The Nigerian social media space has always been notorious for its unmatched humour and comedy, especially with its talented flock of creators.
Even in the face of a struggling economy, Failing government policies and a purposeless system of government, Nigerians made sure to use their social media as a space to relieve their tensions and make themselves happy by having no dull moment this year with entertaining trends on the Internet.
As the year 2022 shortly comes to an end, we at Bizwatch Nigeria are taking you down memory lane on the top 7 Naija trends that happened this year.
Japa Trend
The term ” JAPA” means to run away or to leave, but in the case of Nigerians, this term is used for relocation, especially for Nigerians that have moved out of the country to find their feet and futures in another one.
The mass exit from Nigeria, tagged Japa, was caused by the high level of insecurity, unemployment, infrastructural deficit, hunger and failure of the various levels of government to provide opportunities for the youths to live their desired life and achieve their dreams, as Nigeria was becoming a social epidemic. This became a trend due to the number of Nigerian citizens that are looking for ways to leave the country.
A recent PEW research survey reveals that about 45% of Nigeria’s adult population plans to relocate to another country within five years. Of the 12 countries surveyed from Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America, Nigerians ranked highest among people who desperately want to relocate to some other countries.
In another study in 2021, it was revealed that seven in every 10 Nigerians planned to relocate if the opportunity presents itself. A new report by the UK government shows that 13,609 Nigerian healthcare workers were granted working visas within the last year (2021). This created a buzz across all social media platforms.
Sapa Trend
What Is Sapa? The word ‘S.A.P.A’ has been the most used word on social media lately and even some are using it to sing. ‘Omo sapa dey my houses like this ‘ ‘I get sapa sickness ‘and so on with the word ‘S.A.P.A‘ being the subject that has got people talking, this Sapa na human being or virus ni? But what is Sapa?
“SAPA” means or denotes poverty. Explicitly, SAPA is a feeling of incapacity in financial matters or, in many cases, a relative lack of wealth. It means to be very poor, usually because of spending too much money. Nigerians, especially young people, are the ones who use this term the most. “Sapa” is a slang word used in Nigerian pidgin English to describe a state of being extremely broke or poor, usually after spending extravagantly.
It is no news that the word ‘sapa’ has become a popular Naija trend , as Nigerians have made it popular online. Being broke or poor is never a good thing but we Nigerians have found a way to make funny jokes and memes out of it. Almost everyone online is claiming to be broke online just to join the funny sapa trend. A lot of people have created comedy skits and memes just to make the trend even more popular.
Shey You dey Whine Me
Rave of the moment, Austine Emmanuel, professionally known as Austinedebull has shared his hit single ‘Shey you dey whine me’ which has gone viral across all social media platforms and music streaming platforms in Nigeria.
The popular gospel song has been turned into memes and gifs, and it has been used in various internet skits. The trend has created a buzz on social media platforms as the song’s chorus ‘Shey you dey whine me’ is the closest thing to a question mark to Nigerians at the moment, as it is used to question anyone and anything on the internet.
Tinubu (Agbado / Batified)
APC Presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has caused several storms on the internet on various occasions, starting from his failure to a hold a broom properly, going to his motorcycle treadmill picture, To his ” Rice, Cassava, Garri, Ewa, to his ” Bluh Blah Bluh- Blabuhlahbluh”, To his failure to know his own Political Party ( PD-APC) and now to his failure to answer his directed questions in his presidential interview in Chatham House in the UK.
Tinubu has been all over the internet this past year, whether for the right or wrong things, but he is certainly creating a buzz for himself.
Obedient (Peter Obi)
The “Obedient” hashtag has been one of the many top trends in Nigeria since Labout Party Presidential Candidate Peter Obi decided to run for office in March. The hashtag was created by Nigerians for him and he is seen as the people’s candidate.
The candidate of the masses and the well-educated, both on and off social media. Most social media influencers and media personnel, in all aspects of the entertainment industry, belong to this group, including the likes of Mr Macaroni, Falz, P- Square, Seyi Awolowo, Bovi and many more.
The Nigerian Naira
Nigeria’s National Currency Known as the Naira, has been trending across all social media channels since the year started. You may ask why? This has been due to its poor and disgraceful performance in the value exchange market from the year’s start till the end as of today.
The Naira started the year at N413 to a dollar and is finishing at N743 to a dollar. The Naira also received backlash due to its redesign and colouration, which saw the general public come out against the new Naira note and the new design.
Fuel Scarcity
This issue has been a prolonged one, lasting almost the whole year, This is the cause of its buzz on social media. Nigerians have been complaining about the unavailability of petrol and the increase in price despite the failure of the Nigerian government to produce it.
Nigerians started the year at the price of N165 per Litre and are ending the year at N240 per litre. This has caused a serious rant on all social media platforms from Nigerians.
