If you didn’t scare at least one adult during your teenage years, were you even rebellious? From sneaking out to see forbidden partners to doing things that could’ve ended in public disgrace, Nigerian teens have always found creative ways to test boundaries. 

In this story, five Nigerians look back on the wildest things they did as rebellious teenagers, and the chaos that followed.

“I stole my dad’s car for a joyride” — Bidemi*, 38, M

Bidemi recalls the pandemonium that ensued after one of his reckless teenage escapades.

“I was a particularly extroverted and energetic child. My parents, on the other hand, were introverted and quiet and tried their best to train away my extroverted nature with many rules. By the time I was in secondary school, I was tired of their rules and would break any one if it came between me and a good time. I ran my parents ragged, often sneaking out. My only saving grace was that I was a top student despite my playfulness.

In 2002, I got obsessed with learning to drive so I could show off to my friends on my 15th birthday. My parents strongly opposed it and insisted that I couldn’t learn until I was at least 18. This frustrated me, so I started watching them carefully when they drove and tried to learn by sight.

One day that year, my parents went to an event and took only one car, leaving the other one at home. I decided it was high time I tested my driving skills. It was a manual car, and I managed to drive out of the compound. But only 15 minutes away from the house, I saw a police checkpoint and panicked. I tried to turn back, but instead ran into a tree, damaging the front fender. My next thought was the trouble I’d undoubtedly be in when my dad found out.

As I drove back to the house, I saw my mum crying and talking to a group of police officers in front of our gate. It turned out that my parents had forgotten something and came back home to get it. Upon getting home and finding a missing car and child, they thought someone had robbed the house and kidnapped me. They’d called the police to report the crime, only for me to come back with the car. 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen my parents so angry in my life. They beat me within an inch of my life, and I wasn’t even allowed to wash the cars, let alone drive them.

I eventually grew out of my rebellious phase when I started living on my own after university, but I still think about some of the scrapes I got into. I don’t think I have half as much audacity now as an adult.”\

“I used to jump over our fence to see my boyfriend” — Anna*, 26, F

Anna defied her mother’s rules time and again to visit her then boyfriend. It took her mother’s quiet disappointment to shock her out of the rebellion.

“I was only 14, but I would jump over our fence to go and visit my 19-year-old boyfriend in LASU all the way from Akoka. It was very dangerous to make such a journey alone, but I think that’s what made it feel so exhilarating. I don’t think I would’ve done that if my parents weren’t so strict and restrictive of my movements. I’d leave home at 7:00 a.m. for school, go see my boyfriend and wouldn’t get back till 11:30 pm.

Whenever my mum caught me, she’d beat the hell out of me, but that didn’t stop me. After a few times, though, she stopped. The fact that she was so disappointed she stopped punishing me scared me straight. I was alarmed that she was giving up on correcting me. Thankfully, the boy and I broke up, so I stopped having a reason to sneak out.”

“I was a rebellious child, and now, I’m a rebellious adult” — Debby*, 33, F

Debby has always walked her own path, and at this point, her family is already used to it.

“I started experimenting with my style and personal expression at 16. One day, I left the house with a full head of hair and came back home with the back of my head completely shaved off. Only the front still had long hair. My mum was too dumbfounded to speak; she just stared at me. My aunts and uncles told her she wasn’t raising me right, but they knew not to share their opinions with me. Even at that young age, my ‘stubbornness’ was already well known.

I never left my rebellious phase. Now, I’m a child-free woman who has abandoned religion and is an out bisexual who has no intentions of marrying a man. My family does what they’ve always done: stay quiet and hope I change my mind.”

“I lied for money to play games” — Bart*, 29, M

Bart grew up middle-class, but that didn’t stop him from getting into trouble — especially when it came to playing video games.

“One of the wildest things I did as a teenager was to collude with my older brother and another friend to lie to our neighbour. Our friend was more notorious than my brother and me, so we told this friend’s mum that he had broken into our house and stolen our lunch money; I remember it was ₦1,000. His mum believed us and gave us the cash, warning us that if we lied, the gods of twins would punish us (she was a twin).

My brother, our friend and I blew all the money at the game centre playing video games at ₦20 per person.

I only left that troublesome phase thanks to maturity and realising my reckless actions had consequences on not just me but the other people in my life.”

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“I decided to see the sights in another city” — Jemima*, 30, F

After a stifled childhood at home, Jemima began to unfurl her wings when she moved to university.

“My parents are very strict. So strict that my siblings and I had a personalised timetable with assigned tasks for every hour of our day. It was suffocating. So when I got into university and had to move to the hostel, it felt like I was breathing for the first time.

I started doing all the things my parents banned when I still lived at home. I wore trousers, drank excessively and went to night parties. The wildest thing I did, though, had to be when I turned 18. 

My uncle sent me ₦20k as a gift, and on a whim, I decided to travel from Oyo* to Lagos. I had always wanted to visit the state, but my father forbade it. So I turned off my phone, went to the car park without telling anyone and travelled to Lagos. I didn’t do anything when I got there, I just looked around for a bit and took a bus back. 

I got back to Ibadan after 10:00 p.m., only for my roommates to tell me my dad had come to visit me that evening, but no one knew where I was. I almost had a heart attack. I called him and lied that there was no light at school and that my phone had died. Thankfully, he believed me, or he would’ve probably forced me to start going to school from home.

I eventually left my rebellious phase after I got it out of my system. Plus, the responsibilities and realities of adulthood made me restructure my priorities.”

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