Nigerians do not have the best relationship with Nigerian thrift stores online. Depending on who you ask, they are either coordinated outlets for overpriced products or they are also outlets for overpriced products that never live up to the hype their fine pictures promise. And because Nigerians always have a thing or two to get off their chest about these stores, we decided to ask 8 of them to share their thoughts, experiences, and deepest grievances they have about Nigerian thrift stores online. 

Read them all below.

T贸bi, 26

I bought a bathrobe from an online vendor once. Upon getting the robe, it had this foul smell that conspicuously said: “” mixed with the smell of cheap perfume oil. I was angry because her description didn’t mention anything thrift. I spent days washing and drying the robe to make sure the smells wash off. Then she went ahead to ask me to send her reviews and photos of myself wearing the robe. I never did and I think she got the message. I shouldn’t even start on the ridiculous amount they call their stuff. A little flower here, white canvas background there, iPhone photography, and boom! Okirika Jean is 鈧�5,000.

You also have to deal with the sad fact that many of them wear the clothes before selling in the name of advertising them. I forgot to mention that checking the vendor’s WhatsApp status a day after delivery, I discovered she wore the robe to advertise just before packaging it for delivery. If you ever want to buy thrift, go to Super or Yaba, online vendors aren’t exactly better alternatives these days.

Unit, 25

First off, I think online thrift stores should be renamed online thief stores. Because I don’t understand why they overprice basic items, especially those ones who sell clothes. Is it because they tuck in the middle of the clothes and snap it behind an aesthetic background? Or because they selected it from the bale, washed, and sprinkled perfume on it? It doesn’t mean they should fleece their customers. Some of them have nice items, but in the end, thrift is second hand, and I’m not going to be spending  鈧�4,000 on Okrika.

Lola, 21

The thing about thrift in Nigeria is there’s a serious stigma around it. When in reality more than half the population wears thrift in one way or the other. Personally, it’s been a wonderful alternative to buying or wearing expensive clothes that aren’t even related to my sense of style. Nigerian clothe sellers only sell what’s in vogue, compared to Western countries where there’s a lot of variety. The only variety people who can’t afford brand new clothes have is the thrift market, which is a saving grace for so many. Although I still buy new clothes and all, I wish the stigma on thrifting in Naija can be channeled into making the industry better and easier for people to afford to look nice and at least have improved self-esteem.

Feyi, 25

I saw this cute vintage denim I was hoping to stunt on this girl with.

It was a dm for the price situation. First, off the seller overused emojis, and that should have told me something. I paid 鈧�7,800 for that denim with an extra 鈧�800 for delivery. It was the worst shopping experience of my life. The denim had pit stains and the cuffs were not artfully distressed. They were frayed and genuinely distressed. It smelled like an avocado left to rot and it itched the heck out of me when I slipped one arm in. The effort the seller put on the packaging is what I paid 鈧�7,800 for sha because that denim was hell’s table clothes. Most online thrift stores are scam centers. I鈥檇 rather go to Ikeja along.

Oyinda, 27

I think online Nigerian thrift stores are daylight robbers who never have anything above size 16. If I want to buy Okrika I鈥檒l go to Yaba. At least I鈥檒l find my size there. I don鈥檛 bother ordering because I never find my size anyway.

Omosefe, 22

First of all, products from online Nigerian thrift stores are too expensive! Second, I get that they run a business, and all but some of them are thieves with their ‘No refund, no exchange’ policy. Like how are you not supposed to exchange when there’s a big ass stain on the white gown I bought? Well, I’ve stuck to one overpriced thrift seller and I go do my shopping myself sometimes. It is what it is.

Chiamaka, 24

I became very active on Instagram during the pandemic and because I looked up Okrika wears on Instagram, I started getting suggestions to follow some IG accounts that sold them. I browsed through some pages and I simply became attracted to their fine fine clothes and flashy shoes. I saw about four gowns I liked on a page and sent them a message saying I wanted them. Confirmed payment details and delivery details. From two days of delivery, it was extended to five days. But I wasn’t really worried because someone had gifted half of the money I used in paying for the clothes and the loss wouldn’t be hard if I was scammed. Omo, when the clothes arrived, only two were exactly as pictured on their page, others looked like the faded version of those Nollywood village dresses. Oversize, long, and faded. No type of shaping could transform both dresses.

Blue, 25

Those ones are just thieves. They will overprice everything. Add money for washing that they probably didn鈥檛 do. And data for posting on IG. Then they鈥檒l add Nepa bills and their own profit. Then a top of 鈧�200 will become 鈧�7,000. They鈥檒l now tell you that it鈥檚 fairly used. Did the cloth tell you that? Did the person that wore it tell you that?聽 It鈥檚 so annoying.

Shooting your shot at Bill Gates is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you must make a good impression, so we thought to share some tips on what you need to do before embarking on this important journey.

1. Change Your Avi To The Microsoft Logo

It is important that Bill sees and knows you are a genuine supporter of his business and the quickest giveaway would be changing your profile picture to the Microsoft logo. I mean, what better way to start off a conversation with him?

2. Text In Javascript

Want to show Mr. Gates that you are more than just a fine face? Text him in javascript. Texting in English is actually basic and overrated, using Javascript, however, would show him that you are a very inventive and creative person, now if that doesn鈥檛 sound like his ideal partner, I don鈥檛 know what does.

3. Diss Apple Every 3 Minutes 

Want to prove your loyalty to him even more? Diss his competitor Apple. Make sure to mention all the things you hate about Apple products, how they are for weird people who don鈥檛 have a classic taste. Mention that you have only tried using an Apple product once and it was just the worst experience you have had with any piece of technology yet. Make it creative, make it realistic, make it believable. 

4. Change your phone to an Android and delete all your tweets made from an Iphone

You want Mr. Gates to scroll through your page and see almost no trace of anything related to Apple. So better start tweeting from your laptops or android phones so you can have a chance at this hot cake.

5. Don鈥檛 Let Him Know You Are Poor

Or better still, don鈥檛 be too poor. Unsubscribe from Poverty.com and make sure there is no whiff of poverty around you. Don鈥檛 worry, it will pay off in the end.

6. And most importantly, show that you have received the vaccine

Forget everything you have heard from Pastor Oyakhilome, you have to show Mr. Gates that you are well vaccinated and do not care about having the 5G implanted in your bloodstream.  If you take these necessary preparations, you are sure to not only get Mr. Gates’ attention but you will most likely keep it for as long as you need it.

Imagine being Mr. Gates鈥檚 next life partner? Ah, the haters are in trouble!

What Is #Greenfielduniversity about?

On April 20, 2020, 22 students and one staff member of Greenfield University, Kaduna state, were kidnapped by unidentified bandits, in what has been a recent spike in cases of abduction and killings in the country. On April 23, three days after this incident, three of those students were killed, with two more murdered on April 26.

And now, the bandits,, are threatening to kill the remaining people ( now 17 )who are still in their custody if a 鈧�100 million ransom along with 10 Honda motorcycles are not provided by Tuesday, May 4, 2021.

The threat was issued, through a 3-minutes recorded audio clip, by the bandit leader Sani Idris Jalingo (who is also known as Baleri), in an interview with Voice Of America (VOA) Hausa.

What Is The State Government Doing?

Going by existing reports, not much is known about what the Kaduna state government is doing or intends to do to ensure the safety of the Greenfield students. However, the state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has said on April 9 that he has as it is not the main objective of his administration.

While the student鈥檚 parents have been able to raise 55 million, the bandit leader, Sani claims that it was used to feed the captives and that it was not enough. In the audio recording on VOA Hausa, he reiterated that the killing of the five students was to emphasize the seriousness of their threat and if the rest of their demands are not met, 鈥� the parents will pack their (students) bodies in pickups.鈥�

How Are Nigerians Reacting To This?

Nigerians online are calling for the Kaduna state government to intervene through the #Greenfielduniversity hashtag trending on Twitter.

With many charging the government to consider negotiating with the kidnappers and ensuring the remaining Greenfield students are saved, Nigerians online are hoping that something is done before the kidnappers make do with their threats.

We will update this story as soon as we receive new information.

If there is anything Nigerians understand, it is the sometimes weird, other times horrifying experiences that come with in Nigeria. From delayed payments to extreme workloads. Lack of boundaries, poor remuneration, toxic and overly competitive workplace culture amongst other problems. These are the stories we often hear. But, surely, there have to be good jobs in the country. Or at least, Nigerians with good, if not the best work experiences at some of the jobs they have done or are currently doing.

So to answer that question, I asked six Nigerians to share their best work experiences and you can read their stories below.

Frankie, 28

One of the best work experiences I’ve ever had was during my NYSC posting. I was posted to a school to teach Mathematics. It was cool. I had control over my time and I loved teaching the subject.聽 The overall renumeration was meagre but I could fund my baby-boy lifestyle from the pay I got from the government and private tutorials.聽

Now, I have had two other jobs after that and the only thing I鈥檝e enjoyed has been the pay. Which of course, they made up for by draining the life out of me with terrible workloads. I’m actually hoping for a new job with a great work-life balance.

Oyinda, 27

Where I work now, the environment is really healthy. We’re a small team, but we’re so powerful. Everyone is kind, they provide feedback in the most useful ways. There’s room for immense growth and I get to challenge my thinking every day. It has made me think of words (which is what I mostly work with) in a more visual, tangible way and I can definitely say I’ve grown. Plus the pay is good; there’s feeding allowance, HMO, and other benefits. It’s the coolest job I’ve ever had to be honest. They challenge and push me to be better and I can’t wait to see how much better I get in the space of six months or a year.

Kelechi, 21

I work for a startup in the US as a User Experience Designer. Prior to this, I have had pretty tough bosses so this is really different from what I am used to. In my previous jobs, I was always anxious and tried to be online on slack all the time so I don鈥檛 get queried. I particularly love this job because I feel heard and appreciated. I鈥檓 the youngest at work and my teammates are always ready to guide and teach me. It鈥檚 very easy to interact without anyone being rude or mean. Overall, it鈥檚 just a very healthy work environment. 

Also, we have nice hangouts – remotely of course – and get to know each other and bond outside of work. I have flexible work hours, I can take off days without feeling guilty. Everyone is treated equally, and then there is the really great pay.  Now I know extreme micromanaging limits me and makes me super anxious and I now know that working long hours does not necessarily mean you鈥檙e being hardworking, it鈥檚 just suffering. As long as you get the result out at the required time. You are good. 

Israel, 21

I am having one of my best work experiences. I work as a customer relations officer and the experience has been amazing so far. This is because of the freedom I have to do what I want so long as I get the job right. No one is looking for your mistake to pounce on or looking to give you a hard time. My supervisor always listens to my opinions, even when some of my coworkers would not agree.  I mean, I was having a hard time at the office the other day and my supervisor asked if I wanted some loud to make my day better.

Elle, 30

I worked in two big companies in Nigeria prior to moving to Abidjan where I live and work now. The first one was a bit okay even though the salary was not that great. The second one, however, was hell!

The day I got an offer for my current job in Abidjan, my manager told me to speedily print my offer letter and sign it. The culture here is way better than in Nigeria. You can wear your Ankara from Monday to Friday and nobody will look at you anyhow. You can also wear any hairstyle. The day I saw pink hair, the Nigerian in me screamed.

Also, they are quite flexible and understanding with the staff, especially those who are parents. I can wake up in the morning and call my manager that my child is ill and they wish me well and tell me to come back when the child feels better. My child had surgery and I got two weeks’ leave to nurse her back to health. My department also has a good teaching culture where you are not criticized for not knowing something. You’re instead, encouraged to learn it and teach others. We also have a good working and personal relationship with our fellow staff especially amongst us Nigerians who work there.

Onome, 29

I’ve had two great job experiences. In the first one, I was earning a salary of N40K monthly but I was always travelling and on the road. I earn my full month salary in 2 days when on the road. During my trips, I would be given inconvenience pay, hotel, and feeding plus airtime.

At my second job, the company apartment was furnished to taste (a bed, mattress, fully fitted kitchen, e.t.c) and it was just behind my office. I could leave home at 7:58 and enter the office before 8 am. Cook a proper meal in the kitchen and even catch a short nap during breaks. I didn鈥檛 even have to pay for light bills, waste, or even gas. Now, na suffer I dey suffer!聽

What is the best advice your parent has ever given you? If there is anything, love to give advice. Often unsolicited and sometimes absolutely needed, advice from parents can be really helpful. Sometimes there can be so many of them that it is hard to remember, and other times, there is that one that sticks with you and shapes the way you navigate the world.

Below 7 people share advice from parents they cannot forget, perhaps this will bring back some long lost memories.

Arit, 38

The best advice I got from my father – which my mother also says to me all the time – was “If you don’t like it, remember you can always come home.” I think he said this when I was starting university or something like that. One big issue with life journeys is the fear of not completing. So even when we’re overwhelmed or it’s no longer the best choice, we stay. Remembering that I could always come home kept me going then and keeps me going now. A few days ago, my friend said it to me in relation to a new venture and I felt that warmth and safety all over again.

Ayo, 16

The advice from parents I cannot forget was from my mum who told me that 鈥淧eople only want to be associated with smart students and rich people.鈥� That has shaped everything I think of now.  It has also helped me whenever I’m in school and whenever I have money. I remember the people around are only there for the benefits they can get.

Vivian, 28

My father is a very good man. A very good human, in public and behind closed doors. Growing up, he’d always tell me “be yourself”. You know the advice they give when you’re going to school. Yeah, so he started telling me that from secondary school, but I never understood what it meant. At first, I felt the advice was funny because who else am I supposed to be? The older I got, I’d think ‘how can I be myself when I don’t even know who I am?’. He told me this every single time I had to leave home or go somewhere new, which is a lot of times because I moved around a lot. Anyway, the advice began to make sense to me just last year. I realized I had a tendency to absorb thoughts, opinions, and advice while disregarding my own. I’d bend myself into pretzels to be what I thought people needed, I was a people pleaser raised to power GEJ.  I couldn’t account for any major decisions to my original thoughts. 

I concluded that who I am is the sum of my independent decisions and choices (as independent as socialization permits anyway). And to become my authentic self, I had to make independent choices and live with the consequences, knowing it was all me. And now, being myself has a new meaning as I now make my own decisions and gain new insight into who I am. For the first time since I can remember, I’m being myself, which it turns out that I’m a coconut head. This new me has helped me make better decisions in my personal and professional life, which has, in turn, helped me grow so much in my competence, leadership, and overall relationships.

Yaw, 23

Every time I start a new job or internship, my father always tells me to not go overboard or overdo. He tells me to do the bare minimum, because people will use you if they know what you can do, especially as a young student. It has helped me immensely to be honest. Though I don鈥檛 do the bare minimum, I don鈥檛 avail myself too much to be used anyhow and it guides my relationship with employers and employment arrangements.

Nnaya, 27

My Mum tells me, 鈥�Never look at another persons own out there and think that you don鈥檛 have anything , there are people who are fasting and praying to be where you are right now, don鈥檛 rush to accumulate wealth so that you don鈥檛 die young , take it easy and you鈥檇 enjoy a long happy life.鈥� That really didn鈥檛 hit me until 2 years ago after I discovered my health status. Befpore then, I was always complaining and I just found myself on a roller coaster of working myself off just to fight off inner demons and always second guessing and comparing myself with others people. I wasn鈥檛 even comfortable with my body, but the moment I remembered her words and advice, that was a turning point for me. I started to see and take life differently and it has positively affected my work and social life. I walk into a room feeling blessed and highly favored already and understand that it is okay when I don鈥檛 get something I wanted.

Dan, 24

My dad鈥檚 advice toe me in Secondary school was”Go to Art Class. You’re the only boy I know that can read an 800page novel in less than a day”. I heeded it and today I’m a lawyer. Being in Arts class felt alright. I got to improve my writing skills and learn elocution but before that, I had intended to head to Science class. In my school, we kinda did all the subjects in SS1 first term to determine what class would be right fit for you. And despite performing badly in all the science subjects and passing all the Art subjects, I was still trying to do stronghead and go to science class. It was my dad who had been observing all along that pointed out the fact that I’d be better as an Arts student and that I didn’t like maths anyway.

Liz, 23

So I won鈥檛 say this is the best, but this is the one I can think of right now. It鈥檚 鈥淎lways do what makes you happy, people will always talk.鈥� And it was my mum that gave me that advice. When I was at a lower level in school and wanted to change my course, I worried about what people would say but when I told her she asked me to go ahead and change it. She was like, if I change it, people will talk and even if I don鈥檛 change it and I fail, people will still talk and even though I didn鈥檛 change it, that has stuck with me. 

In other cases, these conversations are spearheaded by people who know exactly what they are talking about (think women discussing misogyny or queer folks talking about homophobia) and as it often happens, those conversations get hijacked by people who are ill-equipped to talk about them and end up turning the discourse into a bigotry party. But hey, it鈥檚 the internet and nobody bought data for anyone, so Nigerians do tend to talk and engage in conversations, just because.

The result of this is that we have a lot of cringe-worthy, outrightly weird, and ridiculous conversations happening for sometimes a day or weeks on end. And because we do tend to have a lot of them on a loop, I decided to ask Nigerians to share some of the weirdest and most ridiculous conversations they have ever witnessed online, so please, find their responses below.

This was the Ghetto:

A lot of people actually agree

Then there is the top contender and a really weird time I pray and hope we never return to.

I just can鈥檛

When did this happen though?

Yeah, this was a pretty weird, but actually instructive moment

Uhmmmm

This was very disturbing

I completely understand this one because who has that time?

Less of this one please,

So there you have it, this is to hoping we fix up going forward.

Sharing spaces with other people can be a really enjoyable experience, depending on who you are or who is sharing that space with you. While some people haven鈥檛 had the best stories to share from living with other people, some have really great stories about sharing spaces with friends, strangers, , e.t.c. And below, you can read some of them.

Manal, 25

When I got into law school, I was placed in a room with a total stranger. I didn鈥檛 give space to know her when we first resumed, I hardly stayed in the room, I鈥檇 go to my friend鈥檚 rooms and grumble if she touched my things but since we returned to school after the Covid break, I decided to get to know her better. It was really amazing, we鈥檇 share our stuff, buy each other things, read together, etc. We became like sisters and this extended to our flatmates who were strangers to me too, now we鈥檙e done with school and I miss them, especially my roommate.

Sunflower, 25

Last September I quit my job and took a vacation out of my city. I could not return home because a lot of things about me had changed and because I come from a religious background, I knew my mum and I would get into countless fights if I shared the same space with her before another job comes along. This was when a friend I鈥檇 barely known for six months let me stay at hers without questions. Although I am moving out in a week or two, this has been a blissful experience. I have been treated like family by her and every member of her household. All of my needs are often met and I have had the space to be free and at peace. I never knew living with anyone, especially someone I hadn’t known for so long could be so smooth and without chaos. Painfully she’ll be moving to a new city in a few weeks, but if I could live with anyone again I would want it to be her. I am eternally grateful and have taken a cue as I intend to pay this gesture forward.

Amina, 27

My best experience sharing spaces with someone happened at University. It was with a girl I met in a queue to collect our admission letter. She just saw me standing, called me over, and started talking to me. It was bizarre for me because I had just come from an all girl’s boarding school where everything was about cliques and I never got into one but this girl saw me and just decided I was her friend.  She had to go home early so she put me in charge of getting a room for us after registration and I did. It was a small space with 2 bunks and 5 occupants on the last floor upstairs, it was cramped but we made it work. Those were some of the best years of my life. We became friends with our roomies and we had so much fun cooking, gisting, hiking, celebrating birthdays, and taking pictures that we didn’t go to class much and failed woefully. If given the chance, I’ll do it all over again because I felt what friendship really meant.

Eddie, 30

In 2014, I was job-hunting and had to share a space with my friend.聽 It was perfect because he worked a very busy job and we weren鈥檛 always in each other鈥檚 way. But on weekends, we had an unspoken arrangement where we spent time together. We would fill the generator with fuel, buy snacks, and binge-watch whatever series we could lay hands on. If I spent money on groceries or fuel for the generator, he would always refund them, saying, “shut up, you’re not working yet, save your money.” I attended family events with him since my own family was back home down south. He loved my cooking and I enjoyed cooking for him. His girlfriend was awesome too. One event that stood out was when he took a day off work to take care of me because I was ill. I swear I might have been a little in love with that dude. No one else I’ve lived with was that thoughtful.

Raquel, 27

My partner and I moved in together recently and I think the best thing about it is the constant doting on each other. It鈥檚 the first time I am sharing spaces with a partner as a family unit. It鈥檚 like always having a friend who cares about you around. We do the groceries together, feed our cat together, cook together, run errands together. I wake up to 鈥渉ey baby鈥� and forehead kisses and good morning hugs and to be honest, each day is better than the previous one.  And because we are a queer couple in Nigeria who can鈥檛 get married, living together is the next best thing till we figure out marriage. We live together as a family, us and our pets.

Kirah, 23

I鈥檝e lived with my boyfriend since my HND 1 started in 2019, due to an accommodation problem. Although I plan on moving out soon, The experience has been a rollercoaster of emotions that varies from tears, emotional abuse, support, and encouragement. The best thing I learned living with someone is never ever depend fully on them and always have it at the back of your mind that you might need to move out at any time. At first, my boyfriend catered for everything in the house and when I started working, we shared the bills. He pays rent, I pay for the utility. We shared every bill and that includes the food we eat I can’t say it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life likewise isn’t the worst decision I’ve made either. I鈥檝e learned to live with people even when they are at their worst moments.

Dee, 27

My experience with sharing spaces happened when NYSC took me to river state. It was in a village and I was mad about it but had no other choice. While we were all at camp, I met a girl named Yetunde who had her own place in the centre of town. She was very kind and would let me come by after we got close. From spending the afternoons together to sleepovers on weekends. She also had someone else over, so it was basically two people squatting with her. Even when she wasn鈥檛 around, we stayed in her crib and she insisted on covering any incurred bills herself. And our trio became really close friends, it was so fun. I learned about privilege and the concept of limitless options rich kids have. I also understood how having a supportive friend means a great deal. She would probably see this but she knows I love her.

We all have bad spending experiences. Moments when we decided that problem no dey finish and that we did not come to this life to suffer. These moments, which can sometimes materialise as buying those shoes you absolutely don鈥檛 need or ordering take-out when there is rice at home, can happen at any time. And in other to give us more context on this matter, we asked 4 Nigerians to share their bad spending experiences and what they learned from them.

Sam, 24

There’s surely been a lot of where I blew through relatively huge sums of money and cultivated bad spending experiences but one that has stuck with me the longest happened in 2016. There were a lot of Ponzi schemes out at the time, I was never really a fan of them but a friend convinced me to try them out. Going by his words, I decided to test one of the schemes out with a relatively small amount of money, and I did get my returns in 2 weeks. I immediately became a believer in and soon, I started investing my entire life savings in a couple of other Ponzi schemes. Altogether, I invested about聽 鈧�700,000 and started splurging the balance because I was expecting over a million in returns.聽

But almost as if on cue, all of them started to “enter water” with my money. I was gutter-broke! I drank garri so much that sometimes I wasn’t even able to afford the garri. But in all, we give God the glory.

Queen, 24

One of my major bad spending experiences happened in my final year of university.聽In my first year, I had money coming from home, my uncles, and from a man who was trying to be my sugar daddy. I was living really well. I wasn’t eating students鈥� food and was always staying in hotels. After a while though, the man who wanted to be my sugar daddy left because I wasn鈥檛 interested in him and life became relatively hard. Then in my final year, the year of Ponzi schemes, I made a lot from “Ultimate cycler”. Those Invest 鈧�12,500 and get 鈧�50,000 in returns scheme. I was among the first people, so I made close to a million in two days. I however didn’t save any of the money I received and went back home broke. Imagine having a million and only going back home with just聽 鈧�20,000. Now, I save a lot and don’t take chances.

Anne, 23

In 2017 which was my second year of university, I joined a youth/student church and I was really into it. I was in the choir and in leadership training and on almost every other committee. They always asked us to pay tithes, honor your prophet offerings, prophetic seeds, buy choir uniforms, contribute to the church building fund, and contribute to the outreach programs.聽 Two offerings were collected at every service and around this time my father usually sent me a minimum of聽 $500 (鈧�230,000) every month and he asked me to make sure I saved, but I was instead, using most of the money to cover church expenses.

I wasn’t buying myself nice things or going out either. There was just always something to pay for at church. So when the time to pay school fees came around, my dad asked for my savings from the money he鈥檇 been sending me and when I could not account for anything, I didn鈥檛 know how to tell him what I had done. When I eventually told him how I spent the money, he was so angry with me that he even threatened to send me back to Nigeria. Eventually, he forgave me and sent the tuition money but he cut my allowance by half for a couple of months. I found it very difficult to survive back then because there were still church expenses I needed to pay and the half allowance was never enough to make up for them. I eventually left the church because it was becoming too much. How could they be comfortable collecting so much money from students who weren鈥檛 even working? Ever since then I鈥檝e learned to live by my means and put myself first when it comes to spending my money, anything outside of my budget is a no for me.

Ginger, 25

So I studied at one of those private universities. And during the Easter break, I wanted to visit Lagos with my girlfriends, as was the culture then. But since I wanted to avoid see-finish. I saved for months as the budget was 鈧�150,000, for each of us. Trust me, that was a lot of money back then. We spent a week in Lagos, went clubbing, strip clubs, house parties, beach, ate out, met celebrities, went wild for a week. I don鈥檛 regret anything, it is actually one of my most memorable memories  My advice is if you’re in school and you are young, go wild at least once.

Nigerian parents are known for , that is a given. But there are times when they do show that they are our parents and that they care about us. In this piece, we spoke with 5 Nigerians on moments when their parents helped them out of the craziest situations.

Yes, we know it is not very common, but it is a possibility and the stories below confirm that.

Reyna, 24

About Nigerian parents showing up when it matters, when I was in 300 level, I met a really nice guy. He was God-fearing, caring, and most importantly, he had sense. At first, my relationship with the boy was smooth, and everything was going well, he was the perfect partner until he wasn鈥檛. He started doing drugs and in time, I would occasionally join him. During our final year, I found out he had joined a fraternity. I talked to him about it but by then there was nothing I could do. He started threatening me, getting jealous, he would isolate me from my siblings, and was extremely violent.  He even shot one of my male friends at that time. I didn’t know what else to do and at that time I was already giving my mom details of what happened. My mom was my best friend so she practically knew everything about me, I hardly left out any details of the things I told her.

At first, she didn’t know what to do and we couldn鈥檛 tell my father as it would get out of hand. But one morning, she showed up with his mom. We had an emergency family meeting. My mom was crying and begging on her knees with his mom, asking him to please leave me alone, that I had a better life ahead of me. And after a long time of that, he agreed to leave me alone, and that was the end of that part of my life.

Tinuke 23

It was in 2019 and I was doing badly in medical school. It affected my mental health and me very suicidal. My Nigerian parents sat me down and I told them I didn’t want to go back there. They agreed and my dad went back to my university to begin the process of my 鈥渄ropping out鈥�  while my mum stayed with me throughout to ensure I didn’t do anything to myself. They had spent a lot of money they didn’t have to get me to that point, but they said they just wanted me alive. That break really helped me and it took a long time before I got my sanity back. It’s still a process, but I hit a benchmark in healing towards the end of 2019 and it has been slow but steady and upward since then. 

Lola, 31

I had always been a very rebellious child growing up, but I am changed now, thank God. Thank God. When I was in my second year of university, and I was partying so much that I failed the entire semester. A friend had promised to hook me up with someone that could make change my grades for me and I was deceptively asking my dad for the cash. He kept asking what I needed the money for and after a while, he showed at my school and my dean told him everything. My father didn鈥檛 yell at me, he just called me, paid the school fees, bought me enough food, and hugged me goodbye. My G.P went from 2.1 to almost 4. 

Akin, 35

In 2002, I was arrested by the police for running a police recruitment racket. I was detained for almost 3 weeks and interrogated to give up the names of the other guys that we were running it together but I refused. They refused to grant me bail and insisted that the matter will be charged to court. Even though my father was a senior police officer, he refused to intervene at first. He had always told us that if we ever got into trouble thinking he would bail us out because he was a police officer, he won’t do such. It was my mother that was running around trying to see all she could do. I spent the Christmas of that year in police detention.

My mother was able to talk to another senior officer that my father respected a lot who spoke to him and together he and the other office alongside my mum were able to get the officer in charge to drop the case against me and I was released and allowed to go home after 3 weeks in the police cell. I saw my father cry for the first time after I was released and I got home. That was the day I made a promise that I was never going to make my Nigerian parents cry because of me again. If they would ever cry, then it will be tears of joy. And that is how it has been since then.

Chidinma, 23

Sometime last year before the pandemic struck, I had just started a business and when the pandemic started, it ruined everything thereby forcing us to stay home. After four months of trying and failing to sell from home, I delved into another line of business but I had no capital to start.  I really needed money and I couldn鈥檛 figure out how to get it. I was sceptical about telling my parents at first, but later, I told my mother about it (she does business too, so I needed advice and tips from her) and was prepared for the usual discouraging words. Surprisingly she was supportive and was happy about it. So I just opened up even further and told her the genesis of the whole business and the trouble I was facing.  Some days later, she surprised me with an alert of 50k and also agreed to buy some of my wears for people so I could use that as a stepping stone(customer reviews) for my new business. That meant a lot to me and saved me from possible debts.

What are the while in school? Many of the memories we have of being in school – from primary school to the university – have at one point or another involved bullying or one mean behaviour or another. Sometimes, we are the victims of these behaviours, and other times, we are the perpetrators.

So we spoke with 8 Nigerians on the meanest things they did while in school.

Teni, 23

When I was in Jss 3, during intro-tech class, I whistled and the teacher asked who did it, I refused to own up to it. He got upset and threatened to punish the entire class if the culprit didn鈥檛 speak up and true to his words, he made us all kneel outside in the sun all day. We were all in the school鈥檚 courtyard and although some people cried, I still refused to confess.

Kasa, 25

I had this literature teacher that scored me badly one time and so I spent every waking moment gaslighting her. I would correct her English, constantly disagree, roll my eyes while she taught, spit in her water whenever she asked me to get her some. She couldn’t get anyone to punish me because no one believed I could do anything like that, plus she was a junior teacher. I hated her so much that I gt my mum to complain and she eventually left the school. Not my proudest moment but she wasn’t exactly the best person either. She scored me badly consistently and I knew I was smart because the previous teacher who was more experienced always gave me high scores.

Sandra, 23

So because of my handwriting, my teachers would usually leave their lesson notes with me and have me write on the board for others to copy. But we had more boys than girls and due to my small stature, most of the boys would refuse to copy the notes down and so I had to find a way to deal with them. I would divide the board into two and on the first part, I would make my handwriting smaller than usual then when I get to the second part, I鈥檇 start writing with bigger handwriting. Then I鈥檇 clean the first part from the bottom while they keep shouting that they are still writing. I鈥檇 be like that is none of my business, I have written the notes for all of you, and I鈥檇 tell them to take it up with the teacher when they come to class. After a while, they started paying attention whenever I jot things down on the board.

Cletus, 21

We got a new french teacher after the old one suddenly left. This was the first time our new french teacher ever taught anyone, so our set used that against her. One time, she was meant to teach class D after a free period but once she came in, she saw the class emptied of the chairs and tables except for one chair and table which faced the white board with the words ” you can teach yourself” written in french for her. Apparently, the class had used their free period to do all of that. We heard she broke down and cried. After that day we didn’t try her again and made sure we gave her utmost respect.

Uyai, 18

I was a bully to a lot of junior students while in school. I was known for everything from punishments to cheating when serving food to beating them. I wasn’t very good at controlling my anger so whenever a junior disrespected me I switched and I’d beat them. I wasn’t scared of fighting as I was always ready to fight anybody. I’m very sure my name would still ring bells in my secondary school. I changed school a lot. I was in a military school for like a term and it was hell because seniors dealt with us. They had so much power they could do whatever they wanted. I wasn’t always wicked but after going through that I wanted to be that one with power the person that everyone feared and respected so going to the next school, that was the mindset I had.

Ayo, 21

I had a girlfriend who broke up with her love interest, and the love interest (also a girl) still went ahead to insult my girl. So I wrote a very mean letter to her new love. Her name(she’s also female) had a kolo in it. It was a two paged letter and I wrote that she was “Kolomental as her name implied”, that she’s a third-hand grade Okrika cloth. That’ she’s cheap, ugly and she and the other girl deserved themselves. I went ahead to call the other girl a local champion and a church rat too. I wrote that she pretended a lot and that she was from a bush village in Calabar and that she likes to overperform her asthma attacks.

It’s been almost 7yrs and I can’t remember all the contents of the letter, but I know there was a huge uproar that night because of it. All her classmates saw and read the letter, and they wanted to beat me that night, but I stood my ground. People talked about that letter for the rest of the term.

Bobby, 28

I had this girl I really liked although she wasn鈥檛 conventionally gorgeous. She liked me as well and I guess she got tired of us just liking each other and brought up a conversation about how we both felt. At the time, I was an insensitive potato so I told her I couldn鈥檛 be with her and expressed (in really mean words) how insulted I was by her thinking something could happen between us.

Chris, 29

So I had gone to school with those rat traps that had a clamp and pin. The type that snaps and holds the rat down. My school was semi bougie and I was coming from a different background. The pupils in my class didn鈥檛 know what the rat traps looked like so I brought one to school. I was like an inventor that day, they were marveled at this engineering. Now, my class had a bad belle Prefect who didn鈥檛 like that I was being a star.

She went to report me to my form master and that one said she should seize the trap and take it to him. When she came to take it from me, I set it inside my school bag and told her to take it out, long story short, she was in tears with blood dripping from her finger and I spent the rest of the day in the staff room carry out various types of punishments.