconceptions. The concept of female bosses or women who earn more than their male partners in a relationship is one that many men in Nigeria cannot come to terms with. This is because it is not a concept that they have experienced, so (like many other concepts) is going to be difficult to understand.  Without going…

According to UNICEF, about 10.5 million Nigerian children aged 5-14 years are not in school. Only 61 percent of 6-11 year-olds regularly attend primary school and only 35.6 percent of children aged 36-59 months receive early childhood education. Here are some factors that contribute to the high rate of children’s dropout from school in the country. Poverty A child can drop out of school due to financial implications. Even though primary education is free, parents still need to provide textbooks and sometimes, food for their children. The children are more prone to drop out of school when the parents fail…

One way to witness the richness, style, and diversity of the Nigerian culture is through our traditional weddings. It is a combination of our food, our style, and our music all in one beautiful and lavishly planned event. The events are usually expensive (even without the bride price) and time-consuming, but fun. It is usually a time to bond between families. Plus it is also becoming a trend in the global scene; many Nigerian wedding videos go viral on the internet almost every week.

Music is a part of the Nigerian culture and that of Africa as a whole. It has always had its place in the lives of the people from the various ethnic groups of Nigeria. Traditional music in Nigeria is strongly tied to extra-musical events which provide a means of expressing group solidarity and transmitting traditional norms and beliefs from one generation to another

Money Heist (or La Casa De Papel) is a Netflix show about a group of Money Heist (or La Casa De Papel) is a Netflix show about a group of very unusual robbers who hit the Factory of Moneda and Timbre to carry out the most perfect attack in the history of Spain and take home 2.4 billion euros. unusual robbers who hit the Factory of Moneda and Timbre to carry out the most perfect attack in the history of Spain and take home 2.4 billion euros.

The world’s 2nd most religious country is Nigeria. Up to 95% of the people in Nigeria are either Christian or Muslim. The remaining 5% identify as either Traditionalists or Atheists. So religion obviously plays a huge role in the life and decisions of a typical Nigerian. The decisions could range from which primary and secondary schools we attend, what family we get married into or which region we go to University in. Nigeria is comprised of over 370 tribes and has a concentration of Muslims in the North and Christians in the South. The religiosity in Nigeria does not reduce…

Are Nigerians Homophobic? Of course, we are. On a collective level, that is. But when you ask someone, you get this type of reply: “Homophobic? Isn’t that the fear of homosexuals? No o, unless they are bigger than me and can beat me, I’m not afraid of them. But if you ask if I’m Anti-homosexual, which is having a negative view of homosexuals, then yes, I most definitely am.” Generally, when people think of the word “phobia”, they immediately relate it to fear. So with homophobia, it translates to having a fear of homosexuals. However, in this context, a phobia…

I’m sure we have all experienced uncomfortable moments with someone inappropriately touching another person sexually. It has happened in public transportation, in clubs, house parties, work, school, etc. These experiences are not gender-specific, but they are suffered by more women than men. Something that causes inappropriate sexual behavior is a lack of education about what consent is. This post is my attempt at explaining what sexual consent it. Sexual consent is an agreement to participate in sexual activity. Before being sexual with someone, you need to know if they want to be sexual with you too. It’s also important, to…

Nigeria is made up of 372 tribes (or more). Many people only focus on Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo when they talk about Nigeria and have no idea that there are other people like us who exist. Here’s a list of all the tribes and the states they are in. 1 Abayon -Cross River2 Abua (Odual) -Rivers3 Achipa (Achipawa) -Kebbi4 Adim -Cross River5 Adun -Cross River6 Affade -Yobe7 Afizere -Plateau8 Afo -Nasarawa9 Agbo -Cross River10 Akaju-Ndem (Akajuk) -Cross River11 Akweya-Yachi -Benue12 Alago (Arago) -Nasarawa13 Amo -Plateau14 Anaguta -Plateau15 Anang -Akwa lbom16 Andoni -Akwa lbom, Rivers17 Angas -Bauchi, Jigawa, Plateau18 Ankwei -Plateau19…

Many Nigerians are fleeing because the country is inhabitable for them. I have very big dreams for my life, many of which involve  Nigeria. But I’m scared that I won’t be able to achieve them if I remain here for so many reasons. From bad health care to a bad economy, government, and education, what’s there to stay for? I don’t want to delve into the fact that more than half of the population is living in poverty. That will take up the majority of this post. Sure, I can choose to stay and help to directly change the country…

I saw an article on scary stories, so I thought to myself, “wouldn’t this be interesting from the Nigerian POV?” I decided I’d ask a few of my coworkers to share some stories they’ve heard about or experienced. Here are their stories: Kayode “My dog was barking on a rainy night and there was a man coming down the road. My mum saw that he was my dad’s friend, so she asked the dog to come back in. The next day, we found out that this friend had already died a couple of days before my mum saw him. My…

Young people in Nigeria have grown up learning that some things that they do are immoral or just “not in our culture.” I’ll give some examples: Wole Wole stays in Ibadan but schools in Unilag. He comes home for the Christmas holiday and his family is happy to have him back. Because they shared a room, his brother is the first to notice that there’s something different about him. Wole only gets dressed in the bathroom or when nobody is in the room. Out of curiosity, his brother forces his way into the bathroom one morning when Wole is getting…

I am not going to be guilt-tripped about walking away from someone after they have put me through emotional abuse. I am not going to feel bad about getting rid of them, just because they are family. Any history we had together, is not going to tie me anymore. I will not regret leaving them, because they don’t have any remorse for the hurtful things they have done. My leaving is not temporary. This is not one of those things to get over after some time, it is not something we are going to talk about in the future. If…

“Asari,” I heard Max call out as he approached. “I apologize, really.” He said, as he held my waist from behind and bent to plant a kiss on my neck. Oooh the things I felt, I had instant butterflies. I could tell he was indeed sorry and I felt a bit foolish to have exaggerated by walking away. “I hear you. I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have been so dramatic.” “I would’ve walked out too, my behavior was bad. You forgot something by the way.” “What’s that?” I turned around to look, but my lips were met by his. His…

I haven’t been this excited about a date in a long time. Everything about the way Max and I met was thrilling and I’ve never experienced this instant connection with anyone.

This is a letter to myself and anyone who can relate to feeling insecure sometimes. You don’t have to compare yourself to the millions of other people you walk past every day. You don’t have to ever feel threatened by them. You don’t ever have to wonder if things would have worked out if you were better looking. Every time you look in the mirror, you should not see flaws and imperfections. Don’t have a battle with yourself and find the courage to see that you deserve your love more than anything else on this earth. Things are playing out…

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