The Nigerian social media space has always been notorious for its unmatched hilarity especially with its talented flock of creators. Even in the face of a tumbling economy and repressive government policies, Nigerians had no dull moment this year with entertaining trends on the Internet.
The following are popular social media trends that stood out with Nigerians in 2023:
- Ellu P71 Rhythm
Amidst election sensitivity and agitations from from all quarters especially from Nigerian youths demanding for a new lease of life and good governance, the 2023 general election tension got a comic relief as a Nigerian man Stephen Muoka, used Labour Party and Peter Obi’s name to sing a song at his polling unit.
Mouka, during vote counting at his polling unit, kept shouting “Ellu P” while the rest of the voters responded with numbers.
The video went viral on TikTok and got many people talking about him and his passion for his candidate during the presidential elections. The video later made it to Instagram after it was reposted by a popular Nigerian influencer and gained thousands of followers. The “Ellu P” rhythm also became popular among social media vendors, content creators and other for theor shenanigans making the “Ellu P” boy a celebrity.
2. President Tinubu’s Certificate saga
Following the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as winner of February’s presidential election by the Independent Electoral Commission, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), approached the Supreme Court seeking to have President Tinubu disqualified after accusing him of submitting a forged diploma certificate to INEC.
Abubakar’s allegation that President Tinubu’s certificate was faked went viral on social media following the Chicago State University’s release of his academic record.The allegations on social media are based on a comparison between the document Mr Tinubu submitted to INEC and the 1979 diplomas released by CSU.
To obtain evidence for his case in Nigeria, Abubakar had approached a US court in August, requesting it to compel CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records ahead of a trial at the apex court.
The documents requested by Abubakar were: A copy of any diploma issued by CSU in 1979; a copy of the diploma CSU gave to Tinubu in 1979; copies of diplomas with the same font, seal, signatures, and wording awarded to other students that are similar to what CSU awarded to Tinubu in 1979; and documents from CSU that were certified by Jamar Orr, who was then a staff member of CSU, in the 12 months from 1st August 2022.
Another allegation that went round on social media was that the person who attended CSU with the name Bola A. Tinubu is female.
However, the BBC’s Global Disinformation Team has said it found no evidence that the Chicago State University (CSU) diploma certificate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to the country’s electoral commission was forged.
3. Hilda Baci’s Cook-A-Thon
Another notable social media trend in 2023 was the attempt of a Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey to break the Guinness World Records (GWR) for longest cooking marathon by any individual. Bacci cooked for 100 hours and was allowed a five-minute break each hour or the equivalent over several hours.
The four-day cooking marathon, which began on 11 May 2023, received a wave of support on social media with dignitaries including former President Muhammadu Buhari, President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, and Senate president hopeful, Godswill Akpabio among those who throwtheir weight behind the Akwa-Ibom-born chef.
The Cook-A-Thon also featured celebrity visitations from Tiwa Savage, Banky and Adesua Wellington, Teni the entertainer, Spyro, networking, games and brand activations with Nigerians coming out in their numbers to support and cheer her up both at the venue and on different social media platforms.
4. Tiwa Savage’s Performance At King Charles Coronation
Sensational Nigerian music star Tiwa Savage, made history in May 2023, with her electrifying performance at the coronation concert of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle in England. Savage was the first Nigerian artiste to perform on the large stage with over 20000 people attending the coronation concert, organised by the BBC, which garnered 28 million views globally.
Donning a regal green dress, Tiwa Savage thrilled the audience with her beautiful voice, rendering “Keys to the Kingdom,” a song she recorded with Mr Eazi and featured on Beyoncé’s album “The Lion King’’ released in July, 2019. The highlight of her performance was the two ‘Bata’ (Talking drums) drummers who came to play beside her leaving the well-packed concert attendees screaming with joy.
Savage’s inspirational song, a blend of the traditional Yoruba language and English that aims to motivate one to keep pushing through and defeat doubts broke the internet with Nigerian celebrities, artistes and other celebrities across Africa celebrating her terrific performance.
5. Mohbad’s Death
On September 12, 2023 the social media was abuzz with the sudden news of demise of Ilerioluwa Aloba popularly known as Mohbad at age 27. The news sent shock waves to Nigerians especially the entertainment industry given that the late singer was a talented and charismatic singer who left a lasting impact on the Nigerian music scene.
Mohbad was buried the day after he died in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. The early burial raised suspicion among his fans and Nigerians because he was not a Muslim. However, his father, Joseph Aloba, explained that he was quickly buried because he was young and because the land on which he was buried was the only property he knew his son owned.
Shortly after his passing, Nigerians began to clamour for an investigation into his death. According to people around Mohbad, he had performed at a concert two days before his passing and there was nothing wrong with him. This raised the question in everyone’s mind, “What happened to Mohbad?” They alleged that Mohbad died under questionable circumstances with videos of the singer being bullied and assaulted resurfacing after his demise.
With evidence linking His former label boss, Naira Marley (Abdulazeez Fashola), and Sam Larry (Samson Balogun) with cyberbullying, physical abuse, a threat to life, and assault against the late singer, the duo were later invited by the police for questioning.
There was also social media campaign by Nigerians demanding that an autopsy be conducted on Mohbad to determine the cause of his death. Petitions were written to the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and to the state’s head coroner as well. #Justice4MohBad became a social movement and protest following his death and subsequent allegations about the events that led to it.
6. Davido’s Twins/Babymama/Album
The year 2023 seems to the most dramatic for famous Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, aka Davido. After months of silence from the OBO crooner following the heartbreaking death of his son Ifeanyi in October 2022, the social media space went up in flames of excitement as the singer finally returned in March 2023, bearing a gift, his latest album, Timeless.
But, the first wave of disappointment hit Nigerians after a lady, Anita Brown, allegedly Davido’s side chic in the US stormed social media in August. The model claimed she was pregnant for the singer and shared proof that they had an affair while he was allegedly married to Chioma. Anita’s claim however generated a lot of criticisms on the social media.
Another news that gained attention of social media users and perhaps the biggest highlight of the year so far for the singer was the arrival of his twins, a boy and a girl in October. The singer lost his Ifeanyi in October 2022, and his bundles of joy arrived in the same month. Fans and colleagues of the singer rejoiced with him and a fight soon erupted after a video of his kids showed up on the internet.
7. Rema’s Performance at Baloon D’or
Afrobeats superstar, Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, delivered a thrilling performance at the 2023 Ballon d’Or award in October. Rema’s electrifying performance at the ceremony which took place in Paris, France captivated the audience, showcasing his incredible talent and stage presence.
Rema’s rendition of his hit song ‘Calm Down’ with a unique blend of Afrobeat and contemporary sounds left a lasting impression on attendees, solidifying his status as one of Nigeria’s most promising musical exports. The singer, who stepped off the stage to shake hands with the many football stars sitting in the front row including Erling Haaland and Vinicius Jr. made Nigerians social media users excited and proud of propelling “Nigeria and Africa in general to the world.
8. Paternity Fraud (Aunty Toyin Vs Brother Kola’s Saga)
Nigeria social media space was thrown into frenzy early November following lamentation from one Olanrewaju Kolawole, an indigene of Ikire in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, that the four children in his house do not belong to him.
The 44-year-old man said his hope of fathering the four children jointly raised by his wife, Toyin Tella was dashed when the results of the DNA conducted on the four children were released.
Kolawole and his estranged wife, Toyin Tella appeared on a live radio programme christened “Kokoro Alate”, anchored by Oriyomi Hamzat on Agidigbo 88.7 FM in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
Kolawole wept profusely after the DNA test results showed that none of the children was his biological child.The shocking discovery sparked reactions on social media condemning the action of the woman.
9. Actress Wumi Ajiboye’s Mother’s Burial and Husband’s Saga
Nollywood actress Wumi Ajiboye faced online criticisms in November after the video of burial and farewell ceremony she held for her late mother in Osogbo, Osun state capital surfaced online with the national chairman of NURTW l, MC Oluomo taking the limelight of the ceremony.
Social media went agog the following day with backlash from netizens berating the actress of allowing MC Oluomo took the spotlight at the burial while her husband, Segun Ogungbe was made invisible. Many expressed disapproval in the comments, criticizing the Yoruba star for reportedly abandoning her husband for MC Oluomo. It was also speculated that MC Oluomo was the catalyst behind their separation, alleging that he had fully furnished a new house for Wunmi Ajiboye, leading her to leave her matrimonial home. The report also claimed that Segun has since returned to his first wife, Atinuke.
However, Wunmi denied the allegations stating that she never engaged in any romantic relationship with him, notwithstanding the fact that he (MC) has been always been supportive to her.
10. A drone Strike on a village in Kaduna State mistakenly kills 85 civilians.
There was widespread anger across the country and all social media platforms on Monday November 27, following the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State by the Nigerian Army leading to the death of several villagers on Sunday evening.
It was gathered that residents were celebrating Maulud, an Islamic event when the bombs were dropped by the military, who mistook the villagers for terrorists. The development had triggered widespread condemnation from both local and international communities and President Bola Tinubu ordering for the probe of the attack.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
