Sometimes, life puts you in messy situations where you’re not sure if you’re doing the right thing or not. That’s what Na Me F— Up? is about — real Nigerians sharing the choices they’ve made, while you decide if they fucked up or not.
Abel* (25) thought giving his old PS4 to his best friend was the perfect gift. But when his older brother, Bola, found out, it sparked a family disagreement that still hasn’t been resolved.
At the end, you’ll get to decide: Did he fuck up or not?
My older brother, Bola, and I used to have a great relationship. Even though we’re eleven years apart, we bonded over music, movies and games. We spent a lot of time together, but we haven’t been as close since he moved out of the house over a decade ago.
I don’t know if it’s the pressure of being the first born or if he’s just too busy, but Bola never had time to hang out — especially in the last five years. I’d call, drop WhatsApp messages and even leave notes, but he never replies quickly. When he finally did, it was always with some excuse about why he couldn’t show up.
I eventually got used to the distance and busied myself with my hobbies. One of them was console gaming. I had a much-cherished PS4 and played different games often. I preferred playing with my brother, but he never kept up with new game releases. However, my best friend, Tolu, did.
Tolu and I had been playing video games together since we were kids. He couldn’t afford a new game console, but he often came over to try out new games or play an old one with me.
In late 2024, I scored a lucky bet on a Premier League game and won enough money to buy a brand new PS5. Every true gamer wants the latest console, so after I bought the PS5, the PS4 barely got any use. At first, I considered selling it off for the extra cash, but then I had a better idea: I could give the PS4 to my best friend. That way, we’d be able to play games online together like old times. I asked Tolu if he wanted the console, and he gladly accepted. So, I gave it to him.
Meanwhile, when I got the new console, I tried calling my brother to share the good news, but he ignored my calls and texts. Maybe he thought I wanted to ask him for money. I didn’t think anything of it and carried on as usual.
A few weeks later, my brother, who’s also friends with Tolu’s brother, visited their place and saw the PS4. When he congratulated them, Tolu mentioned that I gave it to him. My brother immediately flared up and called me. He yelled that I had sidelined and betrayed him by giving my PS4 to someone else. I’ll be honest, I felt bad at first, but I reminded him he was always busy and that it never crossed my mind to offer it to him. I apologised, but he wasn’t satisfied.
He demanded that I collect the PS4 from Tolu and give it to him. I refused. I couldn’t imagine a world where I treated my best friend that way. Bola then offered to buy it if I retrieved it. I told him the money wasn’t important to me; what mattered was that Tolu and I could connect by playing online together. Bola took that as proof I didn’t care about him, and that led to a fight between us.
Our mum and sister think he overreacted, but he insists I should have known he wanted a gaming console and offered it before giving it to an outsider. He said if I’d told him about PS5 immediately, he would have shown interest in the old console.
Now, I’m stuck wondering: Did I mess up by not asking my brother first? Or am I wrong for refusing to collect the gift I gave to my best friend?
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