1. Every time your dad saw someone he knew, he became locked into an infinite loop of increasingly loud greetings.
#GrowingUpNigerian At church, in the car Random Guy: BABA ADESINA Dad: The DON Random: BABA ADESINA Dad:THE DONNN
2. You could never trust any container.
#GrowingUpAfrican #GrowingUpNigerian When you thought 😔
3. Because any vessel could be repurposed for a new life.
RT KingAura_: #growingupNigerian #naijastuffs_com
4. One day, you could have an ordinary bottle of mouthwash. And the next day:
My mom be putting ordinary shit into other shit. We don't need this for listerine. I feel like I'm in Harry Potter
5. At least one Maggi seasoning cube went into every meal.
6. Leftover party foods would fill the fridge and become part of your meals for the week.
#howtopissmeoff eat all my leftover food from a Nigerian party #subtweet should've packed ur own to-go plate smh
7. Achieving anything less than full marks in a test was a reason to be ashamed.
#youknowyourmumisnigerian when she says "the person that came first in your class, does she have two heads?"
Other parents probably would be proud but second place just wasn't good enough.
8. And if you were doing well, you could always be doing better.
9. When your parents asked a question, they both did and didn’t expect a response.
Mum: I'm talking to you & you're keeping quiet abi? Me: But..... Mum: Keep quiet, when I'm talking to U.. #YouKnowYourMumIsNigerian
10. When visitors came round it meant the secret good food would make an appearance.
When your mum brings out hidden drinks and food for visitors
11. You always had to wear your older siblings’ hand-me-downs.
12. Accepting anything from or giving anything to an adult with your left hand was a big NO.
13. When food was being fried in the kitchen, your job was to fan the smoke away from the smoke alarm.
14. Trying to watch TV while your parents were on the phone just wasn’t happening.
15. At family functions, your mum would say she just needed to "quickly speak to someone for five minutes and then we'll go".
16. You could be called from literally anywhere, even the other side of the world, to pass something to your parents mere inches away from them.
17. Sorting through the mountains of "Ghana Must Go" bags to find a specific pair of shoes could turn into an all-day excavation.
18. Your bedroom would be turned into the guest bedroom when a relative visited.
19. In fact, your bedroom was basically extra storage space for anything.
20. If your full name was shouted, you were in trouble.
BIG TROUBLE.
21. Your parents would never admit when they were wrong.
Living in a Nigerian household means that the parent is always right. As the child, you are always wrong & will never be correct. Ever.
22. And you'd best be prepared for the lecture if you ever pointed out their mistake.
23. Actually, you learned to bring a chair and a snack because any conversation could quickly turn into a “lesson for life”.
24. But Nigerian parents do give great advice, even if you never asked for it.
The best advice you'd ever get in life is from a Nigerian parent. Three simple words.. "Don't be stupid"