Nigerian Young Adults And The Ironies of Life

An average Nigerian youth is full of jaw dropping experiences, especially if he/she is from the trenches.

Let’s start from the community; Growing up as a teenager or a young adult in a community where eating a three square meal is considered wasteful is unexplainable, you only eat in the morning and night. You dey ask for afternoon food, no be juju be that?

A place where verbal abuse popularly termed as ‘Yabbing’ could lead to low self esteem for rich kids is considered as fun for kids in the ghettos. They yab and get ranked for doing it well.

Growing up in this kind of places as an adolescent has some unforgettable memories as you only get to wear new clothes and shoes during festive periods, first day at school, etc and still taunt your friends who do not have but as a young adult, Why dress cute when there’s no festivity, you dey travel?

Likewise, every family must have an extended family member living with them if not the wife will be considered a witch and unaccommodating. Me and hubby níbo, it doesn’t work there!. You don marry hin family join o

Our secondary Schools are the most interesting. We have the tallest and oldest boy who sits at the back and is the king of the boys; he goes about bullying the younger ones in the class. He knows everything but nothing in his books.

The Queen bee that might necessary not be the finest, segregates herself from her peers because she looks more mature than the others and is already dating a teacher. She also knows everything except her books.

We have the silent efikos, those who raise up their hands to answer every questions in the class but their results speaks otherwise and chronic dullards, the neat ones and dirty ones with tear tear clothes, the early birds and latecomers.

The class comedians and angry birds. Gossipers and the ones that keep to themselves. The aburo seniors geng and the nobody own me geng.

The lover boys/girls. The rich kids and the poor kids ( beggie beggie). The holy holy and the future prostitutes and thugs.

In the talent section nko? the sports prefects are perpetual heart breakers. We have the future WizKids and Rihanna. All these people from different communities and household makes secondary school one of the most interesting places.

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When it comes to examination period, writing your O’level could make you a little bit serious. If you are lucky, you make your papers once but if not life has just started as you’ll start seeing shege from this point in your life. If your parent no send you, then you’ll go and start learning work. If they really care, they’ll register you for different O’level tutorials and exams, by the time you have two combinations, then you move to jamb and UTME.

At this level your view of life would have changed. you are now a young adult.

…to be continued…

©Ama’Grace