This might seem like a deliberate attempt to lobby for more public holidays that would help us escape the shackles of capitalism, but it’s our little way of preserving history. It’s mostly also because history hasn’t been kind to some of Nigeria’s finest fallen heroes (the ones who believed in Nigeria and fought with their lives).
From stories you’ve never heard to heroes you’re starting to forget, here are some Nigerians who deserve to be immortalised with public holidays.
Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh
Heroes like Dr Stella Adadevoh don’t wear capes; they wear white coats. Before COVID-19, there was Ebola Virus, and while it raged on in several parts of Africa, she saved the day for Nigeria.
In July 2014, while treating a Liberian patient at First Consultant Hospital in Lagos, Dr Adadevoh made a discovery that saved Nigeria from what would have been a devastating outbreak.
The patient, Patrick Sawyer, had just landed in Nigeria and was brought into the hospital in a sick state. Even though Nigeria had never dealt with Ebola before, Dr Adadevoh quickly diagnosed the patient and made the connection to the Ebola virus. But while saving the country from the virus, Dr Adadevoh and her team got exposed to it when Sawyer, who came to Nigeria to seek a healing miracle in a Pentecostal church, started resisting medical assistance by screaming and “spilling his blood everywhere”.
Medical experts have confirmed that we owe the contained spread of the Ebola Virus to the quick and impressive diagnosis of Dr Adadevoh. She died on August 19, 2014, after contracting the virus- a day that should be declared a public holiday in honour of her memory.
Benedict Odiase
If this name doesn’t ring a bell, “Arise, O Compatriots” should. Odiase composed the recently replaced national anthem that we all know and love. In 1978, the military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo changed Nigeria’s former-turned-new national anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee”, to “Arise, O Compatriots”. This anthem was composed to promote national ownership because “Nigeria We Hail Thee” was composed by a British citizen.
In May 2024, President Tinubu changed the national anthem back to Nigeria We Hail Thee, claiming that it promotes diversity. Despite criticism from Nigerians, the president has refused to reverse the national anthem. Sir Benedict, who died on June 11, 2013, should always be remembered as a national treasure.
Taiwo Micheal Akinkunmi
You may not know Mr Akinkunmi’s name, but you’re very familiar with the Nigerian flag’s historic design. In 1960, Mr Akinkunmi, a student in London at the time, saw a newspaper advert announcing a flag design competition to mark Nigeria’s Independence. Out of 3,000 entries, Akinkunmi’s minimalistic design, which originally had a red sun with brilliant rays at its centre, became the obvious choice.
He loved Nigeria so much that his house was famously painted green and white. He died on August 29, 2023, but he wasn’t buried until a year later. Nigeria promised the deceased designer a state funeral, but that never happened. His family, disappointed by the government’s failed promise, was forced to bury him in Oyo state in September 2024. Instead of being honoured, Mr Taiwo Akinkunmi was failed by the Nigerian government in death.
Obafemi Awolowo
Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a leader ahead of his time. As Premier of the Western Region (1954–1960), he introduced free primary education and free healthcare for children under 18—policies that changed countless lives.
He didn’t stop there. Awolowo built Africa’s first television station, Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), and turned the Western Region into the most developed in Nigeria, with modern industries and infrastructure.
Known for his strategic mind, he planned policies that are still inspiring to this day. Awolowo’s impact on education, healthcare, and development makes him one of Nigeria’s greatest leaders, deserving of every recognition. Even though he has a school (Obafemi Awolowo University) named after him, it’s not a stretch to demand an Obafemi Awolowo Day.
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Kids are some of the most delightfully gullible people on the planet. And let’s be honest: Sometimes, parents have to get creative to enforce rules or get them to behave. The result? Some of the most unhinged fibs you’ll ever hear.
We asked 12 young Nigerians to share the hilarious lies their parents told them growing up, and their responses are wild AF.
Toni*
My parents told me if a boy hugs you, you’ll get pregnant. Thank God for biology class.
Danielle*
If you sit on a man’s lap, you will get pregnant immediately… what a lieeee.
Shola*
My mom told me that if I swallowed chewing gum, my intestines were going to get glued together, and I’d have to get an injection at the hospital to fix it. I’m terrified of needles so I didn’t even question it until I got to secondary school.
Raye*
They told me if I ate a lot of beans, I’d grow taller, look at me now, five foot something.
Dami*
I’m left-handed. Growing up, kids at school would tease me for being ‘different.’ To make me feel better, my mum told me about great women who were also left-handed and asked me to tell the kids at school that being left-handed was an indicator of greatness.
Years later, I found out most of those women weren’t left-handed, but the lie gave me the confidence to stop caring about the constant teasing.
Joe*
If a man walks across your legs, your children will look like him.
Seye*
My parents told me you’ll lose your voice if you spit on the ground and someone steps on it. They also said they’ll know if you touch their things, even if you arrange it perfectly.
Dare*
I heard that if a lizard’s fluid touches your skin, you’ll become epileptic. I avoided playing with lizards like a plague when I was younger.
Simi*
If you play with cockroaches, they can give you leprosy.
Jacob*
Once you finish your school, you will have all the time in the world to play. I work 9-5 now, no time for play o
Brenda*
While trying to switch my dominant hand from left to right, they told me if I ate with my left hand, Satan would touch my meat. I lived in terror till I was twelve.
Aaron*
I was a chronic food waster as a child, so my parents told me every time I wasted food, an angel got sick and died. Omo I dey finish my food since then o.
The teacher has since been arrested and arraigned in court. But her action is hardly an isolated incident.
We spoke to five Nigerians who bravely shared their stories of being bullied by their teachers. From the ridiculous to the heartbreaking, these stories highlight the lasting impact teachers bullying students have on their mental health, self-esteem, and overall educational experience.
We’re not here to villainise teachers (we know many amazing ones out there!), but to shed light on the often-overlooked issue of teacher bullying in Nigerian schools and possibly spark a necessary conversation about the power dynamics in our educational system.
Joseph*
My first experience of bullying in university was with a professor, a quite religious person too, who I looked up to in my department. She taught us a political science course, and she had an arbitrary rule that if you missed the first class, you’d have to forfeit the course and register for other electives. That wasn’t in the school’s regulation, but hey, it’s a public university—a lecturer’s word is law. Unfortunately, I missed that class due to some family matters, which I explained to her after I got back. She gave me a condition: I must attend her church every Sunday and submit to her written reports of the things I learnt in the service. Upon hearing her condition, I knew I couldn’t do that. So, I forfeited her course. I wasn’t the only one; some other people did too.
Tobi*
JSS2 must have been the most humiliating period of my life. My Business Studies teacher, under the guise of being a disciplinarian and moralist, would make us slap each other in class. For context, this woman had issues with sporting waves; any sight of shiny, well-groomed hair is a sign of “big boy”, and that was considered an influence of joining bad gang in her book.
On the particular day of the week that Dagrin died, some of my classmates and I were sad about his death. We sang his songs during break time, and I wrote some of his lyrics on our chalkboard. When the break was over, Business Studies was our next class. This woman came in and saw the chalkboard. She realised they were “secular” lyrics and got angry. She asked the class who wrote it. We were all silent for a while, but when her tone got stronger, some people pointed at me. I stood up and went to meet her in front of the class. She pulled me closer and slapped me. Then she told me to wipe the chalkboard clean. I picked up the duster, she said, “Ugh, ugh. No. Use your shirt to clean it.” She meant my school uniform. That meant taking off my tie and unbuttoning my shirt and taking it off. By the time I took it off, students from other classes were already watching the incident. I didn’t wear a singlet under my shirt. I was unclad, and some people laughed at me because I had big breasts as a guy. It wasn’t new knowledge that I was fat. Everyone knew that, but some still made jests while I hastily, under fear and humiliation, cleaned the board with my shirt. By the time I was done, my shirt was dark and dirty. She made me wear it again and sat through her class as she rained insults here and there.
It’s crazy that it happened in a missionary school. It was even crazier that I was scared to report what happened to my parents at home and to the school principal because she was fearsome. I hate the woman, man. I don’t think anything will ever cancel my hate for her out of my heart.
Francis
While we prepared for valedictory service and graduation in my school when I was in SS3, a Computer Science teacher, who was a popular irritant amongst students, showed that she could go lower and be vile. The school’s graphic designer presented what he had made for our yearbook to us, the principal and teachers. This woman flared up upon seeing my photo on the front cover. She began to shout that, no way they would have my photo there, and that I was a bad kid. People were confused and surprised that she did that, but I wasn’t. It wasn’t her first time bullying and taunting me in her classes and on the assembly ground. My confidence and outspokenness disgusted her. If she caught me laughing loudly with friends, she’d either insult and call us “class hooligans” or even punish us (her way of getting us busy since we had time to laugh). It was a long back and forth, because I stood up to her and insisted that the design remained the same. I could talk because I facilitated how we got the photographer that took photos of the graduates and literally worked as a prop man for the photographer on that day. I wondered how someone who was old enough to be my aunt and who was supposed to be my teacher hated me so much. Eventually, the principal told the designer to leave the design as it was.
Osaze*
I have always been charismatic, even as a teenager. I was the boy every girl had a crush on. There was a teacher who hated my guts because he hated the fact that one of the students he was attracted to liked me. This is a grown-ass man hating a teenager for pulling another teenager. One day, he got his chance to act on that hate. I got to school late, and then he called me to his office and flogged me till my uniform was soaked in blood. I can’t even call this flogging because the wounds were so bad that I was hospitalized for days. When my mom came to pick me up, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She got the teacher arrested, but he was eventually bailed out. Till today, I still have scars from that day. I never went back to that school.
Adijat
I was the class captain in SS3 and it was my duty to go call the teachers whenever they were late for a class they have to teach. Our maths teacher was late and when I went to his office to notify him that he was running late, he expected me to stay back a bit, chatting and making jokes with him. But I didn’t. I told him he was as sharp as I could be and left the office. I think he caught an attitude from that and kept it to heart.
When he got to the class, one of my friends saw something funny during his teaching and laughed. That distracted me, and I looked back to see what was happening. Before I turned my neck back, the teacher suddenly called me to stand up and accused me of being a nuisance, disturbing his class. He told me to go kneel outside the class.
While I was outside, kneeling, my guardian saw me and asked what happened. I told him, but the maths teacher overheard and rushed outside to say I was lying. He then added to the punishment. He told me never to come to his class again and instructed me to wash plates at the dining hall every morning while his maths class went on. That was washing plates four times a week. Thinking the teacher didn’t mean it, I attended his math class the following day. He sent me out. I missed math class and washed plates every math period for two weeks. Even on days that I pretended that I was sick, he didn’t give a damn. I had to call my mom to tell her the situation. My mom told me to beg him. I begged him for four days, and my guardian interceded for me before he considered accepting me back to his class.
Love is sweet, but Nigerian love? Sweeter. And there’s no better time to express it than the Valentine’s Day celebration. Whether you’re sending a message to your husband who deserves, a wife who has your mumu button, or a boyfriend who’s still cooking his “When will you marry me?” question, we’ve compiled the cutest Valentine messages that’ll make your partner know how much you rate them. Pick one (or all) and spread the love.
Valentine messages for your wife
Want to remind your wife she’s the queen of your heart on February 14? From sweet affirmations to thoughtful prayers, these words will do a good job.
“Loving you has been the most beautiful journey of my life. You’ve taught me what it means to care deeply, laugh fully, and dream fearlessly. Every moment with you is a treasure, and today I just want you to know that my heart is completely yours forever. Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”
“To my wife and my best friend, happy Valentine’s Day! I love how you love me, and I pray our love grows stronger with each passing day.”
“To my wife, my soft life partner, happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you for choosing me over and over again. I love and cherish you more than you’ll ever know.”
“To my forever Valentine, thank you for being my peace and my chief sponsor when life is hard. You’re the only one for me in this life.”
“Wishing the most special person in my life a Happy Valentine’s Day! Your love is my greatest source of joy, and I’m grateful for every shared heartbeat. Cheers to us, my love!”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart! You’ve turned my life into a beautiful adventure filled with love, laughter, and endless memories. You’re my greatest blessing, and I’ll never stop being grateful for you. Here’s to celebrating us and everything we’ve built together. I love you to the moon and back!”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby. I can’t imagine a day without you by my side. You’ve given my life meaning and filled it with joy I never thought possible. Every moment we share feels magical, and I can’t wait to create more memories with you. You are my forever and always.”
“To the woman who stole my heart and hid it in her handbag, happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you for making me laugh even life is hard. You and I, forever.”
“To my sugar mummy of life, happy Valentine’s Day! You’re my peppered jollof in a world of boiled rice, my beauty without filter, and the only person who knows the real me and still stays. Thank you for making me laugh even when Arsenal is losing. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”
“To my oga at the top, my sugar daddy of life, happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you for choosing me over Arsenal (on most days).”
Valentine messages for your husband
When it comes to Valentine messages for your husband, you want to remind him just how much he means to you. Whether it’s through heartfelt prayers or sweet words of appreciation, these messages will help you celebrate your king this Valentine’s Day.
“Happy Valentine’s Day to the most handsome man in my world. My life would be empty without you. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. Cheers to many more celebrations of our love.”
“When I said “I do,” I thought it was impossible to love you more. I was wrong. I love you more and more every day. Happy Valentine’s Day, baby. I’m so glad you are mine.
“My love, my ATM that never declines, my always-willing gist partner, happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you for being the calm in my storm and the reason I smile even when Nigeria tries to finish me. You’re proof that God really gives His strongest wives the softest husbands. I love you forever!”
“Happy Valentine’s Day to my king, my protector, and my peace. May God continue to bless and strengthen you as you lead our family. I love you endlessly.”
“You are the only person I ever want to call my valentine. My life would be empty without you and I always want you to be near me. I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have you because you are the most awesome man in the world. I appreciate how you treat me like a queen. Happy Valentine’s day my love, you’re the best.”
“You make everyday Valentine’s Day, but today feels extra special. I love you more than words can express. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“Baby, you have no idea how important you are to me, and I have no idea how to explain it to you. I love you with all I have. Happy Valentine’s day my love.”
“To my forever Valentine, Happy Valentine’s Day! Your love is the light that brightens my darkest days. Thank you for being my constant source of happiness and inspiration.”
Valentine messages for boyfriend
Whether it’s a romantic note or a playful tease, these Valentine’s Day messages are perfect for the LOYL.
“To my man, my ride-or-die, happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you for being my peace in a world of chaos. I love you forever.”
“You still make me laugh. You still give me butterflies in my belly. And I’m still falling for you like it’s the very first day of our story. Happy Valentine’s Day, boo.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, my favourite person. I pray for more beautiful moments and milestones in our love story this year.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, my baby boy for life! You’re the only man I’d buy data for, and that says a lot. Thank you for always holding me down and still knowing when to give me space. You’re my superhero, my soft life partner, and the reason my friends are always jealous. I love you!”
“To the man who makes my heart skip a beat and my bank account stay stocked, happy Valentine’s Day! I love you to the moon and back.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, my love. You’re my prayer answered, and I thank God every day for bringing you into my life.”
Valentine messages for girlfriend
Your girlfriend deserves Valentine messages that remind her why she agreed to date you in the first place. Make her feel like the absolute star of your life with these cute and heartwarming messages.
“I’m successful because I love an incredible woman who always believes in me. You bring out the best in me, and your love completes me. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“When we met years ago, I knew I wanted to spend every single Valentine’s Day with you. You’re my rock and I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. Here’s to many more celebrations together. Love you baby.”
“To my fine girl, my always-stylish lover, happy Valentine’s Day! You’re my muse, my everything, and my favourite person.”
“My babe, my fine wine, my Queen who still pays her tithe, happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you for choosing me. You’re my peace in the middle of this chaotic world, and I look forward to spending forever with you.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day to my love, my peace, and my partner in crime. May our love story be filled with endless chapters of happiness.”
“I can only hope that I make you as half as happy as you make me. Happy Valentine’s Day to the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met.”
“What would I do without you by my side? Literally, there’s not one thing I can think of. Thanks for being you and for being mine. Happy Valentine’s Day LOML.”
Valentine messages for your long-distance boyfriend
Valentine’s Day may feel tougher when you’re far from the LOYL, but the love y’all share is still worth celebrating. And these Valentine messages will help you express your feelings in the most thoughtful way.
“Even with thousands of miles between us, my love for you grows stronger every day. You’re my greatest adventure, and I can’t wait until we’re in each other’s arms again. Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.”
“Distance means so little when someone means so much. This Valentine’s Day, I’m sending all my hugs and kisses your way. I love you more than words can express.”
“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and you’ve proven it true. Every second apart is a second closer to the moment we’ll be together again. I love you forever and always.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day to the man who’s worth every missed hug and every late-night call. I’m so lucky to have someone who loves me so deeply, even from afar.”
“My prayer this Valentine’s Day is that God keeps you safe and strengthens our bond until we’re no longer apart. You’re my blessing, and I love you endlessly.”
“Each time I look at the moon, I imagine you looking at it too, and it makes me feel closer to you. I’ll hold on to that thought until the day I can hold you again. Happy Valentine’s Day, my man.”
“No distance is too great when love is this strong. Thank you for being patient and understanding, and for always making me feel loved even from miles away. You’re my hero.”
Valentine messages for your long-distance girlfriend
Even if you can’t spend Valentine’s Day with your long-distance girlfriend, there’s no reason why she shouldn’t feel loved and appreciated. Start by making her happy with any of these cute Valentine messages that’ll make the distance feel like nothing.
“You may be far away, but you live in my heart every single day. Happy Valentine’s Day to the woman who makes my life brighter, even from a distance.”
“Knowing you’re mine makes the distance bearable. This Valentine’s Day, I’m counting down the days until I can hold you again. You’re worth every mile and more.”
“The only thing that would make this Valentine’s Day better is if I could see your beautiful smile in person. Until then, I’ll hold on to the memories we’ve created and the love we share.”
“My prayer for you today is that you’re surrounded by love and happiness, even in my absence. May God keep you safe until the day I can take care of you myself.”
“Distance has nothing on us, babe. If anything, it’s proof that our love can withstand anything. I love you today, tomorrow, and forever. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“Every late-night call, every message, every picture—it all reminds me of how lucky I am to call you mine. You’re my peace, my strength, and my everything. I love you, my queen.”
“Sometimes, the distance makes me sad, but then I remember it’s only temporary. You’re my greatest motivation, and I’m so proud of us. Happy Valentine’s celebration to my forever love.”
We probably sound like a broken record, but here’s the tea: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and the lovebirds plan to step on necks this year. Think 2024 was worse? Don’t wait to find out.
Since some of us are plotting how to avoid sitting at home, crying and throwing all the different variations of “God, when?” at our creator, we’ve compiled 10 places guaranteed to keep you busy, surrounded by people, and far from the sting of loneliness.
The market
Forget the cinemas; the market is the real Valentine’s hotspot. With traders yelling, “Come and buy rice, my love!” and “Tomato wey fresh pass your relationship,” you’ll find all the excitement you need. Plus, you’ll get to haggle with someone who’ll call you “my love” without asking for commitment.
Your family house
This is the ultimate safe haven. While everyone else is getting fake promises of love, you’ll be chilling with those who truly care about you (and your bank account). Your cousins and siblings might bill you, but it’s all genuine love.
Spend time with your creator
You can never go wrong with midweek service or a prayer meeting. There, your pastor will remind you that Jesus loves you unconditionally and that waiting on the Lord is better than a man who couldn’t do all in his power to find you before February 14.
Your single friend’s house
Two singles = zero pressure. You’ll spend time doom scrolling on social media and judging couples and their gifts. “It’s even plastic flowers. God, abeg.”
A work meeting
Volunteer for overtime. Not only will you avoid the love-in-the-air nonsense, but you’ll also look like the most dedicated employee in the room. Who needs love when you have career goals?
Gatecrash a wedding
Yes, relationship people are extra and annoying like that, so you’ll find a couple or ten getting married on Valentine’s Day. The jollof rice will distract you from the lovebirds taking endless selfies. Bonus points if the DJ plays heartbreak jams during the reception.
The ATM queue
No one’s in a romantic mood while waiting for cash. The collective frustration of Nigerians struggling with withdrawals is the perfect distraction from your lack of Valentine’s Day plans.
The barber’s shop/salon
While relationship people are getting plastic roses, you’ll be getting a fresh cut or braids to remind you that you’re the prize. Your mirror will hype you more than any boo ever could.
The cinema (alone)
Sure, there will be couples, but going solo to watch a horror film ensures you’re not the only one screaming out loud. Besides, you’ll also get the chance to throw popcorn at couples who want to violate the “no intimacy” rule in the cinema.
A party for single people
You know those “Singles Mingle” events that pop up around Valentine’s Day? They’re not just for desperate people, I promise. Go with an open mind, free food, and a killer outfit. Your church or estate is probably planning one already as we speak.
The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
Edith, the subject of this week’s Abroad Life, believes in three things: nobody should spend their entire lives in Lagos alone, birthdays shouldn’t be repeated in one city, and Nigerian Jollof shouldn’t compete with Ghanian Jollof. In this episode, she shares how she’s visited four countries and 17 Nigerian states and plans to help others do the same.
Where did your desire to travel the world come from?
I come from a family of travellers. My dad isn’t based in Nigeria, but he loves to travel, and my mom also loves travelling. So, as a child, we used to go on family trips. I also went on every excursion in school. I’ve been exposed to things, places, and people since I was a child, so when I grew older, I just knew I wanted to explore as much as possible.
So far, how many countries have you been to?
So far, I’ve only been to four West African countries, including Nigeria. I’ve visited Togo, Benin and Ghana. I’ve been to Benin twice, and I have to say that the people are at the heart of the country. They were so warm and friendly.
In Togo, what stood out for me was the food. I was determined to try out new food as much as I could, but I ended up with a runny stomach. Ghana is special to me because I felt this overall warmth there. I stayed in Ghana for two months, but I ended up getting sick. That sickness made me realize how caring the people were. The women were so happy to care for me and ensure I didn’t spend a dime on anything. It was insane because everyone I encountered in Ghana was so lovely. They also have beautiful cities like Accra and Kumasi. And yes, I know you didn’t ask, but Ghanian jollof is better than Nigerian jollof.
That’s a bold claim
It is, but I’ve been dragged for saying it before, so I can say it again with my full chest. Their jollof rice is so different—the texture, the taste, and everything else. It’s just amazing.
Nigerian jollof is better than Ghanaian jollof. How did you end up in Ghana anyway?
It was a family trip with my people. My dad woke up one day and said, “Let’s go to Ghana.” And we went to Ghana. My parents left earlier, but my siblings and I stayed back. I’m not really a fan of revisiting places, but I would definitely visit Accra again.
When did you start exploring the world?
It all started in 2022. Do you know how folks from Twitter say things like, “God, I don’t want to die in Surulere”? That was what started the whole thing. I visited Kwara State for the first time in 2022 and knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in Lagos. But, I started documenting my travelling experiences in 2023.
Have you gone on any international solo trips?
No. All my trips have been with family. I’ve not done any international solo trips yet.
You guys just wake up and decide to tour the world?
Yes, we love to travel. As I mentioned, my dad is a traveller. He’s been to so many countries. Our trips are mostly randomly planned, but we typically plan for summer.
Besides Kwara and Lagos, have you been to other Nigerian states?
Oh yes. I’ve been to 17 Nigerian states. I made a deliberate decision not to go to UNILAG because I knew I wouldn’t have had as much freedom to travel if I stayed in Lagos. So, I decided to go to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Visiting 17 states is crazy. Which state is your favourite so far?
Tourism-wise, it’s Enugu state. Enugu is blessed with highly breathtaking views – from the landscape to mountains, hills, rivers and waterfalls.
Enugu is also blessed with caves. The waterfalls are unique—every single one of them, the dams, the river, the rocks. And I’m not being biased because I was educated there. But there were things I found surprising about Enugu at first. For example, shops don’t open until 10 a.m.
And when do they close?
By 6 pm, it’s a very slow pace compared to Lagos. Everybody is so chill that it makes you wonder why we are always in a rush in Lagos.
Do you have a goal in mind?
There’s something called a budget traveller, and that’s what I am. Actually, I am a “budget-budget” traveller. Because I started travelling as a teenager, who didn’t have any money. My goal is to travel as much as possible on a tight budget, but my dad doesn’t support my travelling.
Why is that?
He doesn’t like the idea of it because the world is not safe for women but my mom is supportive. She has always wanted to do this, but she got married, started a business and no longer had the time for it.
So, how do you look out for yourself on these trips?
It’s all God. I’m very, very fortunate when it comes to meeting people. I don’t want to test my luck regarding security, so that I will tell my family and friends about my movement. I also carry spare cash anywhere I’m going because that’s important. Plus, I research to figure out where to go and where to avoid.
How do you afford your trips?
I should add that my first solo trip was in 2024. I have a birthday tradition of celebrating every birthday in a different city or another state, trying new foods, and meeting new people. I started the tradition in 2023. I plan to do it again this year. And I mentioned this because how I could fund that trip was 100% through savings. So, I was at university, getting an allowance and doing side gigs. I’m a video editor and social media manager. So, I saved a whole lot and budgeted accordingly. As I mentioned, I’m not just a budget traveller; I’m a “budget budget” traveller. I go for the cheapest alternatives to travelling to have enough money to enjoy the trip.
So, what are your travel plans for 2025?
I want to explore northern Nigeria and visit Cameroon later in the year, but some of my trips this year will be group trips. I’m currently drafting a travel calendar for my travel committee, which is a growing group, so anyone can join us.
Tell me more about your birthday tradition
In my family, birthdays are important, and we go all out for each other with cakes and gifts, but there was a particular birthday that just didn’t feel as warm as the others (even though I had gotten gifts). I always go all out for other people’s birthday so it was saddening not to get the same energy back. It was after that birthday that I decided never to have a terrible birthday again in my life. So, every year, I save for my trips. Even if I stay home all year, I must be in a new city to celebrate my birthday. So far, it’s been the best decision. I always end up having the most amazing conversations with new people, trying new food, and seeing new places.
Where are some of the places you’ve spent your birthday?
When I started the tradition, I spent my birthday in Erin Ijesha. I spent my second birthday in Port Harcourt trying new things.
Do you have a dream country?
I don’t have a dream country per se, but I’d love to go anywhere I can see the Northern Lights. So, think Denmark and Iceland. But my current obsession is Namibia.
In what country have you had the chance to be the happiest version of yourself?
It might be weird, but it’s Nigeria. I love this country so much, even though it frustrates me sometimes.
Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me here. For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).
In 2024, this entrepreneur experimented with naira and dollar investments and grew her net worth by 29% across three different investment instruments. This is how she did it.
As told to Boluwatife
Model not affiliated with the story. Actual subject is anonymous.
In 2024, I decided to take financial literacy and investments seriously. Until then, I’d stuck with saving; it was straightforward at a time I felt investment instruments like mutual funds and treasury bills were complicated. I didn’t want to lose my money.
But the naira’s downward spiral since mid-2023 and its negative effect on my import-heavy ready-to-wear clothing business changed my attitude toward saving money.
I started saving in dollars. It was a more stable currency, and my business was at least 60% dollar-denominated, so it made perfect sense.
For my dollar savings to work, I needed a fintech product where I could convert my naira easily. So, I picked Risevest. The app automatically converts my money to dollars when I send naira to my savings wallet. Plus, there’s some interest paid on the savings at the end of every month. Win-win.
Using the app made me curious about investments again. They offered different investment instruments, and I started learning about risk appetites and investment options.
But first, research. I turned to YouTube videos and disturbed two friends who work in finance when I came across concepts I didn’t understand.
Ultimately, I decided I wanted to put my money into investments, starting with four options. This is how they did:
US Real Estate
On the 9th of February 2024, I put my $500 savings into a year-long real estate plan on my fintech app.
The real estate plan is a medium-risk plan that uses the invested capital to purchase rental properties in the US. The returns come in monthly, but the amounts aren’t set in stone as they depend on the housing market’s performance.
At the end of the first month, I got almost $6 in returns. It continued every month with varying returns, and I remember thinking, “What? This is great!” It felt like free money.
Also, I saw the returns coming in, but I couldn’t touch the money until my investment matured at the end of the year. It worked for me because I wanted to teach myself discipline.
In total, I made about $63 in dividends in 2024 — 12.6% of my invested capital — and I expect more when my plan matures in February 2025. I intend to put more money into the real estate plan and re-invest this year. I’ll possibly keep re-investing for a while; I don’t need the money now, so I’d rather it keep growing.
Agriculture
I’m from Maiduguri, and it’s common to negotiate with corn farmers during planting season — you buy bags of corn from them in anticipation of harvest, store the bags until the demand for corn increases, then sell them for a profit.
I tried this investment for the first time in 2022. I gave my mum ₦200k to buy five bags of corn at ₦40k each, and when she returned my money four months later, I’d made ₦20k profit on each bag, bringing my total returns to ₦100k. It was a sweet 50% profit, and I knew I’d try the investment option again.
So, in 2024, I invested ₦640k in corn cultivation. I bought eight bags at ₦80k each but made ₦12k on each bag four months later.
I didn’t make as much profit this time due to the terrible Nigerian economy and decreased demand for corn. Insecurity was another problem: you could purchase bags from a farmer to discover that bandits had raided his farm, and he lost everything. Storage issues and pests also affected the produce quality.
So, my agricultural investment wasn’t as profitable as I expected. I made only 15% profit on my invested capital. 15% is great; I just hate that the Nigerian economy might be ruining this income opportunity. I plan to try corn farming again and diversify to cocoa and cassava in 2025.
Nigerian Stocks
In September 2024, I heard about Bamboo and downloaded it to see what they were doing there.
An investment banker friend I reached out to explained that investing in stocks requires a lot of informed intuition. Stocks are high-risk investments, and prospective investors need to listen to news about the company they want to invest in. This helps them understand when the company is likely to increase or decrease in value.
I funded my account with ₦5k — an amount I knew I could “gamble with” and bought a few units of MECURE stocks. I was lucky and my stocks tripled in value three months later, and I sold my position at ₦13,217 — a 164% growth. I didn’t want to risk leaving the stocks and potentially losing my initial capital.
The money is still in my Bamboo wallet, and I’ll probably use it for some investment experiments this year. If I lose my money, fine. I can just add a bit more over time and use it to properly understand how stocks work. Who knows? I could also become more comfortable taking risks.
Physical Assets
Another thing I tried in 2024 was investing in gold. I haven’t made any money from it, but in September, I bought a gram of 24-carat gold at ₦135k. Today, a gram costs ₦165k. I don’t plan to resell soon; I just think of gold as a valuable asset in an emergency. I can sell gold at any time. I’ll possibly sell gold before converting my dollars to naira.
Bonus: Dollar Savings
In 2024, I also decided to build up my savings portfolio specifically for investments. Every month, I saved at least 25% of my income plus any extra money I got in my dollar savings wallet. This ensured I had capital for the little investments I did.
This approach also helped me increase my savings by about 60%. In January 2024, I had $1400+ saved. By December, this had grown to $3,535 — minus the capital locked in real estate.
Additionally, the app pays up to 8% annual interest (paid monthly) on wallet savings. The total interest payments came to $79.26 by December 2024.
My investment outlook for 2025
Investing was the best financial decision I made in 2024. Seeing how much I made from the different instruments drove me back to the investment books in November. I liked the idea of extra money and wanted to know more.
I researched more about channels I previously didn’t understand, like treasury bills and mutual funds. I also got advice from my friends, and I’m really proud of how much I know now.
In 2025, I plan to diversify my investment portfolio and grow my wealth as much as possible. In January, I put ₦500k in treasury bills and ₦1.5m in the money market using an investment banking firm called Cordros Capital.
The returns on both investments are fixed at 20% and 25% per annum, respectively. I like that the rate is fixed and not subject to market speculation at all. So, I know that I can look forward to ₦475k returns from both at the end of the year.
If I have extra money, I might dabble in US and Nigerian stocks in the middle of the year. Of course, I’ll reinvest in real estate and agriculture and see how it goes. I’ve also thought about cryptocurrency, but I now accept that I’ll probably never understand it. So, I won’t be investing in crypto.
If you ask me to break my key investment learnings in the past year into action points, they’ll look like this:
a. My cardinal rule for investing is to only put my money into things I understand and can explain to anyone else. It’s what I’d advise anyone too.
b. Also, knowledge is essential in an investment journey. I took advantage of online resources, friends and communities like Money Africa. I also asked questions at every step of the way, and I’m glad I did. These days, almost all one needs to do is tag investment gurus on social media timelines to get answers. You can also ask questions on Reddit or NairaLand.
c. Find something simple you can understand and consistently set a small amount aside to build a savings and investment culture. There’s a culture of shame around savings and investments, especially when we come online and see how much others have saved up.
I’m comfortable with my little nest egg, and you should be too.
Electoral campaign season means promise season in Nigeria. These promises are typically bigger than life itself; most are never fulfilled. In 2023, many of President Tinubu’s promises targeted women, who made up 47.5% of total voters. Now, if these promises were debts, Tinubu would owe every woman in the country at least ₦35,000.
What’s going on?
Like every other presidential aspirant during the 2023 elections, President Tinubu released a manifesto document. His was titled “Renewed Hope 2023—Action Plan for a Better Nigeria.” In this document, he promised to reserve at least 35% of all positions under his administration for women. It’s been over two years since he made that promise, yet he’s nowhere near hitting that mark.
So, how many women are actually in his cabinet?
In his 2023 ministerial list, President Tinubu appointed nine women out of 48 ministers. That’s about 18.75%, far below the promised 35%. If you think the bar is in hell, you’d be surprised that it dropped even lower with only eight women now in his cabinet. The percentage is down to 16.7%. The reduction is partly due to a reshuffle that saw Betta Edu replaced as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction by Dr Nentawe Yilwatda in October 2024.
Why does this matter?
Representation isn’t just about numbers; it’s about giving people a seat at the table where decisions affecting them are made. With women making up 49.47% of Nigeria’s population and 47.5% of voters in the 2023 elections, it’s fair to say they’re a force to be reckoned with when it comes to shaping the country’s future. But despite their contributions, women continue to face systemic barriers in politics and governance. The 35% promise was meant to address this imbalance and ensure women’s voices are heard at the highest levels of government, but here we are.
What could the administration do differently?
President Tinubu still has time to course-correct. If he wakes up one morning and decides to make good on his promise, he can start by appointing more women to other federal positions, boards, and agencies. He can also be more deliberate in assigning more women to key roles where they can make tangible impacts, not just serve as tokens of diversity.
Will Tinubu’s administration ever fulfil its 35% promise?
It’s hard to say. With two years gone, it seems less likely, but things could still change if Nigerians, especially women, continue to hold the administration accountable. Campaign promises should be treated like contracts, and citizens have every right to demand delivery.
In the end, promises to women are more than political bargaining strategies—they’re commitments to justice and equality. Failing to meet these promises is disappointing; it’s a disservice to nearly half of the nation’s population.
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For many couples, sharing a bed is the ultimate symbol of intimacy and closeness in marriage. But let’s face it: reality often has other plans. Whether it’s snoring that rivals a generator set or midnight prayer sessions that make it hard to close your eyes, sleeping in the same room doesn’t always work out.
We spoke to six married Nigerians who’ve ditched the tradition of shared beds for separate rooms, and they share what led to the change, how it’s affected their relationships, and why sleeping apart isn’t always as unconventional as it seems.
Zainab*, 34
When I first noticed my husband’s snoring, I thought it was hilarious. I even recorded him several times and teased him about how loud he was. But by the time I got pregnant, the snoring wasn’t funny anymore. I was struggling with back pain, nausea, and the general stress of pregnancy, and the lack of sleep made everything worse. I tried earplugs and even moved to the couch a few times, but it wasn’t sustainable.
Eventually, we agreed I’d sleep in the guest room until the baby was born, and honestly, I haven’t moved back since. It’s affected our intimacy—we don’t cuddle at night or wake up together anymore—but my sleep is much better. My husband has been supportive, though. He’s working on making lifestyle changes to address his sleep apnea, so maybe one day, we’ll share a bed again.
Seun*, 33
My wife has always been a light sleeper, and I have the terrible habit of waking up in the middle of the night to raid the fridge or scroll through my phone. Sharing a bed meant she was constantly waking up whenever I got up, which led to many arguments. Even when I think I’ve been as quiet as humanly possible, she’d still stir in her sleep or hit the bed with her hands to caution me.
Eventually, we decided to try sleeping in separate rooms for a week, and it worked wonders. She sleeps better now, and I don’t feel like I’m walking on eggshells at night. It’s not a perfect solution because we’ve had to get creative to maintain intimacy, but it works for us.
Amaka*, 29
My husband is very prayerful, and while I admire his dedication, his midnight prayer sessions are exhausting. He wakes up at 3 a.m. to pray and is not exactly quiet about it. He mumbles, hums, and sometimes even sings softly, which makes it impossible for me to sleep.
At first, I thought I could power through it or maybe adjust to his schedule, but it didn’t work. I started moving to the spare room on nights when I needed sleep, and eventually, I just stayed there. Sometimes, I think he’s intentionally doing it to guilt-trip me into joining him, but I don’t even feel bad anymore.
That said, I do miss cuddling with him. Every now and then, I find myself back in bed with him because I miss the intimacy. But the second he starts praying at 3 a.m., I pack my pillow and go straight to the spare room.
Adaora*, 31
We didn’t start out sleeping in separate rooms. In fact, we were one of those couples who loved cuddling and falling asleep in each other’s arms. But whenever we had issues, we’d avoid each other by sleeping in different rooms. At first, it was just a way to cool off and avoid escalating the fight.
Over time, though, it became a habit. Even after we resolved our issues, we’d just stay in our separate spaces because we’d gotten used to it. Now, it’s our default arrangement. We know it’s not ideal—it makes it harder to resolve issues since we’re not sharing a bed—but we don’t see another way. It feels like we’ve reached a point where we enjoy the solitude too much to change things.
Kunle*, 35
We live in a mini-flat, and when our first child was born two years ago, I had to vacate the room to give my wife space to manage the baby. I started sleeping on the couch in the living room, and while it was tough at first, I eventually got used to it. Now, the baby is older, but I still haven’t moved back into the room.
At this point, I’ve come to enjoy the solitude. I get to watch TV late, stay up scrolling my phone without disturbing anyone, and just have my own space. We’re planning to move into a two-bedroom apartment soon, but I don’t think I’ll be sharing a room with my wife again.
Aramide*, 29
I’ve had insomnia for as long as I can remember. I toss and turn all night, and even the tiniest sound can keep me awake for hours. My husband, on the other hand, sleeps like a log. He falls asleep in minutes and can sleep through anything.
At first, I tried to adjust to his schedule, but it just wasn’t working. He’d snore softly, and I’d stare at the ceiling for hours, too annoyed to fall asleep. I started sleeping in the guest room just to see if it would help, and it was a game changer. We still spend time together before bed, but when it’s time to sleep, I need my own space.
In today’s world, staying connected and productive is non-negotiable, and having the right accessories can make all the difference. Infinix, a global leader in mobile technology innovation, understands this need and has expanded its lineup with three powerful additions- the XBUDS NC (earbuds), XWATCH 3 WE(smartwatch), and XPOWER 20 GO (power bank), each designed to help you make the most of every moment.
Infinix Xbuds NC:
Infinix’sXBUDS NC earbudsoffer a premium listening experience with:
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) up to 30dB, ensuring distraction-free audio.
Bluetooth V5.3 for faster and more stable connections.
6mm speaker units that deliver powerful sound and immersive bass.
Up to 6.5 hours of music playtime with ANC, extendable to 35 hours with the charging case.
An IPX4 waterproof rating, making them resistant to splashes and sweat.
Available for ₦22,700 in white, green, and black, the XBUDS NC combines style with impressive performance.
Infinix XWATCH 3 WE:
Infinix’s XWatch 3 WE will help you stay on top of your fitness goals in 2025 with its advanced health monitoring features. From tracking your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and sleep patterns to supporting breath training, this smartwatch is designed to keep your health in check and your lifestyle organized.
Other key features include:
A stunning 1.47” AMOLED display with 466×466 resolution for sharp visuals.
A rotating crown button for smooth and intuitive navigation.
Supports Bluetooth calls.
Wireless charging with a battery that lasts up to 7-10 days (Bluetooth call-off).
IP68 waterproof rating.
Durable zinc alloy body, available in black and gray.
23 professional sports modes to suit various fitness activities.
Available for ₦45,350, the XWatch 3 WE is more than just a smartwatch, it’s your trusted companion for a healthier and more productive year.
Infinix XPOWER 20:
With the Infinix XPOWER 20 GO Power Bank, say goodbye to low battery anxiety and hello to all-day productivity. This powerful power bank is built to keep your devices charged no matter where you are.
Key features include:
A massive 20,000mAh battery capacity
15W Type-C input/output for fast and efficient charging.
Dual USB A1/A2 outputs (12W) for charging multiple devices simultaneously.
A lamp display for easy power-level checks.
Available in black, blue, green, brown, and purple.
Available for just ₦13,500 in black, blue, green, brown, and purple, the XPOWER 20 GO is an essential companion to ensure you stay connected and powered up throughout your busiest days.
The Xbuds NC, XWatch 3 WE, and XPower 20 GO Power Bank are gadgets that work as hard as you do. Ready to make the switch? Walk into any Infinix-authorized retail outlet across Nigeria to explore these must-have additions.
We’re starting 2025 off right with a #BumpThis playlist that’s all about great music and positive energy. From Afrobeats to Alté and Hip-Hop, we’re serving up the best recent Nigerian tracks to bump to.
Think chart-topping hits, underground gems, and everything in between.
“This Year” — Jaywon
Jaywon speaks positivity into his year on this classic song. It’s been twelve years since he put “This Year” out and it’s still a go-to at every end and start of a new year.
“Holy Ghost” — Omah Lay
This song is basically a prayer and there are some prayers on the track you can still make in 2025: “Holy Ghost fire, supernatural, give me confidence.”
“Oloun” — PayBac iBoro featuring Payper Corleone
“Swear to God, I must pop / Get the keys to the drop, Oloun!” is the declaration PayBac makes in the chorus of this track about making it in life. This is the energy to take into the year.
“Organise” — Asake
If you’re trying to lock in this new year and you’re disorganised, it’d likely be hard to get your affairs in order. Asake advises you to organise, AKA plan, and to never form I-Too-Know.
“Better Off” — Deela & Genio Bambino
Deela addresses people who like to take from others without providing value or usefulness in return. She’s focusing her energy on only folks who reciprocate the good energy she gives out. If you respect yourself, you should borrow energy from this jam.
“Energy (Stay Far Way)” — Skepta and Wizkid
It’s a long year and you can’t predict all the bad belle things that might happen to you. Again, protecting your energy is highly essential and you need to hold this song to constantly remind you.
“My Ability” — Lady Donli
You should never reduce yourself or dim your light for anyone. Always kick self-doubt to the curb and shine your genius at what you do best, like Lady Donli sings in the song.
“Stubborn” — Victony and Asake
Stubborn isn’t telling you to be a nuisance or disturb others. The ginger to take away from here is to stand ten-toes on your business and ambitions all the time.
“Mega Money Money” — Tiwa Savage
It’s only one life. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself and live to the fullest this year. Chase money and spend it well on yourself. You deserve it.
“Funmi Lowo” — Aramide featuring Sir Dauda
This year, don’t accept exposure as payment. Make sure that you get paid your worth. If anyone plays with your money, tell them “Bitch, better have my money” like Aramide commands in this song.
In 2022, Biola Olaore had just resigned from his job in PR and wasn’t sure what he would do next. Then suddenly, an offer he had not premeditated to collaborate with Funke Akindele showed up.
“You wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to make history alongside the Funke Akindele,” he told Zikoko.
Since then, he has become her publicist, collaborating with her on marketing initiatives for the record-breaking film A Tribe Called Judah and, most recently, Everybody Loves Jenifa.
In this week’s edition of #MadeinNigeria, he opens up on how he worked with her on the marketing for Everybody Loves Jenifa, which, with over ₦1.4 billion in ticket sales, is currently the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time.
Funke Akindele and Biola Olaore
This interview has been edited for clarity and length
How did you meet Funke Akindele?
Let me start off by saying that she found me! This was in 2022. I had just wrapped up my very third PR project in Abuja after resigning from my job in a PR firm few months prior. The beautiful part is that Chude, whose job I had just resigned from, recommended me to Aunty Funke, and she sent her sister to find me at home in Surulere. That was wild! I have been working closely with her since then.
What was it like working with her on Everybody Loves Jenifa?
So, with Aunty Funke, if you have the opportunity to work with her closely, you’ll realise that one of her life’s missions is to break every marketing protocol and standard that exists in entertainment marketing in the country.
I had worked with her on other projects, but only in the final stages, like PR leading up to the premiere and after that. But this time, she just woke up and decided she wanted to do the PR from the conceptualisation down to the very end. So, I was involved from the day she decided to make Everybody Loves Jenifa.
Funke Akindele is incredibly brilliant and talented at execution. It’s an insane combination. With her, you have to throw away anything you know about PR and just listen to what she wants to accomplish because she’ll definitely tell you exactly what she wants to achieve and how she thinks it should be done. I have never met anyone like her in my entire career.
There are days I sit and hear her say things, and I’ll be like, “What? How does a person come up with this?”
What were your priorities coming up with the plan with her?
It’s understanding the audience, listening to them, and giving them exactly what they want and more. Nobody can market your stuff as much as you, so no matter what idea you bring to her or what you’re working on, she’s on top of it to make sure that vision in her head aligns with the outcome.
She’s the perfect client any PR and comms person will be glad to have. You share an idea with her, and she gets it immediately. For the ones she doesn’t understand, she automatically swings into asking 360-degree questions to understand what is being said.
You said that you started working with her from the start of production. When did PR work start?
The marketing and PR for ELJ started the very first day the first draft of the script was written. Every cast member, scene, location—in fact, everything—was intentionally made and selected to thrill both old, new, and curious fans.
No stone was left unturned.
What were some of your references?
There’s no template for the level of creativity and execution that was done for ELJ. Everything was custom-made. If anything was brought from anywhere else, it’s basically the learning from other projects we’ve done in the past and practically making things we’ve done before better and bigger.
What were some of the themes in the movie you wanted to amplify with the PR messaging?
Everybody Loves Jenifa (ELJ) is a feel-good film that masterfully blends comedy, action, romance, drama and relatability. Since it was created with joy and family in mind, it was crucial to ensure that our campaign reflected this warmth and energy.
We wanted everyone involved in the project to feel the genuine love and excitement that the film embodies; that way, the fans would also feel and see how genuine this project is.
By infusing our campaign with this positive vibe, we created a shared experience that would resonate with our audience and leave a lasting impression.
How did you leverage social media on this project?
Social media is undoubtedly a powerful tool in today’s digital space, and Funke Akindele is a masterclass in leveraging social media to capture attention and build a massive following. Her dedication to continuously improving and expanding what already exists is inspiring.
I feel like she’s always asking herself, “How can I make this better and bigger?” This forward-thinking approach has enabled her to build a loyal fan base, making social media a crucial component of our promotional strategy for Everybody Loves Jenifa.
What were some of your standout moments from the campaign?
There’s so much to pick from: the announcement that featured A Tribe Called Judah and Omo Ghetto, the contents leading to the premiere, have you heard about Everybody Loves Christmas? I’m sure you have.
The cast of Everybody Loves Jenifa
Were there moments during the campaign when you had to pivot or adapt your strategy? If so, how did you manage that?
If you would work on a Funke Akindele project and excel, you have to be ready for a lot of last-minute changes and decisions because, from what I have come to understand on this project, today’s strategy may be outdated by tomorrow morning or over-exploited. We are in the age of fast content, so you always have to be ready to lead in deeds if you want to stand out.
What do you think made the PR campaign for Everybody Loves Jenifa so successful?
I believe the PR campaign for Everybody Loves Jenifa was successful because everyone involved took it personally. This project, from the onset, has never been about profit; it is a labour of love and about raising the bar so high.
The approach to this film was rooted in a deep respect for the audience, and making sure that everyone involved, from cast to PR understood the vision clearly enough to run with it. Simply doing the bare minimum wouldn’t be enough. Fans and humans generally are discerning; they demand excellence and value for their money.
By prioritizing quality and authenticity, we were able to create a campaign that resonated with the audience. It’s clear that when you put love, care, and attention into a project, the results speak for themselves.
This campaign’s success is a result of passion, dedication, and a genuine connection with the people it was created for.
One thing you need to know again is that anyone who repeatedly came to work with a weird or negative energy automatically fell off from the project. There was and is still no place for that. You have to show up wholeheartedly and joyfully, and everyone could see that because energy would never lie.
How do you measure the impact of a film’s PR campaign in Nollywood, especially when targeting such a broad audience?
The fact that this interview is happening in the first place is a true revelation of what has been done. The bar was created and shattered in every ramification possible, from respecting and treating the talents the way they should be treated to ensuring that the film’s delivery is stellar.
This film, at this point, is very much a miracle. I don’t think there’s a Nigerian with working social media who did not get to know about this project.
What moment from the campaign are you particularly proud of?
One moment that stands out? There are so many, this is a huge project but I’ll try to align my response with your question:
1. The day we filmed the Christmas song. I’d been on set since 10 am, and people came and went, taking breaks to recharge. But Aunty Funke was different.
She was there at 10 am, and when I thought everyone had wrapped up, she was still going strong. I took a nap around 1 am, exhausted, but when I woke up at 3 am, she was fully dressed, searching for shoes for a cast member in the costume department.
The next time I saw her, she was in the food department, asking what people would eat at 3 am! I was amazed. That moment, I knew I had to step up my game and match her energy, no matter what.
And I think it’s important to note that she treats everyone equally, with so much grace and respect. Everyone is personal to her. That was beautiful to witness.
2. The premiere and everything leading to that day, truly inspiring and amazing. The premiere was done intentionally, every guest, element and performance was carefully curated to create beautiful experiences.
Biola Olaore has been Funke Akindele’s publicist since 2022
What advice would you give to aspiring PR professionals who want to work in Nollywood?
To aspiring PR professionals who want to work in Nollywood, I’d say that believing in the vision is paramount. It’s not just about the financial gain; it’s about being invested in the project’s success. Adaptability is also crucial — understanding how your client or partner operates and being willing to adjust your approach accordingly.
The moment profit outweighs proper execution, you’ve limited what could have been, and by so doing, you’ve lost the whole definition of PR.
My advice would be to be selective about the projects you take on. If you don’t genuinely believe in the cause or vision, it’s best not to get involved. And if you do decide to take on a project, be prepared to give it your all and more. Half-hearted efforts rarely yield exceptional results.
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and finding the perfect gift for your lover can feel like a Herculean task. But don’t worry—if you’re in Nigeria, we’ve got you covered with a variety of unique and budget-friendly options that can make your loved one feel special. Whether you’re shopping for him or her or your friends and family, these Valentine’s Day gift ideas will help you pick something meaningful.
Valentine gift ideas for your wife
Spa day
Pamper her with a relaxing day at a Lagos spa for a facial or a massage. It shows how much you’re invested in her soft life mantra.
Average spend: ₦20,000 – ₦200,000
Customized jewellery
Gift your wife a unique piece of jewellery, and she’ll know you rate her that much. Go the extra mile by personalising it with her initials or a romantic symbol of your love.
Average spend: ₦20,000 – ₦200,000
Work bag
A sleek leather bag will have her looking stylish while keeping her essentials organised.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦20,000
Fitness gear
Encourage your wife to stick to her New Year’s fitness goals by gifting her gym clothes and accessories.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦30,000
Scented candle
A sweet-smelling candle sets the mood and makes her space more relaxing. Go the extra mile by purchasing a custom scent made just for her.
Average spend: ₦7,000 – ₦20,000
Valentine gift ideas for your husband
Customised native wear
Everyone loves a man in trad. Add to his collection of well tailored fits with something from a reputable Nigerian designer. Make sure you choose his favourite colours or one that matches his aesthetic.
Average Spend: ₦40,000 – ₦200,000
Engraved leather wallet
If your babe doesn’t joke with his coins, get him a customised wallet with his initials engraved on it. You could even throw in your initials, too, if you’re spicy like that.
Average spend: ₦20,000 – ₦40,000
Tech him up
Has he been eyeing a new tech gadget? Help make his dreams come true by placing an order on his behalf. Options like wireless earbuds, a power bank, or even a smartwatch are practical yet thoughtful gifts.
Average Spend: ₦20,000 – ₦1,000,000
Shoes
There’s no separating a Nigerian man and his collection of designer shoes. If you can’t decide what to buy, trust us when we say you can hardly go wrong with a shoe gift.
Average spend: ₦30,000 – ₦80,000
Shirts
Yes, we know men have limited options when it comes to shirts. But you know what you can do? Find something that makes him stand out from the clutter. He shouldn’t be another regular Joe whenever he steps out.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦30,000
Valentine gift ideas for men
Gaming accessories
The PS5 might be too much of a splurge for you, but you can get him a new game to play or unique skins for his gaming pads.
Average spend: ₦50,000 – ₦70,000
Cologne
Have you ever met a man who doesn’t like to smell good? Exactly. Chances of your dad, brother or male bestie saying “no” to a cologne gift are almost nonexistent. Just make sure you pick out something that fits their vibe.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦40,000
Car accessories
Car scents, a spare tier, a toolbox set—anything that makes his driving experience a little better—are all good options. Just make sure you link up with his mechanic before you make that purchase.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦20,000
Wristwatch
It’s okay if you can’t afford the latest Rolex or Hublot piece. Just make sure you pick out something that doesn’t look extremely cheap and tacky.
Average spend: ₦20,000 – ₦50,000
Smart home gadgets
Alexa play ‘Upgrade U” by Beyonce. Gift your man a smart home device like an Alexa or Google Home pod to make him feel like a modern day Tony Stark.
Average Spend: ₦60,000 – ₦200,000
Valentine gift ideas for women
Office dresses
There are myriad Nigerian fashion designers with accessible price points and gorgeous clothes to buy for the love of your life. Buy a dress or two, and watch make her eyes light up.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦60,000
Skincare products
You can’t go wrong with buying skincare for a woman. You can pick up some sunscreen, eye cream or even a product you know she’s been eyeing for a while.
Average spend: ₦10,000- ₦30,000
Cookware set
If she loves to cook, gift her a new cookware set to make her cooking experience more enjoyable. A high-quality, non-stick pot or pan is a great place to start.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦200,000
Sunglasses
Her future is looking so bright you bought her sunglasses, there’s no way this gift can go wrong.
Average spend: ₦2,000 – ₦20,000
Plateware
Help her make her house a home by buying her plates, cups and more as a Valentine’s day gift. They are practical and can improve the quality of her day-to-day living.
Average spend: ₦54,000 – ₦160,000
Valentine gift ideas for your friends
Team jersey
If your man is into sports, get him a jersey or a team jacket from his favourite team.
Average spend: ₦20,000 – ₦90,000
An art gallery experience
Take your friend to see some amazing art pieces at an art gallery. You can bond over your opinions about the art you see especially.
Average spend: ₦10,000 – ₦20,000
A bottle of wine
Gift your amigo a bottle of wine to celebrate Valentine’s. You also don’t have to pick up an alcoholic bottle if they don’t indulge, there are wonderful non-alcoholic options at any supermarket near you.
Average spend: ₦8,000 – ₦20,000
Vinyl
Have friends who collect vinyls? Get them a record of their favourite artist’s album.
Average spend: ₦2,000 – ₦20,000
Lunch date
You can take your friend out to grab lunch for Valentine’s. Sure the holiday is supposed to be for the romantics but platonic love can also be celebrated by spending time with each other.
The tale kicked off in February 2024. I had a music performance at an event in Ibadan. After the show, it was too late for me to return to Lagos, but one of the event producers was kind enough to offer me a room at the hotel where he was staying.
When I got there, the producers had a post-event meeting, but I was too tired to wait with them, so I went up to the room to sleep. It turns out I went into the wrong room, and I met a girl there. Her name was Dunni, and we got talking. It was the easiest conversation I’d had in a long time. We talked until the producers came back up.
Now, obviously, she was there to spend the night with someone else, so I had to leave the room for them, but I didn’t mind; I got her number anyway.
Spicy.
We talked every day for a hundred days. We agreed to keep it casual for the first three months to get to know each other, but we talked every single day. I’m a musician, so I’d sing to her sometimes, too. Those were easily the best days of my life; the emotional connection opened me up creatively.
I’m not an emotional guy, but this girl had me writing love songs. I really loved her.
So what happened after?
As we neared the end of the hundred days, it was clear I was emotionally invested in this girl, and I thought she felt the same. I invited her over to my family’s house when my parents were out, and we spent some time talking and enjoying each other’s company. Then my dad came home a bit early and met her there.
Now it was obvious to him that something more was going on even though I introduced her as ‘just a friend’. He asked her questions about her life, her studies (she’s a nursing student) and her future plans. It wasn’t a marriage interview, my dad was just curious about her. I thought nothing of it, and I saw her off when she left.
When she got home, she told me how panicky meeting my dad made her, but I assured her there was nothing to worry about. She was not convinced. That’s where the real cracks in our relationship began to show.
What do you mean??
She started avoiding me. Her response times to texts kept getting longer and longer. As soon as I noticed the change, I asked her if something was wrong, but she insisted nothing happened. She argued she was busy with school or there was no network—just ridiculous excuses.
Then, slowly, we stopped talking on all the apps. She wouldn’t reach out unless I left many messages, snaps and missed calls.
How did this make you feel?
I was confused and angry, especially because I was right in the middle of planning an elaborate girlfriend proposal. Literally nothing changed, but in two weeks, it felt like I was trying to talk to a whole different person. It was like the warmth and ease that existed between us evaporated overnight.
Eventually, she stopped replying to my messages, like she had fully gone ghost on me. I reached out to her friends, but they dodged me too. The whiplash of the heartbreak led me down a dark, wild path for a bit.
What kind of dark, wild path was that?
I sunk into vices: alcohol, cigarettes and, especially sex. I was in a hypersexual haze for almost four months before I decided to stop. I was sleeping with every woman who told me yes— and there were many. I was also high most of the time. I was doing everything I could to forget the pain, but I still thought about her a lot.
Within those four months, I made some less-than-good friends and got embroiled in drama that I didn’t need to be involved in. They accused me of appropriating funds and threatened my career. I had to take a step back and reassess what I wanted out of my life, and I confronted the pain and reality of the relationship with Dunni really being over.
What did you eventually decide?
I decided to be celibate, and I took a break from the booze and cigarettes.
Oh? How’s that going?
It’s been great, if only a bit lonely. Celibacy brought me a lot of clarity. I cut off the friends who were draining my energy. I’m now surrounded by people who care about me and don’t put us in volatile situations. I started writing even better music than when I was heartbroken. I also feel better mentally because I’m more in tune with my own body.
Did you ever get closure from Dunni?
Yes and no. At the end of November, I contacted her, even though she never called or texted to check on me or see how I was doing the entire time. I wanted to know why she ghosted me. Not knowing why was driving me insane.
Ah, what did she say?
She said a lot of nothing. She apologized for ghosting. She said she was scared of what committing to a relationship would mean. She also said she felt very bad about not talking to me for months, but she didn’t say what exactly made her stop talking to me. It’s crazy that it took me reaching out after four months of silence for her to say she was scared of commitment and pushed me away. I think we would have been a great couple, but it is what it is.
I’m over her now. I just want to focus on my music and concentrate on working through my feelings in healthier ways in the future. Then maybe I can try my hand at love again.
Every week, Zikoko seeks to understand how people move the Naira in and out of their lives. Some stories will be struggle-ish, others will be bougie. All the time, it’ll be revealing.
When did you first realise the importance of money?
My dad suddenly fell ill when I was 8, and things changed at home. My mum started selling off our property and begging relatives for money to sort his treatment costs. My siblings and I also changed schools.
All we talked about was how to get money for my dad. It was my first wake-up call about what not having money could do.
What do you remember about your family’s finances before your dad’s illness?
We weren’t rich, but we were comfortable. My dad was a civil servant, and my mum didn’t need to work; my dad provided everything.
Then, the illness happened.
Although my dad recovered in months, our family never did. The financial strain fractured my parents’ relationship, and they divorced three years later in 2013. My mum got custody of the children, and my dad remarried.
Our financial situation grew worse because my mum now had to provide for us. She moved us into a face-me-I-face-you apartment and supported us with petty trading. She often had to beg my school to let me write exams while owing school fees.
I only wrote WAEC because we begged my uncle for money. I didn’t write NECO because we couldn’t afford it. My mum told me plainly that she couldn’t sponsor me past secondary school. My elder sister was paying herself through uni, too. So, I had to look for money.
What did you do?
A week after my WAEC exams in 2018, I found work as a salesgirl at a bookstore for ₦15k/month. I worked every day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and saved religiously. I didn’t spend money on myself.
After a few months, I quit my job at the bookstore because my mum thought the work was stressful and the environment was unsafe. By the time I left, I’d saved ₦50k. My next job was as an attendant at a POS shop. This one paid ₦12k/month, but I often got tips from men.
While working at the POS shop, I met my first boyfriend. I told him about my situation, and he helped me set up a POS business to save for school. He bought the POS machine and loaned me ₦500k to run the business. This was in 2019.
How did running your own POS business go?
It was really profitable. My stand was in the market, so I often got clients. Within eight months, I’d made a little over ₦500k in profit.
In the same year, I got admitted to the university. There was no one to help me manage the POS business, so I decided to invest everything I’d made in forex. I met someone who claimed he could help me make up to 30% returns on my money in three months, and I thought it was a good idea. I reasoned that I could use part of the profit to pay my school fees and save the rest for other school expenses.
My boyfriend had broken up with me at this time, but he didn’t collect the ₦500k loan back. So, I had about ₦1.1m. I gave all the money to the guy, and he ran away with it. I wasn’t the only victim; he’d also collected money from other people in the market. I hadn’t even paid my school fees.
Damn. I’m so sorry
I cried so much. I couldn’t even tell my mum. I attempted suicide, but I was too broke to afford sniper. I settled for otapiapia (a local insecticide), which caused serious abdominal pain.
If you are or you know struggling with depression or suicidal tendencies, here’s a list of mental health helplines and resources for professional help.
My mum rushed me to the hospital, and I confessed what I did to the doctor. He told my mum, and she was there for me. It was a very depressing couple of weeks. But I still had to go to school, so I returned to the job market.
I found one as an office assistant for ₦30k/month. Two months into the job, I met my sugar daddy, and my life changed.
How did you meet him?
On my way to work. A car pulled up beside me, and the man inside asked me to get in. I did, then he did the whole “I like you and want to get to know you” thing. I knew what he wanted, but I was sceptical at first. I’d only had one boyfriend and didn’t think my next relationship should be with a much older man.
I told him this much, but he said he wasn’t in a hurry and we could take our time. We exchanged contacts, and he gave me ₦50k cash. The next day, he upgraded my torchlight phone to an Android. After that, he asked me to quit my job and not worry about another because he’d take care of me and pay my school fees.
He did all of this. He even paid for my flight when I was travelling to school; my first time on a plane. We weren’t even intimate yet.
Interesting
While I was in school, we kept in touch over the phone. When COVID happened in 2020, and I was forced back home, he got me a job as his personal assistant. My salary was ₦70k/month, but he often gave me money as well.
When school activities resumed in 2021, he gave me ₦1m to start a business. But I didn’t even have a business idea, so I gave my mum ₦700k.
Did she ask where it came from?
She did. I told her my boyfriend had given me some money, but most of it was my savings from the different jobs I’d done. She believed me, and she used the money to stock up her shop and move to a better apartment.
Since then, my sugar daddy has given me a ₦100k monthly allowance, and I can call if I need more.
In 2022, he got me an iPhone and a laptop. I used the latter to find a remote social media manager job with a cosmetics brand. My employer paid me ₦50k/month to post content and respond to messages.
I didn’t need the money; I just wanted to be busy. I still work with the same brand, though my salary increased to ₦80k in 2024.
So, right now, your monthly income includes your salary and allowance
Plus a ₦850k monthly payout from a car investment I started in 2023. I’ll explain how this happened.
Towards the end of 2023, my sugar daddy gave me ₦4m — he randomly gives me huge amounts like that. Also, I had ₦3m savings, which brought the total amount I had to ₦7m.
I used the money to enter a car investment scheme a friend had told me about. She’d bought a car from a transport company, and the company gave the car out to drivers in a hire-purchase agreement. The only difference is, she didn’t have to interface with the drivers. The company paid her monthly, and by the end of the year, she’d made almost ₦3m in profit.
I was sceptical because of my past investment experience, but I researched and confirmed the opportunity was legit. I bought a Toyota Corolla for ₦7.5m, and the company gave me the ownership documents and started paying me ₦850k/month. This was calculated based on the 36% returns per annum rate. At the end of the one-year payment period, I made ₦10.2m. Then, they collected the ownership documents and transferred them to the new owner.
I reinvested in 2024 and got another car. Actually, my sugar daddy paid for the car — I told him about the investment opportunity — so I diverted some of the returns from my first investment to buy a plot of land, which cost ₦2.2m.
Now, I still get ₦850k/month from the car. Also, my monthly allowance is now ₦150k – ₦200k. Add that to my salary, and I make a little over ₦1m in most months.
That’s wild. What are your financial responsibilities like?
Not much. My sugar daddy pays my tuition and accommodation fees. I send money to my mum regularly — like, ₦200k every two months. She knows I work online, so I don’t have to explain my income.
I spend a lot of money, though. My major vice is spending on clothes and wigs. I have so many of them and don’t even use them all. I also love going out on solo dates to try new food, treating my friends and buying them gifts. When I go shopping and see something a friend would like, I have to buy it. They also buy stuff for me.
Also, I loan people money. Maybe too much for my liking. Someone can just walk up to me in class and beg for money because they haven’t completed their school fees, and I loan them. They often don’t pay back.
I’ve blocked so many people because trying to get my money back ended in fights.
Why are people like this?
It beats me. Last year, I loaned ₦400k to a schoolmate whose mum needed a life-saving surgery. I was touched because it was a familiar struggle. Wait, did I mention my dad died in 2018?
I’m so sorry
It’s okay. I felt sorry for the schoolmate and didn’t want her to go through all I did. Her dad even called me to beg. So, I gave them the money. But when I asked a few months later, the girl said I gave her dad the money, not her.
I involved the police after some back and forth, and we agreed that her dad would pay ₦50k/month until they cleared the loan. But here’s the thing; the man paid once. The situation got so bad that the girl started sending me death threats.
Ah
I just left the money for them. I have several ₦25k here, ₦15k there outside. This year, I’ve decided I won’t loan money to anyone. So far, I’ve been successful. I’m learning how to say “no” and I hope to continue. The only thing left is to figure out how to control my spending.
Can you take me through what your spending looks like in a typical month?
My “gift” budget doesn’t include loans. Sometimes I just pay for people in buses, or I buy gifts for my friends. It’s more than that ₦40k, but that’s a good average.
Is there something you wish you could be better at financially?
Definitely savings. I want to have a more structured approach to saving. Right now, it’s just the money I get back from my investments that I try to save. I currently have ₦10.2m in my savings account.
How are you thinking about future plans post-school?
I’ll probably get a Master’s degree. I believe it’ll be helpful in building a career and would be a plus to my professional journey. I’ll likely do that while pursuing a certificate course in either data analysis, project management or UI/UX design. I love the idea of widening my knowledge and just want to develop myself professionally as much as possible.
Also, I plan to break up with my sugar daddy soon, so I’m trying to pay more attention to saving so I’ll have a healthy safety net.
I’m curious. Is there a reason why you want to leave him?
To be honest, I don’t like him. Our relationship dynamic is great because we hardly see each other and mostly chat. We’ve only had sex a handful of times. But he’s very jealous. He’s married, but he doesn’t want me to date anyone while with him. He even wants me to be a second wife, but I can’t do that.
I need to have a lover my own age. I’m catching feelings for someone I’m seeing on the low, so I’ll probably break up with my sugar daddy later this year.
Have you considered how you might adjust to no longer receiving random money?
Yes. I’ll definitely miss his generosity. In December, he gave me ₦500k to spend and on New Year’s Day, he sent another ₦200k with a “Happy new year, baby” narration.
I’ll miss him, and that’s why I’m trying to save. It won’t be easy to adjust, but I can make it work. My employer has also hinted at reviewing my salary to ₦100k next month. So, that’s good.
Also, the guy I’m seeing on the low seems generous. He’s given me a few gifts, so I may have nothing to worry about.
Is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?
Maybe a mini solo vacation to Dubai. I’ve never travelled out of Nigeria, so that’s on my bucket list. I expect I’ll need like ₦12m to make that happen.
How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1 – 10?
10. I don’t lack anything.
If you’re interested in talking about your Naira Life story, this is a good place to start.
My favourite thing about this week’s dispatch is the mix of individuals at different stages of their financial management journey. Here’s what I mean:
On #NairaLife, we have a 22-year-old who is keen on taking charge of her finances after years of living comfortably with the help of an older lover. Her destination, of course, is financial independence. To her credit, she’s made a few moves, but a few struggles stand in her way.
For #LoveCurrency, there’s Jola, who is measured and confident about her relationship with money. Her biggest task right now? Managing her partner’s finances. Couple goals?
And if you’re wondering what intentionality looks like, a 22-year-old entrepreneur explains how she grew her wealth by 29% in 2024 using naira and dollar investments.
Let’s jump in.
In this letter:
#NairaLife: This Sugar Baby Is on a Mission to Making Better Financial Decisions
Love Currency:The Lagos Freelancer Teaching Her Boyfriend Financial Discipline
I’m 22, and This Is How I Grew My Money by 29% in 2024
Where The Money At?!
#NairaLife: This Sugar Baby Is on a Mission to Making Better Financial Decisions
In 2019, this 22-year-old student was knee-deep in financial uncertainty. Six years later, she lacks nothing, courtesy of an older lover.
Now, she’s ready for another change, starting with her spending habits and taking an intentional go at financial independence.
Big Cabal Media’s newsletter,The Big Daily can make you sound like the smartest person in the room. We make the biggest news around the world less boring and easier to understand. Subscribe here and start serving “I’m always in the know” energy!
Love Currency: The Lagos Freelancer Teaching Her Boyfriend Financial Discipline
Jola* (25) and David* (25) have been together since 2023. While they’ve been open books with their finances, they’ve had to navigate friction due to their different spending habits.
For #LoveCurrency, Jola talks about their journey so far and why she now manages his money.
We can’t say we’re about the money and not actually help you find the money.
So we’ve compiled a list of job opportunities for you. Make sure you share this with anyone who might need it because in this community, we look out for each other.
Valentine’s Day is meant to be all about love, good vibes, and a dose of “pepper dem” energy on social media. But sometimes, dates don’t go as planned. Instead of butterflies in your stomach, you’re calculating how long it’ll take to order an Uber and vanish.
Whether it’s a bad vibe, a weird conversation, or their refusal to stop referring to you as “baby” on a first date, here’s a foolproof guide to escaping an awkward Valentine’s date.
Fake an emergency
This is the OG move. Suddenly clutch your chest and say, “Oh no! I forgot my gas is still on at home,” or, “My cousin just called—our granny swallowed paint!” Keep it vague enough to avoid follow-up questions. Bonus points if you pretend to answer a fake call and start shouting, “Calm down! I’m on my way!”
Pretend you’re feeling unwell
Start coughing lightly. Then escalate to a dramatic sneeze. Within minutes, clutch your stomach and groan about how something you ate on the date threatens to unalive you. Say you have to go home and rest. They’ll be too scared of potential food poisoning to stop you.
Blame work or your boss
“I just got a Slack notification from my boss.” Works every time, especially if you make it sound like you’re indispensable at work. Throw in phrases like “quarterly reports” and “client presentation” to make it more believable.
Recruit your bestie as a rescue
Before the date, set up a system with your bestie. A quick SOS text, and they’ll call you with a fake emergency. If they’re feeling extra dramatic, they can even show up at the date like, “Babe, it’s an emergency! Let’s go!”
Tell them the truth (but nicely)
If you’re feeling brave, be honest. Say, “I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling a spark.” It’s not the easiest option, but it’s better than ghosting. Plus, it saves you from accidentally running into them at the mall weeks later.
Use the bathroom excuse
The old “Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom” trick never fails. The trick is to leave your bag behind for believability. When you get to the bathroom, order an Uber and send a polite “I had to leave” text.
Stage a scene
This one is risky, but if all else fails, go for it. Say, “I’m so embarrassed! I need to go home.” Walk out and leave them to handle the bill.
Bring up polarising topics
If they’re dragging the date, speed things up by talking about something divisive like politics, football teams, or who the GOAT is: Burna, Wizkid, or Davido. Once the argument gets heated, you’ll both want to leave.
Ghost them mid-date
If you’ve tried everything and they’re still clinging to the date, pull the ultimate vanishing act. Excuse yourself for “just a minute” and walk out of their life forever. Block their number for maximum effect.
You may not be built for drama, but you’re likely a reality TV material, and this is your golden opportunity to discover which of the “Young, Famous and African” cast members you share the same personality with.
In Nigeria, standing out isn’t optional- it’s a lifestyle. And that’s why, in this new year, under the theme “NEW YEAR, NEW HOT, NEW LUCK,” Infinix, the tech brand crafted for Nigeria’s young and vibrant crowd, has introduced the HOT 50 Pro+ in a stunning Blossom Pink colour. Bear in mind, this isn’t just about making a statement; it’s about embracing your dreams, celebrating growth, and stepping into 2025 with bold confidence.
You may ask, what’s so special about Blossom Pink, or why is it the Colour of the Moment? Or, in the words of Gen Z, why is it a vibe? Blossom Pink isn’t just a colour, it’s a celebration of growth, creativity, and optimism. Think of it as the perfect fashion statement- like a standout “Asoebi at a big owambe”, guaranteed to turn heads and spark conversations.
Thoughtful Design Meets Premium Features
The HOT 50 Series is designed to empower you to achieve your goals with style and ease. Featuring the elegant Glimmer Ladder Design, the series combines layered contrasts and glimmering tones that reflect new horizons and limitless possibilities. Here’s why the HOT 50 Pro+ in Blossom Pink is perfect for your lifestyle:
33W Advanced Fast Charging: Paired with a 4-year long-lasting 5000mAh battery, the 33W Advanced Fast Charging ensures you don’t have to worry when NEPA wahala strikes, your device powers up quickly.
NanoFlex Fiber Leather Finish: Durable, sweat-resistant, and luxurious to the touch.
AMOLED Display with Corning® Gorilla® Glass: Whether you’re streaming Nollywood blockbusters, scrolling TikTok, or watching live matches, enjoy sharp, vibrant visuals.
TÜV-Certified 5-Year Fluency: Guarantees smooth, reliable performance that adapts to your fast-paced life.
3D-Curved SlimEdge Design: A sleek, lightweight build that complements its premium features, giving you that confidence to carry and flaunt anywhere
Infinix understands that young Nigerians don’t just want technology, they want technology that reflects their lifestyle. Blossom Pink isn’t just any color; it’s a statement of growth and inspiration. The HOT 50 Pro+, embodies progress and creativity, helping you stay productive and stylish. For the HOT 50 and HOT 50 Pro+ models, Blossom Pink features Dualscape Glass, a shimmering, modern finish that perfectly complements its uplifting and vibrant tone.
You don’t have to wait to own this bold statement piece. The HOT 50 Pro+ in Blossom Pink is now available at Infinix-authorized stores across Nigeria. Why settle for less when you can start 2025 with a device that’s as dynamic and vibrant as you?
The topic of how young Nigerians navigate romantic relationships with their earnings is a minefield of hot takes. In Love Currency, we get into what relationships across income brackets look like in different cities.
How long have you been with your partner?
November 2024 made it exactly five years that Bolaji and I have been married.
How did you meet your husband?
I’ve always known Bolaji. We grew up in the same neighbourhood in Sagamu. We weren’t really friends, though; I just saw him around, and we casually greeted each other. I stopped running into him after he left for uni because he schooled in Lagos, and I attended a polytechnic in Ogun state.
In 2019, Bolaji lost his grandmother, and he and the rest of his family returned to Sagamu for the burial. I attended the burial too, and Bolaji and I started talking. He stayed in town for about a week, and I kept him company. We got really close during that period. I even visited him in Lagos after he went back.
Almost every weekend, I was in Bolaji’s house. I found out I was pregnant two months after we reconnected.
Oh. How did you both feel about that?
It was definitely unexpected. I think Bolaji even had a main girlfriend — I saw his chat history with the girl months later — but he wasn’t upset when I told him about the pregnancy.
I was nervous, but I wasn’t scared. Children are a blessing, and although my only income was ₦15k, which I made from teaching, I was ready to provide for my child whether Bolaji accepted the baby or not. Thankfully, he didn’t deny responsibility.
We told our parents, and they suggested we get married. We weren’t forced to marry, though. Bolaji and I liked each other and would’ve gotten married regardless. The pregnancy just sped things up. It also helped that our parents knew each other and were friends, so it was a smooth decision. Five months later, we had a court wedding and a traditional ceremony. Our parents took care of most of the wedding expenses.
What were you and Bolaji’s financial situation like?
Bolaji worked for a health maintenance organisation and made ₦120k/month. After we married, I moved to Lagos to join him, so I quit my job at the school.
Things were hard for us in the first few years. I thought I’d get a job in Lagos to support the home after our child came. But COVID happened, and there were no jobs. Even Bolaji’s salary was cut to ₦70k for six months due to the lockdown. On some days, we’d soak garri for dinner. Imagine soaking garri as a breastfeeding mum. I also often had to ask my dad for urgent ₦2k. It was tough.
How did the state of your finances impact your relationship?
Interestingly, money wasn’t the main subject of our fights. Our arguments were about our personality differences. We didn’t really know each other before marriage, so it took a while to get used to each other’s ways of doing things. He had weird habits like not brushing all day if he was at home and turning off all the lights, even if someone was in the room. It was annoying, and we argued a lot.
When we argued about money, it was because I asked him for it. I only asked for money when our child needed something, but it almost always led to an issue. Most times, Bolaji would lose his temper and accuse me of not being understanding. Once, I took our child and angrily left the house when Bolaji implied that I had brought him bad luck.
Hmmm
Our relationship was rocky for most of 2021 and 2022. To be honest, I often wished I never even married him. Maybe I’d been in too much of a hurry, and I didn’t think through what marriage meant.
To make matters worse, I got pregnant again in 2021. I didn’t tell Bolaji till I was six months gone because I worried he’d ask me to abort the baby. When I eventually told him, he just shook his head and said, “congratulations.”
Thankfully, things got better towards the end of 2022. Bolaji got a job that paid ₦300k/month, and he opened a salon for me. I learnt hairdressing in school, so the salon helped with extra income. By that, I mean I had extra cash to spend besides the ₦80k/month Bolaji gave me for the house. He didn’t worry himself with how much I made from my salon. Anything I bought with my money was my own decision.
That’s one of Bolaji’s good sides. He takes providing for his family seriously, and he believes it’s his responsibility to handle everything. He’s also very transparent with how much money he has. It’s why I understand why he can no longer provide as much since he relocated to the UK.
Why and when did he relocate to the UK?
He’s always wanted to japa. Bolaji has cousins in the UK, and we knew japa could happen one day. He’d actually applied to visit years before, but his visa wasn’t approved. In 2023, his cousin advised him to apply via the study route, so he did that and got admission. He also got a partial scholarship. We sold our fridge and washing machine and gathered money from our family to cover the rest of the tuition and flight costs.
Bolaji is currently studying for a postgraduate degree in the UK. He left in August 2024, and we hope he can transition to working in the UK when he’s done. Then, we can consider having me and the kids join him.
He’s just trying to survive right now. He only started sending us £30 monthly in November. That’s about ₦60k, which is really small, but I understand that he has to sort school and living expenses. I support our home with the little I make from hairdressing. I’m currently back in my dad’s house in Sagamu with my children — we moved after Bolaji left to cut out rent expenses — and business isn’t as profitable as it was in Lagos. I’m also back to relying on the goodness of my family for things like clothes and the occasional loans. But we’re surviving.
So, you’re navigating a long-distance marriage now. What’s that like?
We keep in touch with video calls and texts, but it’s difficult. Bolaji is almost always busy, and the children also want to talk to him when he’s available. I sometimes feel like we never have time to talk alone, like lovers.
I’ve complained about this a few times, and he told me to be patient. Sometimes, he sends me sweet messages and tries to convince me that we won’t be apart for long. Last week, he sent his sister to surprise me with barbecued fish. He’s also promised to make time for us to have a long call on Valentine’s Day. So, the distance is hard, but Bolaji is trying his best to be there for me, which I’m grateful for.
That’s sweet. Do you both have a safety net for your future japa plans?
We both have land given to us by our parents, so we’ll probably sell them when it’s time for me to meet him. We also hope he gets a care job soon—we heard it pays better—so he can start saving.
I can’t get a 9-5 job because of the children, so I’ve been trying to get a government job with the help of family members. A government job will give me time to make hair as a side hustle. My husband and I have already agreed that he’ll stop sending me money if I get the job. That way, he will have more savings, and we can fast-track my relocation.
What’s your ideal financial future as a couple?
I just want us to be able to afford to be together as a family again. I’d also like for us to be homeowners in the UK one day.
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*Names have been changed for the sake of anonymity.
