• While their foreign counterparts do the work by building loyal fan bases, doing research, and driving meaningful conversations around the brands they’re paid to promote, Nigerian Twitter influencers do the bare minimum. With that in mind, here’s a detailed guide on how to become a Nigerian Twitter influencer.

    1) Start with super terrible jokes.

    Just be sure to make it relatable and end it with an Odunlade meme or a picture of a malnourished black child laughing that has nothing to do with the joke itself.

    2) Think up stupid scenarios for the timeline to drive engagement.

    Some people will call you out on your bullshit but you will ignore them. That sweet-sweet engagement is all you need.

    3) Do pointless comparison shit like this.

    You have the option of making it a Twitter poll but don’t because then the post wouldn’t reek of desperation. Start with the line “Let’s settle this once and for all” and then follow it with a comparison between two things NO ONE IN THE HISTORY OF EVER has thought were in competition. Someone has to ask the hard questions and that person is you.

    4) Have an opinion about everything being discussed on the timeline. Especially things you know nothing about.

    No matter the topic, make sure you show up out of nowhere to give your hot take absolutely no one asked for. Politics? Mental health? Witchcraft? Be there for all of it.

    5) Constantly offend marginalized groups to gain clout.

    Sure, you’ll get dragged all over the timeline but all that exposure will be worth it in the end. Plus, the faction of Twitter that secretly agrees with your offensive views will retweet, follow, and then write in the replies, “They’re coming for you oh. lol” Whoever said there’s no such thing as bad publicity wasn’t wrong.

    6) Start games that seem like harmless fun but also look suspiciously like ways to mine for people’s private information.

    Someone once said these “influencers” are slowly gathering all our info to do something shady with it and I honestly won’t be shocked if that happens.

    7) Ask weirdly personal and destabilizing questions from time to time.

    I was scrolling through the timeline last week when I came across an influencer’s tweet that said: “What are you doing with your life?” and I was suddenly thrown head-first into an existential crisis. Feelings like this are the kind you want to elicit.

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  • Twitter is like that fun party every millenial got an invite to and one that every millenial actually wants in on. But breaking into this party is not always so easy. And did I mention that Nigerian Twitter is an extreme sport? Because it really is, complete with penalties and fatal injuries. If you’re just joining Nigerian Twitter then you will most likely experience the things on this list.

    1. It will be soliloquy for a long time.

    Your first tweets will basically be you just talking to yourself. No likes, no comments, no retweets. Just you, yourself and your tweets chilling on your timeline like losers no one wants to hang out with.

    2. Then you post your first hot picture and you realize that people actually see your tweets.

    Zikoko-Nigerian twitter

    But they are just not interested in reading and engaging with you your smart logic, big English and 50 followers. They only want to see fine pishure.

    3. You witness your first drag fest.

    Zikoko-Nigerian twitter

    And then for the first time you have a front row seat at a twitter drag fest complete with savage punchlines, and damning screenshots. You watch as they literally skin the subject alive and even proceed to grind the bones.

    4. You collect your first savage clap back. 

    Zikoko-Nigerian twitter

    And you are like why are you people so angry and rude? Who hurt you? For some people this marks the end of their tweeting careers, for others it gives them the ginger they need.

    5. Then you hit your first popular tweet.

    Zikoko-Nigerian twitter

    The tweet that finally garners beautiful likes, sweet retweets and lovely comments. And you go back to that tweet every 5 minutes to tell yourself- Yassss, I have arrived. Until another savage clap back jams you.

  • Schadenfreude – pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.

    Every human being is guilty of this. Even you. And that’s why you are here. That’s why I also found this funny. Since that’s out of the way, we can start.

    Anyway, I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw this tweet:

    https://twitter.com/WendyA__/status/1250498837078331392?s=20

    I just knew it was going to be lit. So, I peeped into the comments section and trust me, I was not let down. I like you guys and I don’t want you to scroll. So, I compiled the funny, the scary, and the ones that left me speechless.

    Before we start, play this song in your head while reading each tweet.

    And Action!

    1) Play Pall bearers music pls.

    2) Ah.

    3) Nigerian parents have no chill.

    4) Surprised she’s still alive.

    https://twitter.com/TemiShomo/status/1250522219735900163?s=20

    5) I prefer not to speak.

    https://twitter.com/asiuolssim/status/1250506619202535424?s=20

    6) Dyingg.

    7) What?

    8) Tired of internet people.

    9) I am experiencing second hand anger.

    10) I laughed. I am sorry.

    11) The Government needs to ban children.

    https://twitter.com/Sadcastic2/status/1250719328682627072?s=20

    12) I fear you people.

    13) Oh dear.

    14) ….

  • Contrary to what they led us to believe when it became clear that La Corona was going global, the Nigeria government is NO WAY prepared to handle this pandemic. From letting people coming from high risk countries into Nigeria without keeping them in quarantine first to not having enough test kits, the whole thing is a mess that is slowly causing panic among Nigerians.

    To that effect, there have been donations from different people (Tinubu, Dangote, Folorunso Alakija etc) dedicated to getting the different things medical personnel need. However, we don’t know if these donations have actually been made or if the funds (if donated) are being used right.

    But that’s not why we’re here today. We’re here today to discuss the Nigerian government’s recent antics on Twitter. On the 31st of March, 2020 engineer and technology entrepreneur, Elon Musk tweeted this:

    And on the 2nd of April 2020, the official Twitter account for Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning replied with this.

    If you’re wondering why this is a screenshot instead of an embedded tweet like the other tweets in this article, the answer will be revealed soon.

    This led some Nigerians to react like this:

    However, some other Nigerians had different reactions. Like this guy:

    https://twitter.com/FadaKrismas/status/1245652984232468480?s=20

    Which led other Nigerians to bring up a couple of insane things our politicians did with money in our not so distant past.

    While all this was happening, I went back to check the tweet that started it all and found this:

    Whoever’s handling the official Twitter account for Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning deleted the tweet.

    BRETHREN!

    What side of this argument are you on? Was it shameful for the government to dip Nigeria’s toes in the muddy waters of Bambiala Twitter? Or do you see nothing wrong with it? Sound off in the comments!

    What’s up, Zikoko Fam? It would mean the world to us if you spared a few minutes to fill this Reader Survey. It’s so we can bring you the content you really want!

  • Fake friends.

    We all have them.

    I mean, what are the odds that the dozens of people you say “hi” to every day actually like you? Not to make you paranoid but the odds aren’t that high. Yeah. That neighbour that smiles at you enthusiastically every morning on your way to work would most likely watch your house burn to the ground if she was sure it wouldn’t affect her apartment.

    These 10 people figured that out the hard way.

    This girl whose beauty made her friend jealous AF.

    This woman and her friend with misplaced priorities.

    This girl who really needs to cut her friends off.

    This girl who left out of a friend group one time and never recovered.

    Isn’t it insane how people just like lying for no reason?

    Why are people wicked like this?

    Mothers are just the best.

    I know I shouldn’t laugh at these but LMAOOOOOOOOOOO!

    Wickedness in its highest form.

    Mothers can also be terrible influences.

  • Tiwa Savage is in the news again for being number one ni Africa bad girl who comes with fire. Apparently, Charles Anazodo, media personality and sports analyst, got his pressure so high over the fact that Tiwa didn’t say Ello baby o, how do you do?

    He proceeded to narrate the whole incident on Twitter street, telling us how he has never seen this kind thing before with a hint of sho mo age mi ni tied in there somewhere.

    But Tiwa, who is ever ready for clapback, explained that she was in a hurry for her radio interview–because that’s how star do– which is probably why she didn’t see him.

    Then she added a lil’ something in her tweet to Charles that basically said, Hol’ up oga chairman oh, when we put it down and low, eni duro wo tan, rara no

    Say what! Twitter street went wild over her response. Yeah, Charles tweet didn’t go viral until Tiwa’s made that happen.

    And then, the Tiwa fandom took over from where she left off, basically chewing Charles for breakfast.

    There was the sarcastic:

    https://twitter.com/trending_medic/status/1180026934283194368?s=19

    Then the thought provoking:

    Then the hilarious:

    https://twitter.com/That_IjebuBadoo/status/1180009191152521217?s=19

    There you have it folks! Tiwa Savage knows she doesn’t need to mention but y’all might want to consider her statement that “anything wey them do no fit make me change formation, as I bring this gyration” because she will get a Standing Ovation regardless of who comes for her.

  • I’ll just start this by saying that if we’re friends in real life and you do any one of these things on Twitter, I’ve most likely muted you because you’re awful and looking at your timeline gives me a headache. Also, I quietly report your tweets in the hopes that Twitter eventually deletes your account.

    Now, for today’s business.

    1) Altering your name to look like this:

    I hate to sound bougie (I don’t) but it’s not cute; it’s actually razz. Also, it’s super hard to read for people who don’t already know your name. Where do you think you are? Facebook in 2011? Stop it.

    2) Catfishing:

    This is for the people (mostly guys) that open new Twitter accounts, take a picture of a random pretty girl, use it as their avi, and start masquerading around the TL pretending to be the pretty girl in the avi:

    WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE?

    3) The people that go under every well-performing tweet and write this:

    “Why? So I can enjoy your starving African kid memes and Davido Vs Wizkid hot takes? Thanks. I’ll pass.”

    4) Hijacking trends topics to sell stuff (when your stuff has nothing to do with the thing trending).

    I remember when some guy tweeted a trash hot take about the presidential election and implied at the end that it was the first in a thread.

    This idiot began promoting his mixtape in the next tweet. There’s really no difference between shit like this and that one-time the entire Five Star Music record label faked Skiibii’s death for clout.

    5) Using religion to guilt-trip people into retweeting you.

    The most common one is “Retweet if God has been good to you this month. Reply with ‘Amen’ for even more blessings.”

    Just say you want attention and go.

    6) Using other people’s pain and misery to thank God for how good you have it.

    Just… don’t.

    7) This shit:

    One would think that with Twitter’s Muted Words feature, it would be easy to avoid this. But the people who tweet these things found a way around muting by intentionally misspelling them, leading to variations like this:

    Unintentional comedy aside, STOP IT.

  • A few times in the past, Nigerian celebrities have handed out some really juicy clapbacks.

    And most of those times, they absolutely killed it!

    Ah mean, just look at how Adekunle Gold jam this guy anyhow:

    So that was how Runtown too tried to do his own:

    https://twitter.com/Rouvafe/status/871849976946712576
    But Nigerians are not even in support at all.

    This guy thinks Runtown needs to go and be sleeping inside studio instead of wasting his time on Twitter:

    This one thinks the clapback was just weak:

    This one thinks Runtown needs to go and get sense so he won’t “run made over himself”:

    https://twitter.com/Vicky__U/status/871991926500864001

    This guy is just really tired of hearing that Mad Over You song:

    This one thinks Runtown’s tweet just wasn’t savage enough:

    This one thinks Runtown is the big loser and recycler:

    https://twitter.com/OlaamideA/status/871978507559153664

    Oshey! Runtown the recycling agent!

    And so, the verdict is out…

    Runtown has been found guilty of the lamest clapback in history…

    …and is sentenced to 365 days in the studio to produce another beat.

    More Zikoko!

    https://zikoko.com/list/16-times-aki-and-pawpaw-killed-it-on-your-tv-screen/
  • 1. This one that used our Acting President’s picture to make a point

    https://twitter.com/sire_liljosh/status/872016666363867137

    2. Corruption, explained with a fart

    https://twitter.com/its_tola_/status/849578517708910592

    3. When you’re hiding your true colors

    4. Fart and Furious

    5. When your ‘Head of The Family’ status starts yielding dividends:

    6. Not all who chill at the club are introverts

    https://twitter.com/ogbeni_opa/status/870553261379653632

    7. When your own fart makes you start doubting yourself

    8. Nice Pigeon…fact?

    9. Who else does this? I DO!

    https://twitter.com/udshapaka/status/869085827774722048
    Please don’t koba me

    10. When you’ve been betrayed by your own buttocks

    https://twitter.com/Shiizuuo/status/868719307039133696

    11. The Sinister Masterplan

    12. This Headline OMG

    13. Uggggh

    14. More Zikoko? Read this next:

    https://zikoko.com/list/14-things-girls-do-that-guys-will-never-understand/
  • Are women better than men at facing rejection?

    When Twitter user @Tha_Mentalist theorized that there are women who find it difficult to accept rejection, I thought, ‘naw, for real?’

    So he posted a Twitter challenge to test this:

    A simple invitation: come tell a story, guys, of a time you rejected a woman’s sexual advances and her reaction afterwards.

    This has to be good!

    giphy.gif Gosh. Just look at the comments!

    Pressing Iron + Boxers = Invitation to Party?

    boxers.jpg

    “If you cannot play the game, surely you must be gay (for shame!)”

    gaystory.jpg

    If you cannot smash the man, smash a mirror

    smashmirrors.jpg

    WHAT?

    chased.jpg

    Oh the set up

    shookth.jpg

    It’s tough out there

    self.jpg

    More love stuff? Here:

    https://zikoko.com/list/things-happen-crush-doesnt-like-back/