Getting a job at Microsoft before graduating? Chisom, you have to show us the way

I promise it wasn鈥檛 a big deal. I was just aware that there鈥檚 a lot more to life than school.

What does that mean?

While I was invested in keeping my grades up, I realised as a computer scientist, it鈥檚 not all about books. In the real world, people want to know if you can code, programme or build something. As a student, I just focused on that.

Your degree didn鈥檛 prepare you for the real world?

Every computer science student knows we鈥檙e taught mainly theory. On some occasions, we鈥檇 use software, but on most, we learnt about coding on a whiteboard or paper. 

Coding on paper?

No shade to Nigerian universities, but I didn鈥檛 make a lot out of what I learnt there. Still, it was an important experience for my journey.  

How?

I met the guy who got me into coding in my second year. There was an innovation hub on campus and science students liked to hang out there. On one of the random days I stopped by, I met a tech bro designing an android application.

It wasn鈥檛 unusual to see people coding, but it looked like he was designing a mobile application on his laptop. I was intrigued and asked what he was up to. That was the first time I鈥檇 heard anyone talk about building apps on Google Play Store.

Two years in computer science and none of that came up in class?

All I鈥檇 done was code on paper and attempt to teach myself on a laptop. But that guy was developing real apps for phones. That was an upgrade I knew I needed, so I asked him to teach me.

Sweet. So the journey to tech sis, how did that go?

I had some programming knowledge from joining Aptech in Calabar in 2018, but it was still hard to keep up with the tools for building the apps. I got a hang of it eventually when I started taking tutorials online. The tutorial videos had practice projects at the end that made it possible for me to build a portfolio, which was instrumental to my transition to software engineering.

What鈥檚 the difference between being a computer scientist and a software engineer?

The difference is in the practical aspect. Software engineers design and ship products by the minute. While a computer scientist is more theoretical; it鈥檚 like a bigger umbrella.

What major thing helped you to prepare for the role? 

The projects at the end of each tutorial. After a year, I wanted to apply for internships, but I didn鈥檛 have a resume. When I looked up samples, there were sections for work experience and personal projects. And I didn鈥檛 have anything relevant to include. That鈥檚 a big issue when there are a million other people trying to get the same job you want.

I get you. What was the first experience you got as a student?

Building my first phone application in 300 level. I wasn鈥檛 sure what to build initially. But it was easier to replicate a more culture-specific version of the programme I鈥檇 been taught. That鈥檚 how I made , a language-teaching app.

How well did Igb貌 Am谩k谩 do to be relevant enough against a million other people?

The most important aspect was getting the application to work. Companies want to know you can actually build the app. And I did. By the time I graduated, I鈥檇 built a second application designed to help visually-impaired people send emails. That was pretty impressive to talk about during job interviews.

When did you start applying?

Before the end of my final exams in early 2020. I wanted to get a software engineering job and start immediately after school. So I was submitting 30 to 50 applications a day 鈥� I literally flooded the internet with my resume, applying for jobs. But I was more interested in getting into the Big Tech companies 鈥� Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft or Google.

You weren鈥檛 even thinking about Nigeria at all?

I was at first. While applying and going through interviews, I realised that junior and internship roles are like 鈥渕id-level鈥� roles in Nigerian companies. They always asked if I had work experience. So I changed plans and focused on the big tech companies. My thinking was they have more capacity to train people with little experience. 

Fair enough

But even with the projects I鈥檇 done, I wasn鈥檛 getting hired at any of the companies I actually wanted. They were looking for someone with more experience than I had. 

The first interview I failed was Bloomberg鈥檚. Then the aptitude tests for Google, Facebook and Microsoft followed. That鈥檚 how companies kept dropping me. It made me feel like it wasn鈥檛 a project problem anymore.

Then what was it?

I had the skills. But the recruiters needed more than me being able to build applications. Every entry-level engineer can code. The question was how well-grounded I was as a developer without any work experience.

Did I have any published articles? Any volunteer experience or a portfolio website to showcase? That鈥檚 the difference between startups and bigger companies like Google. They don鈥檛 just care about your work experience as a student. Skills that demonstrate being good at communication and problem-solving are what matter.

How about the aptitude tests you failed? What were you missing?

Everything around data structures and algorithms. When you combine them with strong soft skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration, they can be the real access card to bigger organisations. 

Interesting. What do data structures and algorithms mean?

It鈥檚 a course on its own. Data structures and algorithms test your knowledge of logic, coding and communication. You get to answer technical questions using your preferred coding language, and the tests can be complex. They鈥檙e the most common questions international organisations ask. 

What helped you pass them?

A book called Cracking the Coding Interviews. It鈥檚 a bible for data structures and algorithms. And courses on helped because they were more structured.

How long after your first attempt at Microsoft did you try again?

Six months. I felt ready to apply again in August 2020. And I鈥檇 been applying to other companies as well. Every interview was my practice leading up to my final interview with Microsoft.

Clearly, things worked out

Yeah. I got a call back in December and an offer letter in January 2021 to resume after school in November.

You were doing all this in your final year. How did you manage it?

Haha. Time management. I spent most of my early mornings doing some work before school. I鈥檇 get back quite early to work on my final project, revise what I was taught and get right back to work again.

It was a rollercoaster, but it was worth it.

Best in studies

It鈥檚 funny how I was offered an internship as a technical analyst at Bank of America (BOA) just a month before the Microsoft offer. I applied during my six-month period of preparing for interviews. 

That鈥檚 wild

The euphoria was intense. I was going to school, running a three-month internship and looking forward to resuming at the Microsoft office in Lagos. 

What do you think changed with the Microsoft interview? How did you scale through the first stage this time?

I felt ready for the test. Every other failed attempt made me ready. That鈥檚 the only way to explain it.

Give us some inside gist. What were the other phases of the interview? 

After the coding test, there鈥檚 a phone interview with four phases. Each one lasted 45 minutes, followed by two non-technical interviews. My manager interviewed me and asked questions like what I鈥檇 do if my team didn鈥檛 understand a task. Or how I鈥檇 approach a problem I couldn鈥檛 solve even after asking for help and googling for answers. The focus was behavioural questions. 

I scaled through, and now I鈥檓 here. 

And how has your experience at Microsoft been so far?

It鈥檚 been more than a year, and my time at Microsoft has taken me from a university graduate with no experience to a seasoned software engineer. I still have a lot to learn, but the future looks really bright. 

If you could go back, what would you have done differently?

I would start earlier. I鈥檝e met colleagues who started off with an undergraduate internship at Google. And I wish I didn鈥檛 doubt opportunities like that were possible.

What鈥檚 one place to start looking out for the right opportunities?

I get asked a lot of questions like this, so I鈥檝e created a for interviewing and getting started in tech. And my page is dedicated to helping more people get into big tech companies. 

What does the next level look like for your career?

Gaining more technical skills. The world is moving towards innovation, and I鈥檇 always want to be at the peak of things. Fortunately, I鈥檓 at a company that has the same vision I do. 

I鈥檇 also love to explore leadership roles in tech, managing engineering teams and products. I know I have to keep upskilling 鈥� taking courses and staying current with tech trends 鈥� leveraging my network and building a solid brand for myself to make this happen. And I plan to make it all happen.

Hustleprint stories drop every two weeks on Tuesdays at 12 p.m. WAT, and Hustleprint guides will drop in the interim weeks. 

So you can follow each drop, Hustleprint will be published in .

Sola Ajao is a 59 -year-old Nigerian woman based in Boston, US. She started cooking at 10 and grew to love it. But when she moved to the States to get married, she realised there was a gap in accessing African foods. She鈥檚 spent 20 years building a business to bridge the gap and tells us how she鈥檚 done it. 

Do you have any formal training as a chef?

No, but cooking has always been a part of my life. I started cooking for my family when I was ten years old. We didn’t have a maid, and I had two younger siblings, so my mum taught me to take care of the family while she was away at work. It made me grow to love food. 

How did you move from being a ten-year-old learning to cook to growing a business?

When I was 26, I moved to Boston, Massachusetts to marry my husband. I was living in a different country for the first time, and I could never find familiar ingredients to cook my meals.

Whenever I wanted to make something as simple as jollof rice, I鈥檇 drive 215 miles to New York for the spices. It didn鈥檛 take long to notice the gap, so I decided to buy African spices and foodstuff from New York to start a food business in my Boston home. 

Interesting. So there was no competition in Boston at the time?

None that I knew of. New York, on the other hand, was a much bigger hub. When Africans came to the states in the 80s, they usually landed in New York 鈥� that鈥檚 what most people referred to as Yankee. 

As a result of the influx of Africans in New York, they had the infrastructure for importing African food. So I鈥檇 place my orders through vendors in New York who had importing licenses.

How were you able to build a network in a new country?

When I started, I was pretty much taking a leap of faith. I put all my savings into the business. I tried to get other sources of funding, like bank loans, but it didn鈥檛 work out.  

Also, introducing African food to Boston wasn鈥檛 easy. Everyone was familiar with Chinese and Indian food, but Nigerian food wasn鈥檛 as common. So naturally, the business started very small, and I took up corporate jobs to make up for the money I wasn鈥檛 making. I came to the United States with only a secondary school certificate, so the job I could get at the time was a secretarial role at what is now known as Bank of America.

But kids change things. 

When my kids came, I decided to be at home more often. This made it easier for me to build a network. I started daycare at home and met a lot of other mums who needed help with their kids. This was a good opportunity to market my products, and I did at every chance. I started offering catering services too 鈥� food is a basic human necessity.

My husband became a church minister in 2008, which helped me connect with more Nigeran and African people in my community. 

And there weren鈥檛 any regulations against running a restaurant from your home?

I only took bulk orders for events while I was trying to expand to accommodate daily orders. It鈥檚 very common for caterers to cook from their homes as long as they鈥檙e licensed. We call this concept 鈥渉ome cooks鈥� or 鈥渉ome chefs.鈥�

What was your most notable catering opportunity?

A convention for people from Edo state in 2007 was my biggest contract. 2000 people showed up to this event, and I had to hire a team of ten to pull it off. By the end of the day, people from all over the U.S. had tried my bestselling jollof rice. I was pleased. I built on that and continued to grow the business until I got a store in 2020.

I鈥檇 wanted to get a store for the longest time, but I didn鈥檛 have the money to put into it with a family to take care of. When I got COVID in 2020 and spent two months not knowing whether I鈥檇 survive, I knew there wasn鈥檛 enough time to wait for the right moment. It鈥檇 been 20 years already.

I decided to take a calculated risk and put all my money into renting a property. But even with the money, it wasn鈥檛 easy to find a space in my town. The real estate market here is extremely tough.

But without any formal training, how did you manage to scale up the business?

The most important thing to keep in mind is turning your everyday life into useful and profitable skills. 

For instance, being a minister鈥檚 wife meant I needed to communicate and network even when I didn鈥檛 feel like it. I needed that to understand good customer service for my grocery store and catering business to grow. There鈥檚 no separation between my business and personal life because my business grows from my life experiences.

Also, a culinary degree isn鈥檛 what gets you through the door when you鈥檙e cooking a different style of food. What sells you is how well you can educate people and persuade them to actually try your food. 

So how do you educate non-Nigerians about Nigerian food and get them to actually try it out?

We host pop-up experiences in different areas of our state, Massachusetts. It takes our business model to various locations outside of our storefront location. We recently did a pop-up in a predominantly white neighbourhood over 25 miles away. We had 100 transactions, many of whom promised to visit our store.

We also use social media as a form of education and entertainment, promoting our foods and creating educational content around them. We also invite influencers to do food tastes at our store. We even have a Spicy Indomie Challenge with some of our community members who we affectionately call the #DAMFam.

Did you depend on the supply chain in New York as the business grew?

Not entirely. I registered the business in Nigeria in 2022 for about 鈧�50k. So I don鈥檛 always have to depend on third-party vendors in New York. Instead, I can import directly from local vendors in Nigeria. This has strengthened the business鈥檚 B2B wholesale model. 

I鈥檓 curious. It took you 20 years to get a physical store. Is there any part of the journey you鈥檇 change if you could?

Honestly, there isn鈥檛. It鈥檚 natural to feel like I could鈥檝e prepared more. But I believe my personal journey is my destiny, hence why I named my business . My hope is someone will learn from my journey and not have to go through the same hardships.

And the first rule for Africans hoping to start a catering business in a foreign country? Where鈥檚 the first place to start when you have nothing?

Focus on the quality of your food. While I鈥檓 still not a formally trained chef, I鈥檓 now a licensed caterer and have all of my certifications to serve people safely with quality food. That鈥檚 a good place to start. 

Don鈥檛 be afraid to find a mentor and learn from others even if they鈥檙e not from your tribe or country. I鈥檝e mentored so many African caterers and food service providers, who鈥檝e garnered great success and even opened their stores before me. I love to mentor and support people. Collaboration is important in our community because it鈥檚 so small.

What do you think is next for the business?

The short-term goal is expanding to other 鈥淎frican food deserts鈥� for communities that don鈥檛 have African food options within a five-mile radius of their home. African culture, especially fashion and entertainment, is becoming increasingly mainstream. Our mission is to make African food top-of-mind too. 

So Zainab, how you do am?

The story is long.

I never had one dream. At some point, I loved mathematics and wanted to study that, but by the time I finished secondary school, I wanted to study chemical engineering 鈥� it was the most interesting option for a science student who didn鈥檛 want to go for medicine 鈥� but I didn’t get in. West African Examinations Council (WAEC) did me dirty.

What happened?

My Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) results were delayed. I had to use my General Certificate Examination (GCE) instead. But who really aces GCE? Of all the subjects, biology was the one that messed me up. Without it, I couldn’t apply to the chemical engineering department at the University of Ilorin.   

By the time WAEC decided to release our SSCE results, the department was full. I wasn’t ready to stay home for a year. And that’s pretty much how I ended up in Agricultural and Biometrics engineering. I had no clue what it was about.

I relate to the madness of WAEC, but this interview isn’t about me

Studying agricultural engineering wasn鈥檛 a horrible experience though. I took some helpful courses from other engineering departments and there was some programming involved. In 200 level, I took a programming class called Visual Basic, which was a third-generation and old programming language. Nevertheless, it sparked an interest because I was super interested in programming in general.

The issue was what job I鈥檇 be able to get in Nigeria. When I got to 400 level, that question became even more difficult to answer. While my guys in other engineering departments were able to get internships in big oil companies,  I was stuck working at a government ministry in Ilorin. No shade to government workers, but I knew I wasn鈥檛 interested in working there.

So you didn鈥檛 know where you would work after school?

Not exactly. But like my mates in other engineering departments, I wanted the flexibility of choosing big organisations in the private sector. I didn鈥檛 want to be stuck at a job because I didn鈥檛 have any other choice. 

After my internship, I was sure I’d transition into another field of engineering. I considered mechanical engineering because I took a lot of courses with the mechanical engineering department, and I could relate more with that. It also seemed interesting, and that鈥檚 how my transition began.

And to the meat of our gist

After my NYSC in 2016, I applied for a master’s degree in advanced mechanical engineering with management at the University of Leicester, UK. I ended up deferring my admission because my visa was delayed.

I just took the delay as a gap year and used the free time to learn coding. I couldn鈥檛 take the programming classes in uni as seriously as I鈥檇 wanted because there was no time. Now, I had all the time in the world.

I started with coding courses online, but I wanted to try out for an internship. So I searched for internships and found a tweet from Hotels.ng calling out for interns.

I got in, but the it was too fast paced for me as a complete beginner.

 Nevertheless, I’m grateful for the community the program gave me. I had the opportunity to meet and connect with people of different level of technical skills both online and offline, some of who I’m still connected with today.

A few weeks after the internship, I applied for the first sponsored by Google at the time. The program鈥檚 structure was hybrid, so I had more access to people in the tech community in Ilorin. That was a plus to the Twitter community I discovered from my Hotels.ng internship.

At this point, what tech skill were you focused on building?

Android development. It made me consider switching my master鈥檚 degree to computer science. But I didn鈥檛 want to flop. 

When I finally went for my master鈥檚 in 2017, my interest switched to artificial intelligence. We were taking a modelling and statistics course that covered how algorithms make it easy for computers to classify and recognise objects. I was curious.

I read more about artificial intelligence on my own, and that鈥檚 how I stumbled on data science. It seemed like the perfect mix of my interests. The programming aspect I鈥檇 learnt before my master鈥檚 degree and the data part covered statistics and mathematics.聽

So the best of both worlds?

Exactly. It only made sense to branch out into data science and start taking courses online.

Sweet. When did you land your first role?

Towards the end of my master鈥檚 degree in 2018. At first, I was applying for any kind of job. Whether it was consulting or banking, I applied because I didn鈥檛 want to leave the UK after school. But I wasn鈥檛 getting feedback. Eventually, I realised I had to stay focused on my initial goal to work as a data scientist. 

I started applying for analytics roles aggressively. I must have sent at least 300 applications before I got my first interview invite. The initial chit-chat with the team went great, but the technical assessment made me nervous 鈥� it was my first job, and I didn鈥檛 know what to expect. I hadn鈥檛 worked on a real-life data set. Essentially, I wasn鈥檛 very confident in my skills for these reasons.

The whole room started spinning in my head. And I flunked the test.

But you still got the job?

Yeah. On my trip back home, I sent an email to the team and thanked them for the opportunity. But I also added in an apology for messing up my test.  I explained how nervous I felt, and the pressure from writing my dissertation while preparing for the test. I guess they understood.

Surprisingly, the team asked me to take the test again. This time I had two weeks to submit the test like a take-home assignment. I still didn鈥檛 ace it though.

And you still got the job, Zainab?

LMAO. Yes. They felt the email demonstrated my willingness to learn. At least that鈥檚 what their email said. My job at the company was assisting the team with analysing market research surveys. 

This was my first taste of the corporate world was great. At least for the four months, it lasted.

What happened?

I couldn’t sort out the extension on my UK visa, so I moved back to Nigeria. 

The company allowed me to work remotely, but between the horrible internet and frustrating generator noises at many meetings, keeping up was impossible. I decided to leave.

I鈥檓 sorry. How did the Nigerian job market compare to the opportunities in the UK?

It was next to zero. I searched for data analyst roles on LinkedIn and there was nothing available. I reached out to my friends in tech for help. I remember one texting me about my salary expectations for a particular role. I said 鈧�500k. I鈥檓 sure the guy laughed because, thinking about it now, I had barely a year of experience to offer. But still, how was I to know? I didn鈥檛 understand the jobscape in Nigeria.

A month later, I got a job with an energy company. I was doing everything data and engineering-related at the company. I鈥檇 go to sites to set up energy metres and still spend time analysing the energy consumption of all our clients. The workload was a lot. I needed something else. 

Fascinating

But while I was still at the energy company, a friend started a data visualisation community. The goal was to connect and learn how to present information visually with graphs. But I didn鈥檛 have time to dedicate to learning and practising this until the lockdown.

During the pandemic, it was easier to attend classes. was one software people in the data industry talked about, so I dedicated more time to practicing. Every project I did went up on Twitter, and I started gaining traction. I was just everywhere at the time plugging my work.

Nine months into my job at the energy company, a friend directed me to a fintech company searching for product analysts. I applied, got the job and spent the next year there.

The next stop was Spotify.

How did the Spotify offer happen?

The weekly Twitter posts became my portfolio online. I didn鈥檛 know it at the time, but people were watching. In 2021, a senior data scientist at Spotify sent me a DM on Linkedin. He was recruiting for his team and asked me to apply for the job. I went through a five-stage process, and that was it. 

I got the job and relocated to Sweden in April 2021. It鈥檚 been a year since I joined the Sweden team. Now, I鈥檓 looking forward to a new experience at the London office in May. 

Nice. How has the experience been so far?

Spotify is a cool company. At first, working in a big company was overwhelming, especially after coming from a startup but I鈥檝e eased into it. There鈥檚 more structure than I was used to, and everyone鈥檚 role is defined and clear. 

Speaking of roles, what exactly do you do at Spotify?

I help product teams make informed decisions with data. One aspect is through visualisation. For instance, if there is a goal to reach x billion user streams, I build dashboards where people can go to monitor the progress. I also do exploratory deep dives into certain trends and patterns observed and test different hypotheses based on data observations. These analysis are presented to products teams and other stakeholders who then make decisions based on them.”

That鈥檚 huge. What鈥檚 one thing you think has prepared you for this role?

I鈥檇 say consistently learning and moving forward. My career journey never looked put together to me. I went from engineering to programming to data science and now, data visualisation. I think by now you should know I work with vibes. 

The funny thing is, when I went to the UK for my master’s, Spotify was one of the first apps I downloaded. I鈥檇 never experienced anything as good as their recommendation engine. The algorithm knew the exact songs I鈥檇 want in a playlist. As a tech enthusiast, that was insane. I wanted to understand how it worked.  

At that point, I couldn鈥檛 have believed I鈥檇 end up working at Spotify. Every decision I made about my career was vibes, a little bit of strategy and a lot of luck.

What do you think is next for your career?

Right now, I want stability. I鈥檝e spent the last two years moving companies, so I鈥檓 focused on building at Spotify. At least for another year or two.

Jemima Osunde is a 26-year-old physiotherapist and actress. Fed up with the chaos of medical school, Jemima decided to pursue acting on the side. She called her big break pure luck, but through her story, we found out what it鈥檚 like to hustle as a newbie in Nollywood.

So Jemima, how did you do it?

I always tell people acting happened to me randomly. Physiotherapy was what I wanted to do. Things started in my first year at UNILAG in 2013. Post-JAMB messed up my grades, so I took a diploma program to get into 200 level the next year. Anyone who knows what UNILAG鈥檚 diploma is like knows it can be chaotic.

How chaotic was it, on a scale of 1-10?

Hmm. We鈥檇 be like 200 in one hall with no power. Lecturers would yell at the top of their lungs at the front of the hall, doing their best, but only the first 50 people could hear them. The rest of us were just there to sign attendance and fulfil all righteousness by being there. 

So it broke the scale? 

LOL. Yeah. 

I did that for a few weeks and knew it couldn鈥檛 be my life for the rest of the year. That Christmas, I was at an uncle鈥檚 party, and we talked about how school was going. He suggested I consider acting since I was always talking everyone鈥檚 ear off. He felt it was a good way to make some money or just occupy my time.

What did you think?

It made sense actually. His words got stuck in my head for weeks. And after my next horrible day at school, I decided to experiment with acting while I was trying to get into the College of Medicine for my second year at UNILAG. 

What was the first thing you did while experimenting?

I started following Nigerian production houses on social media and discovered that they usually posted open audition calls. It just made sense to me that to start acting I had to audition for roles, so I followed everyone from Africa Magic to EbonyLife. I followed producers too; from one producer’s page, I鈥檇 find another to follow. 

Then, I followed young actors of that period. When I started, there was Olumide Oworu, Owumi Ugbeye who鈥檇 been on MTV Shuga 鈥� I just kept following everybody so I鈥檇 see every audition notice going out. Even though I didn鈥檛 immediately get roles, I learnt a lot from attending auditions and mingling with other aspiring actors who knew more than me. They鈥檇 give me the gist on what to do, what to look out for, who to meet and so on.

How did all of that play out in landing your first role?

I saw an audition notice for Tinsel in 2013. I didn鈥檛 get the part, but I got called back for Africa Magic Original Films [AMOF]. 

When I saw the email, I actually thought it was a scam because I hadn鈥檛 heard of AMOF or attended an audition for it. I had to call one of my uncles in the industry to verify. Then I had my mum come with me for the first few reads 鈥� till today, crew members at different sets still ask me about her. 

I worked on five or six AMOFs. And through them, I got on The Johnsons, guest-starring in a few episodes as the character, Abby. These first few acting experiences were an exciting adventure for my mum and I. My parents used to drive me around to set locations.

What would you consider your big break into the acting industry?

MTV Shuga in 2014. I was 18 at the time so bagging my role as Leila on a show that big at the beginning of my career was significant for me.

How did that big break happen?

One of the actresses I followed at the start of my career and I were working on a film together. In passing, I said I really liked her character on MTV Shuga, and it鈥檇 be nice if it had a new character I could play. Like two days later, she texted about an audition and asked me to send my details to an email address. I did that, got a reply and went in for a reading. In a matter of three or four days, I was cast as Leila. 

Just like that? Did you have any formal training as an actor?

No. Honestly, I was lucky.

That鈥檚 pretty much how things started for me. I only had to do three or four open auditions after Shuga.

Wait first. How was school going?

For some reason, most of my auditions were in Surulere, Lagos, so it wasn鈥檛 hard to go for them from the College of Medicine. Max, one bus, one okada, and I鈥檇 be at any casting.

It sounds like you were living a soft life

LOL. Not on the days I had to find my way to Ikeja or Lekki though. I鈥檇 get to Ojuelegba underbridge and be clueless. Or sit in a bus and wait for it to get full before my 10 a.m. call. That鈥檚 when I started to get frustrated. I had to beg my parents to drive me to auditions until I could afford to take Uber.

What’s the average amount of time you’d spend on set?

For movies, two weeks at most, and I鈥檇 be on set ten out of 14 days. We鈥檇 shoot until we stopped, which meant several hours of shooting per day. 

Only Shuga took longer than a month to shoot. I was in one season each, on the Naija version and on Down South. I was on set every other day for three weeks for the first, and in Jo鈥檅urg for five to six weeks for the second.

How did things change after Shuga?

I kept grinding in between filming. I had a 9-to-5 as a researcher at One Music, and I was still a student at the College of Medicine. It was really hard to keep up. I was also just figuring out my life as a teenager, making friends 鈥� which didn’t quite work out because I don鈥檛 have many friends. Then I was always sending emails and DMs to every big director and producer I admired, even Shonda Rhimes!

But I got to a point where people would send me emails asking me to audition. A few months after we finished shooting Shuga, one of the producers cast me in her short film. Some months after that, I got calls from people I鈥檇 worked with on the set or I鈥檇 emailed earlier, who realised they had a role I was a good fit for.

I moved from needing to attend open auditions to being invited for table reads or screen tests. Instead of walking in with 500 people hoping to get a role, I scaled through to a more selected phase with maybe 20 people. 

Were the chances of getting a role much higher in a table read or screen test?

Pretty much, but other upcoming actors get this access too. That makes it more competitive because you have to show what makes you special. Like why should it be Jemima and not the 20 other girls they know could play the character well too?

And did you have an answer to that? 

For me, it was talking to the right people. People you work with mention your name in the right rooms. 

Every time I got on set, I made sure I interacted with the crew members, not just the actors. There鈥檚 a vast amount of knowledge you can get from them because production typically uses the same crew. These people have gone from one project to another amassing experience. I always stress them out with questions about things like cameras and lenses. And that鈥檚 one way to get informal training.

RECOMMENDED: Creator Spotlight:鈥淚 Went to Enugu to Look for Pete Edochie鈥�

What鈥檚 another?

Imagine being on a set with Kate Henshaw or Stella Damasus and not learning anything. I don鈥檛 have any shame in asking for help when I can鈥檛 connect with a character, for example. I remember meeting Adesua (Etomi-Wellington) on the set of MTV Shuga. We instantly clicked, and she鈥檚 been a strong support system ever since. She saw I was a young girl just trying to navigate the industry and could sense my silent cry for guidance, so she took me under her wing.

She was fairly new to Nollywood, but she’d been doing theatre and a bunch of creative projects in the UK. She鈥檇 ask things like, 鈥淲hat do you think should be a priority at the beginning of your career?鈥� 鈥淲hat are you trying to do?鈥� and just genuinely be a friend I can call anytime. It鈥檚 necessary to surround yourself with good people who鈥檒l keep you grounded and remind you of your purpose even when you forget. That’s who she is to me. Our relationship has just evolved and metamorphosed into many different things over the years. 

I don鈥檛 think I could鈥檝e come this far without the older women in the industry TBH. They tell you what they went through and ways to skip all the stress. 

And younger actresses?

There鈥檚 a bunch of us that know we fall into the same criteria. If they鈥檙e not casting me then it鈥檚 Sharon Ooja, Tomike Alayande, Ini Dima-Okojie or maybe Efe Irele and a couple of others. It鈥檚 an unspoken thing, but we know ourselves. When a job comes, and one person isn鈥檛 available or interested, we refer each other.

How do you manage the competition since you all fall into the same category?

Being friends helps. My girls know how to stick together. And to make sure no one is getting the short end of the stick when jobs come. We know that for certain gigs within a certain duration, there鈥檚 a flat rate. No one goes below it. We basically set the standard for ourselves.

Beyond networking, what skills did you have to pick up fast as your career took off with MTV Shuga? 

Omo, so many things. I didn鈥檛 get a representative until 2020, so I had to learn how to multitask on a large scale. Sometimes, I had classes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a call time at 2 p.m. and Lagos traffic to beat. So if I allocate one hour to something, and someone shows up 30 minutes late, that鈥檚 not my business. In my head, I have 30 minutes left. Till today, I鈥檓 still my own manager.

With the way things were going, why not just focus on acting?

In Nigeria, acting can鈥檛 be the only thing you do for income and fulfilment. How many good films do we make in a year compared to the number of actors we have? You can鈥檛 be busy from January to December.

Fair point

Yeah. Getting to MTV Shuga took a year. For me, it didn鈥檛 feel like such a long time because school kept me busy. If acting were all I had, that would鈥檝e been difficult.

What happens when absolutely nothing works?

That happened to me during the pandemic. I had to find ways to keep myself busy. That鈥檚 why . But I also tried to get roles on TV series so I could shoot weekly, like a monthly subscription to being an actress.

Let鈥檚 move to the medical side of things. Are you currently practising?

Not for the past two months. I finished my NYSC in the first quarter of 2022 and took a break. Medical work in Nigeria is the ghetto. If you know people in the medical field, check up on them. Na them need mental help pass.

LOL. What鈥檚 doing them?

It鈥檚 so much work for such little pay and zero recognition. I鈥檓 at the point where I want to do it voluntarily, pick a few hospitals I鈥檒l work at on the days I鈥檓 not filming. But for now, I鈥檓 on a break.

I鈥檓 curious: how has being a health worker made you a better actress?

Outside handling financial stress, the toughest part of being a health worker is seeing people die every day. Somehow, that鈥檚 helped me get into character without being so attached to the trauma I play, since it鈥檚 all fiction. It鈥檚 much more difficult when you actually know the person in reality.

And how does it work the other way around?

I鈥檝e never thought about that. I think acting makes me a lot more sensitive and empathetic. Treating someone is very different from being able to become that person in your head and possibly picture your life like that. 

Best in acting

LOL. So even when I want to lose my cool with their family members 鈥� because patients are never really the issue 鈥� I can somehow put myself in their shoes. I guess that鈥檚 one of the ways being an actress helps my medical career.

How do you manage to keep both careers apart?

I don鈥檛 keep them apart o. My self-given nickname is 鈥渙ne true self鈥�. I鈥檓 an acting physiotherapist, doctor-actress, health worker-entertainer, whatever version people prefer. I鈥檓 one person living the best of both worlds, that鈥檚 what makes me who I am. I鈥檓 currently doing a Master鈥檚 in Public Health, and people like to ask me what I need it for. I don鈥檛 have an answer for them. They should just watch and see.

And how do you handle people recognising you when you’re in hospital mode?

I actually prefer when people recognise me in the hospital than outside, on the streets, in the supermarket. It helps me cheer my patients up. It makes it easier to find a common ground with them, which is important in my line of health work. Apart from that, I鈥檓 a very public but private person. You鈥檒l see me banter a lot on Twitter, or post random things when I鈥檓 in my lover girl stage, but I鈥檓 very deliberate with the details I share.

What鈥檚 a trick every newbie needs to learn in the film industry?

Characters become more challenging when you realise they鈥檙e not fictional. Anyone can read a script and have a flow. But sometimes, you have to create a backstory that helps you connect more with the character. That鈥檚 not something on a script. And that鈥檚 what some directors tell you to do, to actually become a character.

What were some roles that put you to the test? 

There was Nkem, the sex worker I played in The Delivery Boy in 2018. But one of the toughest characters I鈥檝e played is . The babe was mean and controversial. I couldn鈥檛 play her until I could come up with a reason why someone could deliberately publish horrible stuff about their friends on a blog. Though there鈥檚 no justifiable reason to hurt people, giving her a defendable backstory helped me embody her character better. And that process makes it easier to get into challenging roles.

I have to ask: what does it take to get to the level you鈥檙e at in the industry?

Quality over quantity of films you shoot. And that鈥檚 why you need an extra source of income. But the best advice I received as a newbie was, 鈥淣ever be afraid to take multiple cuts.鈥� Because even when you think it鈥檚 perfect, a scene can always be better. 

How do you know when to stop then?

Sometimes, you just need to take multiple cuts to give the director different portrayal versions to choose from. You know when to stop by reading the room. People on set 鈥� the director, cinematographer, DOP 鈥� are very honest. If the cut is just there, it鈥檇 show on their faces. Or you could get a standing ovation because the take was just that good. You don鈥檛 have to wait for an ovation, but make sure everyone is satisfied before you stop. They鈥檇 even be the ones to reassure you that you don鈥檛 need another take.

When you鈥檙e across the world and five hours behind everyone you love, you quickly learn they can鈥檛 always help you through the challenging moments of living in a new city. At least, that鈥檚 what I learnt during my first week in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Between getting confused about how to find the right queue to exit the airport as an immigrant, not knowing when to cross the street and accidentally locking myself outside my room on day three, I鈥檝e had to depend entirely on strangers.

I travelled to Cambridge for my master鈥檚 programme. I鈥檇 been working on it for three years and finally got a break when I got a scholarship to Harvard in March. Getting a degree from an Ivy League college felt like I鈥檇 get a shot at finally working at the United Nations or World Bank. The excitement from my family and friends pacified the idea that I would be alone in a new country in five months. There was no time to focus on that. I needed to prepare for my departure.

The months leading up to leaving were fast. Every single day was a rush trying to meet up with the list of things I needed to pack. Honestly, the most important thing to me was food. Where was I going to find my favourite dried smoked catfish in Cambridge? The city has only 10% of black people in America living there, so I needed to stuff my bags with everything Nigerian 鈥� that could fit into two 23 kg luggage.

How do you fit your entire life into two 23 kg luggage? You can鈥檛. The night before my trip, I watched my mum and her sisters divide everything I owned for my cousins. My favourite clothes, the drawings I鈥檇 collected from paint and sip dates with friends and the speaker I tricked my boyfriend into leaving at the house just a month before. It felt slightly depressing.

You may think I鈥檓 ungrateful for the opportunity to leave Nigeria, but I couldn鈥檛 control feeling sad. The only time I ever left Nigeria before Cambridge was for holidays in Wales as a kid, and now, for the next two years, I鈥檇 suddenly be living in a foreign country with no family or friends. Imagine the stress of trying to make new friends as an adult or something as little as trying to figure out how to braid my hair rather than pay someone $200. That fear overshadowed all the hype about Harvard.

The feelings slowly faded away in the departure hall. I guess taking one last selfie with my parents and little brother should have made me feel worse, but somehow, it reminded me of how far we鈥檇 come 鈥� all the late-night reading for exams while I was working finally made sense. But what really got me was the last text from my mum before my flight took off. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e the best part of my dysfunctional relationship,鈥� she said.聽 It was the first time I felt my mum was really proud of me. My mum isn鈥檛 the most expressive person, so knowing that made the next 23 hours of transit feel better.聽

I鈥檇 read articles about immigration officers at the point of entry into the US who try to vet people coming. They鈥檇 ask questions about your trip based on your visa type. But one wrong answer could mean going back to your country. 

Everything on my documents checked out, but I wouldn鈥檛 say I was the most optimistic person.

All my fear came rushing back when I finally landed in Massachusetts. In the departure hall, separate lines are designated for immigrants to access the point of entry. Unlike the Nigerian airports where you see mostly white people on one side, the foreigners were a mix of races. I tried to filter for other Nigerians on my connecting flight from Qatar to Boston, but I couldn鈥檛. A clear sign that I was no longer home.

With my two large bags filled with all the Nigerian snacks and soup spices I took for granted back home, I stood confused. There were airport officials to help, but a dark-haired lady yelling, 鈥淪tand on the yellow line if you鈥檙e American. Blue line, non-Americans,鈥� didn鈥檛 make things easier.聽聽

The sensible thing to do was ask for help, but the Nigerian in me wanted to figure it out alone. And that鈥檚 a character that doesn鈥檛 serve you well in a new country.

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I finally made it to the right queue when I spotted a man holding a Ghana-must-go bag on the blue line. 

When I got past immigration, the next challenge was figuring out how to get from the airport to the apartment I鈥檇 rented in Cambridge over an online renting platform. Luckily, my roommate happened to be in the area when I texted to let him know I鈥檇 landed safely. 

Again, the Nigerian in me didn鈥檛 feel safe getting into the car without taking a picture of the plate number and sending it to everyone I knew back home. But what could they have done if the roommate I got online turned out to be the next Ted Bundy? 

Thankfully, the apartment was real.聽 鈥淭his is your new home,鈥� my roommate said, as we dragged my bags onto the elevator. I wouldn鈥檛 call it home yet, but I can鈥檛 deny how pretty the apartment looked. I loved the view of trees from my window. But as I packed my stuff in and settled into my room, I felt empty. Only my bags and the huge rosary that once belonged to my grandmother my mum forced into my hand luggage created a semblance of home. It hurt to realise I was now alone.

I understand the excitement of my friends and family for my trip, this new adventure, but it didn鈥檛 take away the reality that I felt like I was starting my life all over again. All my friends and family expected me to be happy. That鈥檚 all they talked about leading up to my departure. 鈥淥h, you鈥檙e so lucky. Thank God you鈥檙e getting out before the elections,鈥� they said. But I鈥檇 left my job, all my friends, and I didn鈥檛 have any family in Massachusetts. Calling to share that sadness wouldn鈥檛 make me feel better, so I focused on unpacking. 

I put all my foodstuff in the fridge. Of course, the garri poured in my bag, so I needed to clean it up. I also didn鈥檛 have any hangers for my clothes, so I picked out the nightwear I needed for the night and put out clothes I needed for a few days in my closet. Bathing was what really calmed my nerves. I brought my favourite soap, and the smell reminded me of being back in my own bathroom. Not the unfamiliar tub I was in. 

The next decision to make was what to eat. My roommate offered me some crackers, cheese and pickles to snack on. I hated the thought of cheese and pickles, but I tried it sha. The pickles were definitely not for me. They were salty and had some weird taste I honestly can鈥檛 describe. After one bite, I decided chin-chin was the best way forward. 

My roommate was kind enough to offer me dinner. His first suggestion was rice over chicken. I asked if there鈥檇 be stew. He said yes.

It was silly of me not to clarify what stew meant to my American roommate because I ended up eating the rice with chilli sauce and broccoli. Surprisingly, the broccoli was the best part. It was crunchy and salty, but the rest needed some salt and pepper to satisfy the Nigerian in me. 

In my first week here, the biggest hurdle was getting around the city. I want to trust Google Maps, but turning around at least three times to figure out the right direction to face gets really annoying. Yet, I鈥檝e decided to figure it out on my own anyway. 

I know it鈥檚 not unusual to walk up to a random stranger for help in Nigeria. But when I was trying to find my way to class the next day and approached an Asian lady for help, she seemed startled. Maybe it was the way I said,  鈥淪orry, please, excuse me,鈥� before I actually asked my question that confused her. So, I鈥檓 a little more cautious now.

After 15 minutes of walking, I eventually figured out I just needed to turn left from the street, and it was pretty easy from there with Google maps. But three days later, I got lost again trying to get to the store. It should be easy navigating the streets with Google maps, but the roads are laid out in a confusing way. 

When I ranted to my roommate, he complained about how much he hated driving in Cambridge too. Apparently, the roads were previously horse tracks, so there are many intersections that lead to confusion. 

I didn鈥檛 understand what all of that meant. I was just happy that someone who鈥檚 lived in the city all his life was just as confused with the roads.

If you鈥檙e wondering how I got home, just know I spent 20 minutes walking, missed one bus then cried at the bus stop. I eventually gave up and decided to take an Uber. I was upset at the thought of spending $10 on a ride rather than $2 on the bus. The Nigerian in me still converts everything to naira, so please, free me. 

When I returned to my apartment, I cried some more and sat on the kitchen floor. I was frustrated with how hard finding my way around would be for the next few weeks. I wanted to call a friend to vent, but it was 1 a.m. in Nigeria. 

I still tried calling my boyfriend. He wanted to be physically present, but hearing that was hard. I blamed myself for moving away and making our relationship so difficult. He didn鈥檛 think of things that way though. He wanted to comfort me in whatever way he could, so he ordered me some food with Uber eats. 

Sadly, the food never arrived. Turns out my street exists in two places, and I didn鈥檛 include the right one in the address I shared. There was no way we could sort things out because it was 11 p.m. on my end. I was getting tired and sleeping seemed like a better option. 

I can鈥檛 deny that it鈥檚 been surreal walking through Harvard for a  week. I remember my boss from last year telling me I鈥檇 never get in with a second-class degree from UNILAG. Until the moment I submitted my application, I believed him. But I pushed passed the fear and got in. 

Now that I鈥檓 here, this phase of figuring things out has been overwhelming. I can鈥檛 tell you how much I miss Lagos conductors. They were my Google Maps of Lagos, and they actually knew where I needed to go. The little things I really appreciate now. I just hope one day I鈥檒l think about Cambridge as somewhere that feels like home or close enough.

ALSO READ: Japa Plans? Here鈥檚 Everything You Can Expect With Immigration

From: Simi, the woman who wants her secondary school bestie back

To: Taofeeqat, her best friend who made the best jokes

Dear Taofeeqat,

It鈥檚 crazy how we鈥檝e been best friends since SS 2. I don鈥檛 know if you know this, but you鈥檙e the first best friend I ever had who didn鈥檛 do me dirty. 

Before you, every other person I applied the tag 鈥渂est friend鈥� to played me on a very massive scale. But that鈥檚 okay because all the hurt gave me you.

You鈥檙e the first person who鈥檚 ever made me laugh out loud. You cared about me, and you weren鈥檛 ashamed to show it. You loved on me and sent me such long love letters that always made me cry. I now cry because life is hard and it鈥檚 hard to not feel resentment towards how we鈥檙e too busy to talk as often. I wish I kept all of our letters to read.

Did you annoy me and make me want to break your head at times? Probably, yes. But you were my first in a lot of things: My first 鈥淚 love you鈥� was to you, and I meant it. My longest hug was with you. You were the first friend to see me cry, and the first I ever wrote a love letter to. 

I know we鈥檙e going through a lot, and we鈥檙e busy trying to build lives for ourselves, but I wanted to remind you of the happy times when our biggest problem was submitting assignments. Not a day went by when we didn鈥檛 hug each other.  

I miss those long hugs we had before everything fell apart between us last year. I miss the long love letters we wrote in black and red pen. Ah yes, I miss having so much to gossip with you about. 

Just in case we never go back to the way we were, I want to thank you for being in my life the longest yet hurting me the least. Thank you for being calm and supportive when I went into hysterical breakdowns over anything that stressed me out. Thank you for loving me so gently that I didn鈥檛 have a single fear in the world. 

This is my attempt at a love letter to get us to talk again and be as close as we used to be. Hopefully, you鈥檒l blush and send me epistles when you see it. 

I love you so much, bestie. I can鈥檛 tell my story without you in it.

Love,

Simi

So what happens when you can鈥檛 afford to rent a new place? Seven Nigerians who鈥檝e had their hearts broken before shared tips on making your home feel like yours again.

Yinka, 35

Accept that you鈥檒l be fine

I spent five years with Susan*, and we lived together for four of them. When you start living with someone, especially if it鈥檚 a person you love, there鈥檚 a level of codependence that develops. 

I found myself staying up until she got back from work so we could eat on our favourite couch together, or stopping myself from watching my favourite shows after work because we always watched them together. I didn鈥檛 know how to do things without my partner in mind; I forgot how to be alone.

I can say you should get rid of everything your partner ever touched, but every penny counts. To get over the codependence syndrome, you need to start doing things alone in your home and loving it. Make dinner, open your favourite bottle of wine and enjoy sitting on your couch alone. FaceTiming a friend helps if you need the company to get through it.

Chika*, 28

Buy a fragrance you鈥檝e never tried before

I started living with my boyfriend a year ago and rather than grow closer, we saw a lot of differences that couldn鈥檛 be overlooked. So we broke up after three years of being together.

Honestly, the best decision I made for myself was to switch up the fragrance of my home. Months after my partner left, I could still smell him all over my pillows and couch. I mean, my house was small so it was hard not to have his perfume fill the room. But it was different when he stopped coming over. 

I was holding on to the sense of familiarity his scent left, and that made it harder to want to be home. Nobody had to tell me to buy a scented candle and reset my nose. I didn鈥檛 think I loved vanilla as much as I do now. So find something new and let it fill your home with a new scent.

RELATED: 8 Women鈥檚 Perfumes Under 20k That鈥檒l Leave You Smelling Expensive

Susan*, 30

Sleep on their side of the bed

Please accept that your partner is never coming to your house again. You can toss out everything they own 鈥� like I did 鈥� and still feel like a stranger in your own home. For instance, my ex-partner always slept on the side of our bed that鈥檚 closer to the door because he thought it was the manly thing to do. 

When he left, I just couldn鈥檛 imagine sleeping on his side. Even when I bought new bedsheets, it felt odd being on 鈥渉is side鈥� of the bed.

My dear, you need to get over the love and let yourself rollover. Start by sitting on their side of your bed every morning. 

Lanre, 32

Host your friends at your home

I think I forgot how wholesome platonic friendships are when I started dating. My friends barely came over because almost every night became date night while my partner and I lived together. So you can imagine how horrible my evenings have been in the last two years without a Netflix and chill buddy.

At the state of this year [2022], I knew I couldn鈥檛 keep up with my self-inflicted loneliness. Inviting my friends to come over for random game nights and drinks is something I look forward to now, especially during important football games. Reconnecting with your guys makes things a lot less gloomy at home.

Peace*, 29

Pack up the things that slow down your healing process

There鈥檚 nothing I hated more than the couch in my living room. Every time I walked into my house, it was a reminder of how close I was to getting married. How close I鈥檇 gotten to finally being the object of the 鈥淕od when鈥� phrase. I hated all the memories on that couch. The sex, laughs and tears. It hurt to think about.

I ended up giving the chair to my neighbour. After that, walking into my home didn鈥檛 feel entirely depressing. Of course, it didn鈥檛 take away the fact that I wanted to call him almost every day, but at least, there were some days I forgot about the couch.

RELATED: Love Life: Talking About Our Breakup Helped Us Find Closure

Dare*, 27

Throw her skincare products away

Long distance is the only reason my babe and I broke up, so I鈥檓 still bitter about it. To make myself feel better, I tossed out all the skincare products she left behind. She got them for my pimples, but I鈥檇 rather have them than keep thinking of her every single time I wash my face.

Hameedah, 29

Clear your kitchen

When I was dating my partner, she enjoyed Indian curries, so I bought all the masala spices to experiment with dishes for her. When we broke up, I hated going into my kitchen because everything reminded me of her absence. 

Beyond the spices, I hated how I nursed her favourite coffee mugs and plates. Let鈥檚 just say I accidentally broke them. Even though I still had to clean everything up, I felt a bit pacified from letting out the rage. I got to clean out my kitchen too. So it was a win-win, I guess.聽

ALSO READ: How You Know You Are Ready to Break Up With Your Boyfriend

From: Asa, who wishes she met her older sister at least once

To: Barbara, the older sister who鈥檚 gone but not forgotten

Dear Barbara,

Is there a thing like missing someone you never met?

I hardly speak about losing you. I often think people won鈥檛 understand or they鈥檇 believe I’m looking for sympathy if I tell them I miss you though we never met. All I have are memories from our parents. But I miss you, sister. 

To me, family is thicker than physical. Family is always family. 

Dear Barbara, I’m grown now. Well, still evolving. But my perspective on life has changed. I’m on this journey of taking my love for writing more seriously, and聽 I wonder if you鈥檇 be proud of me. I’m hoping you would, and I hope you don’t mind that this letter is about you.

Dear Barbara, I look out for our younger sister. I know you’d do the same if you were here, and sometimes I wish you were here to look out for me too. Some days, I feel alone. But the thought that you would鈥檝e been my best friend comforts me. I hear you whisper every time to me, “You鈥檙e strong.” Please don’t stop.聽

RELATED: I鈥檓 Lonely and Sometimes Wish I Had a Larger Family

Dear Barbara, mummy is also okay. I can’t help but think she wishes you were here. I want her to talk about you, but I don’t know if the pain is still there, so I’ll just manage the little I know of you. Like your name and how much mum loved you. I promise I’ll take care of her and our younger sister.

Everyone else is doing okay, and I can’t wait for life to keep bringing everything it has for us. 

Dear Barbara, I鈥檒l name your niece after you. Keep shining in heaven. I love you and one day, I’ll see you.  Until then, I’ll see you in the stars and the butterflies, my sister. 

All my heart,

Ada

尝别迟迟别谤蝉听#ToHER will be ending in September. We have one more slot to share a letter, so click聽 if you’d like to write one too.

If You Liked reading this, then you should read this next: I Wish I Had an Elder Sister

With Nigerians buying $1 at 鈧�680 in 2022, we knew it was time to bring Dollar in for questioning. Turns out Dollar is a Beyonc茅 fan on a quest for world domination.

[Dollar has agreed to meet with 91大神 under terms of sworn secrecy. After three days of journeying, our blindfold is taken off and lights come on in an undisclosed location.]

[Dollar arrives surrounded by his guards.]

91大神: Was all of this really necessary?

Dollar: When you鈥檙e big, you鈥檙e big.

91大神: Can we at least get a seat? It took us days to get here. 

[Dollar snaps his fingers and one of the guards brings a chair.]

91大神: Thanks. So what鈥檚 been going on with you? The people want to know why you鈥檝e been so scarce.

Dollar: Beyonc茅 already said it. I鈥檓 way too sexy for this world.

91大神: By world, do you mean just Nigeria?

Dollar: Is that why you鈥檙e here? I thought you wanted this interview to get to know me.

91大神: You鈥檝e risen more times than Jesus Christ this year. What we want to know is, why?

Dollar: I鈥檝e told Nigeria that the situation with Naira is out of my control. And I鈥檝e begged her to stop sending me emails and calling me at odd hours. I don鈥檛 appreciate her constant interruptions on my off-days.

91大神: But…

Dollar: There are powers even greater than me in this world.

91大神: You mean Pounds? 

Dollar: For my protection, I can鈥檛 name names. But I can tell you how it all started.

91大神: I’m listening.

Dollar: [clears throat] You were a child or possibly not even born when Naira and I met on a cold night in 1973. 

Before then, Naira was almost on the same level as me because Queen Lizzie had Nigerians using pound shillings. Pounds was at the top of the world even in the 70s. And my guys didn鈥檛 really like that.

91大神: Jealousy is not a good colour on you.

Dollar: No, but power is. And Queen Lizzie got in the way of that. I was sick of her.

Maybe I鈥檇 respect Lizzie more if she was Queen Bey. Bey gets me.

91大神: Uhm鈥� Can we stay on track?

Dollar: I鈥檝e been around since 1792, that鈥檚 230 years on earth, so you better watch your tone. Where was I?

Ah yes, Pounds.

My beef with Lizzie wasn’t important because I had to play nice. You know what they say, in the art of war, it鈥檚 best to keep your enemies close.

91大神: And the enemies here are…?

Dollar: My memory fails me. Where was I?

Ah yes, Lizzie my enemy.

91大神: Why does it feel like Nigeria was a pawn in your sick game of world domination?

Dollar: At least a pawn plays a game. You guys might as well have been the board. I didn鈥檛 have to lift a finger.

91大神: Educate us

Dollar: When Queen Lizzie got kicked out in 1960, Nigeria decided she was better off taking charge of her financial affairs and officially issued the naira in .

Naira was rolling with the big boys and trading at 鈧�1 for 10 UK Shillings and . But the cookie started crumbling. Without Lizzie ruling, Naira was playing a game of Russian roulette.

91大神: Oshey bendownselect Wes Anderson. Look D鈥� Can I call you D? Feels like we鈥檙e buddies now.

Dollar: I might have bounded and gagged you before you got here, but you need to calm down. I won’t be referred to as a phallus.

91大神: Cool. So D, we鈥檙e the biggest suppliers of crude oil in West Africa. That has to count for something.

Dollar: Do you remember the parable of the 10 virgins waiting for their bridegroom? I am the five virgins that passed the test. Z!, I have reserves.

91大神: Maybe we should unpack why 12 virgins were waiting for one brideg鈥�

Dollar: Look, you鈥檙e basically buying your oil back from countries with the infrastructure to refine it. And that means Nigeria has to buy everything with currencies like me. Word on the street is that you people are still importing toothpicks.

Do you get the full picture? I鈥檓 not the cause of Nigeria鈥檚 problems. You people are doing yourselves.

91大神: Wow. Do you have any advice for us?

Dollar: It’s simple, really. You’re owing the world $45.2 billion, I’m owing $28.4 trillion. But how many times have you seen the world come to drag me? When you act like the best, you’ll be regarded as the best.

Your celebrities understand this. Maybe they should lead the country.

91大神: Nawa. So the price of sardine will never go down?

Dollar: The only way is up.

91大神: *Cries*

Dollar: I鈥檒l take my leave now. And please, no more calls for interviews except you鈥檝e secured one with Bey and me. Or at least, recognise I鈥檓 way too sexy for this world.

[The blindfolds come on again and all we hear is 顿鈥檚 footsteps storming off.]

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I held my first pack of cigarettes when I was four years old. My dad and I should鈥檝e been on the road trying to beat the rush hour traffic between our home in Festac town and my school at Victoria Island. But he鈥檇 forgotten a very important file upstairs, so I was in the back seat of the car waiting.聽

Whenever I found myself idle in the car, I liked to poke around, hoping to find some leftover sweets from my mum’s purse or change stuffed between the car seats. That day wasn鈥檛 any different, except what I found was a pack of cigarettes. Of course, I had no idea what I was holding at the time.   I鈥檇 grow up to realise it was my father鈥檚 addiction. But I remember how quickly he snatched it out of my hands when he found me taking out a stick from the pack. 

Thinking about that moment makes me wonder how many things we witness as kids with no understanding of how much trauma they cause in our lives. My dad was an addict who loved the high of alcohol. My mum had been doing a good job of hiding it, so my dad was my hero. He鈥檇 pick me up from school almost every day, and we鈥檇 spend at least an hour at a restaurant close by, talking about my day. I loved those moments.

But as I got older, I slowly realised my dad wasn鈥檛 everything my four-year-old mind had summed him up to be. 

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When I was six, my family moved to Abuja. And then I became a lot more aware of how much time he spent outside of the house and in the backyard, smoking and drinking. My Primary three health class had taught me a little about what smoking was and why it was bad, so to me, Daddy simply become a bad man. 

But I was a bit conflicted on whether smoking was really bad. Part of what my health teacher said was that cigarettes were only okay in colder regions like Europe and America. My dad had spent the last two years in Wales, so maybe he was just cold and still needed it. 

While I was conflicted, I can almost choke on the memory of the cigarette smell that came through my bedroom window every evening. Maybe he thought I was asleep and wouldn鈥檛 notice how he closed my window to keep the smell from entering my bedroom, but I was always wide awake. 

I鈥檇 actually stopped sleeping when the backyard smoking began. Not just from the choking smell, but from the drunken arguments that quickly ensued between him and my mum when he was done in the backyard. By this time, I just never felt safe when he was home. If he was coming into a room, I鈥檇 greet him and leave almost immediately. But he didn鈥檛 care enough to ask why.

It didn’t get better in my teens. Whenever he was home, he was either asleep or smoking; we no longer had a relationship because he barely said anything to me, and when he did, it was to yell. Now in my 20s, I watch him smoke three times a day, every day 鈥� each cigarette stick comes at the end of each meal 鈥� not including the sticks he smokes when he鈥檚 out with friends before coming home from work.

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I鈥檝e had every opportunity to smoke, but I associate cigarettes with the angry, sad and distant person my dad became. You can say alcohol played a bigger role in his anger issues, but I’ve seen him smoke more times than I’ve seen him drink. It鈥檚 like he smokes for some kind of escape. From what? I don’t know. 

But I recently got a little insight into why smoking is so important to him. First, it was a brief conversation with my mum where I outrightly asked her why she decided to be with someone who finds more solace in smoking than in being with her. She explained how he鈥檇 grown up with 13 step-siblings in Warri and a father who didn鈥檛 care much for him. 

His mum had left his dad when he took in a second wife. My mum went on about how he may have felt abandoned by his mum, and his step-mum maltreating him didn鈥檛 make things easier. Without parents who cared about his whereabouts, he was off smoking and drinking with the neighbourhood guys as early as 10 years old. He’s been smoking ever since. He’s 50 years old now.

My mum was attracted to his bad-boy side when they met at the University of Benin. She鈥檚 quite reserved, so I guess it was appealing to have someone bubbly and outgoing give her some attention. But why did the marriage last? 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think he鈥檇 keep up the lifestyle when we had kids,鈥� she said. And after that? 鈥淚 stayed for my children,鈥� she said. It was hilarious because the reason she stayed led to many sleepless nights for me. 

Fear is the only good excuse I can make up to avoid blaming her. Yes, maybe the uncertainty of leaving someone she鈥檚 loved since her university days were too difficult to picture, so she said. That鈥檚 the best scenario I can make up for her. Sympathy may have been another reason, but I don鈥檛 have the energy to sympathise because they could鈥檝e done better.

I never confirmed the story with my dad, but he has talked about days he didn鈥檛 get to eat at home because his step-mum refused to give him food. I understand how the hurt he experienced as a kid trickled into who he is now. It could easily trickle to me because I鈥檓 experiencing his pain physically and emotionally. That鈥檚 why I can鈥檛 imagine smoking.

I鈥檝e chalked up his addiction to sadness, as, at 50, he鈥檚 now at a point where he鈥檚 worked all his life and has very little to show for it. Unlike his mates who鈥檙e driving cars or buying houses, he seems to be stuck. So maybe, this time, smoking helps him hide from the reality that he never did well for himself. But then, these are my made-up excuses for him.

Maybe I鈥檓 misguided for thinking I can be better than my dad. After all, we all think we鈥檙e different from our parents, but we sometimes end up slowly becoming them as adults. While I can鈥檛 fully control how my trauma manifests itself, the choice to smoke or drink is something I can control. It may not be enough in the long run, but for now, that鈥檚 my benchmark for not ending up like my dad. 

The same applies to who I eventually marry. I don鈥檛 want a man who has vices more important than me or our kids. I know I鈥檓 aware not everyone smokes or drinks for the same reasons, but I don鈥檛 want someone who isn鈥檛 honest enough to admit when he鈥檚 deflecting worries and emotions with addictive substances.聽

I can鈥檛 say I鈥檒l ever sum up the courage to ask my dad why he鈥檚 willing to spend his life slowly killing his lungs, but I鈥檓 so angry that dying doesn鈥檛 seem to scare him even though he has a family. And if he does get sick, his family will bear the burden. I鈥檝e seen him cough around the house and drink agbo in an attempt to manage it. But who鈥檚 he fooling? All I can hope for is that my dad never gets to the point of a terminal illness.聽

I also don鈥檛 know if I鈥檝e forgiven him enough for letting me choke on cigarette fumes since I was six. I haven鈥檛 noticed any side effects 鈥� and honestly, I haven鈥檛 bothered to check 鈥� but those experiences have kept me from indulging in cigarettes like my dad. 

In our own ways, there are things we run away from to avoid being just like our parents.

*subject鈥檚 name has been changed to protect her identity.

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