Nigerian Slangs that trended in 2022
These buzzwords got mileage among youths, especially on social media.
The year 2022 has been a roller coaster of emotions in all ramifications, particularly in pop culture. Even at that, it also saw the emergence of slangs that created a buzz on social media and beyond.
In Nigeria, the year came with much noise as campaigns for the 2023 general elections entered full swing. Presidential and governorship candidates came with their A-game to campaigns, introducing new words which have dominated everyday conversations in the country.
While some of these buzzwords were coined from the political scene, others are gotten from songs, movies, comedians, poverty line, and relationship sagas amongst others. Most of these slangs are derived from the âPidgin arenaâ.
This post highlights these popular slangs and how they came into being/taken a centre stage in conversations. So, letâs go!
Shey you dey whine me ni?
Austine Emmanuel wasnât joking when he released the track âShey you dey whine me niâ. The Ogoni singer gave youngsters a track to accompany their videos on social media particularly TikTok.
In a video thatâs trending on YouTube, a group of older women dressed in traditional attires are seen holding white handkerchiefs dancing in a circle around the act who is providing the vocal performance.
Omo!
Without a specific meaning, âOmoâ is used to express excitement, shock, and surprise amongst others. It has also saved a number of youngsters from unnecessary explanations.
Whenever a surprising event takes place and you donât have anything to say but donât want those around to feel as though youâre snubbing them, give them an âOmo!â You can decide to add one million O after the M to show that you are truly surprised.
PS: Iâm not teaching you âbad thingâ but I come in peace.
We outside!
Moving away from this, whenever you hear âwe outsideâ, especially on a Friday night, that person is telling you they are having fun or what younger people call âchopping the life of his or her headâ.
You too can be âoutsideâ, and spend this money, after all, youâve been working since January and now itâs December. Go outside and have fun!
Pepper don set
And to be âoutside,â one has to be financially loaded! Thatâs where the slang âpepper don setâ comes in!
Pepper in this context is a reference to money. When pepper is set, December, as they say, will be âdettyâ (be fun)! âPepper don setâ is an announcement that âmoney is hereâ in abundance.
Japa
Once âpepper don setâ, plenty plans can become realities which is why âjapaâ is now a common jargon among Nigerian youths.
âJapaâ originated from the Yoruba language and it means to run swiftly. But once you hear âJapaâ, it tells you the person wants to travel abroad.
Youths have caught the âjapaâ bug and are either going abroad for study, work, or other purposes. The lingo can also mean travelling to other places within the country. A person in Lagos might tell you they want to âjapaâ to Abuja. After all, âjapaâ is still âjapaâ.
âWhere una dey see dis love?â
This question is often used whenever two lovers flaunt pictures of themselves on social media. Singles better called âSingle pringlesâ usually take to the comment section asking âNa where una dey see dis love?â (How did you people do this?) Well, itâs never out of place to ask such a question. I mean, itâs not like you have to pay to do this! So, if you know where they see the love, please share it with us!
Doings!
Similarly, âdoingsâ was among the most used slang for the year in Nigeria. It is an exclamation when an individual appears to live large or show off wealth. It also means a man with a large heart and one who makes things happen!
Emi lokan
Away from doings, the All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, also helped popularise another slang Emi lokan.
The former Lagos State governor used the phrase in a gathering in Abeokuta, Ogun State while making a case for himself ahead of the APC presidential primary earlier in the year.
âEmi lokanâ is a Yoruba phrase that is translated as âIt is my turnâ and has since Tinubuâs June 2022 comment in Ogun gained mileage on social media.
Away from social media, Nigerians now use Emi lokan in different contexts which boil down to âownershipâ.
Sora Fun Obirin
Now that I have told you what âemi lokanâ means, letâs find out about âsora fun obirinâ.
The term was derived from a viral video of an Akure preacher in which he spoke against indecent dressing.
In what seemed like a vision, he crossed to the side of the road and told a man in his car, âSora fun obirin ooo. Olorun a wa pelu eâ which means âBe careful of ladies. The Lord will be with youâ.
That slang became an anthem among men as a piece of advice to mostly those they term as casanovas
Something hooge
Aside Tinubuâs comment, Nigerian comedian and skit maker Emmanuel Chuwkwuemeka Ejekwu better known as Sabinus also popularised another buzzword â âsomething hoogeâ.
It became a street vocabulary, particularly due to the way he used the term in his skits: laying emphasis on huge!
âSomething hoogeâ is a term for anticipation or expectation.
âSomething hoogeâ is about to happen, so be expectant!
Dey play
From Sabinusâs âSomething hoogeâ, the phrase âDey playâ is also a contention for the most used phrase in the country.
It means to continue wasting time; being unserious. It rose to fame on social just recently.
Usually going with videos in which people show off their successes such as newly-acquired houses or cars, âdey playâ is a catchphrase that tells others they need to double up their work and stop being unserious with life.
Sope Otilo
But before then, âsope otiloâ had gained mileage in everyday conversations. Singer and songwriter Poco Lee gave Nigerians the slang after the release of his single âOtiloâ which is a follow-up to âChop upâ and âYardâ.
The term âOtiloâ is a Yoruba word that means itâs (Izz) gone!
But before I say âOtilo,â it would be good to divert a bit. Shall I tell you who the number one meme character for the year is? Obviously, Osita Iheme popularly known as Pawpaw!
Snapshots of the veteran actor have been used to accompany a number of captions that trended on social media all through the year.
And not just memes! Clips of the act have been used to remix tracks of popular musicians. One such track is âCommon Personâ by Grammy award winner Burna boy.
There's no common person as common as pawpaw đđđđ pic.twitter.com/9M37hQygnC
— Florence Chawai (@Kunubykay) September 1, 2022
(Channels Television)
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