Dika has made peace with where that path has taken him. “For me, what is important is telling stories and for people to listen to the stories I’m telling. Whatever opportunities provide an audience for these films, whether it’s on YouTube, festivals or whether it’s to take it to the box office, I’m very much open,” he says.

Dika鈥檚 brilliance, however, continues to shine, as proven once more in the final drop of 麻豆视频鈥檚 Life 2: 鈥楢 Happy Ending鈥�. In the film, Dika brings Tatiana鈥檚 story to life, drawing on a character and experience that feel deeply grounded in the realities of a real woman. It is another example of the filmmaker鈥檚 instinct for finding the emotional truth in ordinary, complicated lives.

In this conversation, Dika talks about his journey from making films for YouTube to becoming a familiar name in Nigeria鈥檚 film industry, the creative choices behind A Happy Ending, and what it means to keep telling stories without becoming too attached to where they might take him.

Initially, Dika had a casting problem with 鈥楢 Happy Ending鈥�. He needed someone who understood the film鈥檚 intention to play the lead actress.. Tatiana is a young woman who moves to Lagos to work as a masseuse. Her job exposes her to a wealthy politician who enjoys the add-on of happy endings to his massages. The professional relationship between the pair goes beyond the spa and becomes more than Tatiana intended. He had an actor in mind, but after reading the script, she turned it down.

Her reason stuck with him because two other actors shared the same sentiments. They wouldn’t play Tatiana because she wasn’t written as a victim. She didn鈥檛 have a sick mother back home, no pressing issues that required the support of a politician, and no gun to her head. Tatiana was a young woman who weighed her options and chose the one that kept her dreams alive.

Dika found this experience telling. 鈥淚t opened my eyes to the sort of society that we live in,” he says. He admits that he’s surrounded himself with “a lot of progressives” for so long that he had “forgotten how conservative our society is.” The truth is that people need it 鈥渢o be such a miserable story for them to empathise and understand why a person would get into sex work鈥�.

His refusal to write Tatiana as a broken woman came from the real woman who inspired her story. Speaking about the woman, he says, “What was clear was that she didn’t think of herself as a victim.” “She knew that she was economically disadvantaged, and she wanted a better life for herself, her siblings, and for their parents. Knowing all this, it became important for me that I captured that in the script.”

He is equally clear about why that mattered to him as a storyteller. “It’s so important to give the characters agency to make choices, even under pressure. This person is a human adult, and they can make decisions.”

Dika eventually found his Tatiana in Ifeoma Obinwa, whose Igbo instantly convinced him. “I’m an Igbo speaker, and I can tell when the Igbo is good,” he says. Her audition sealed it. “When I looked at her, I was like, yeah, this is really Tatiana.”

The person who nudges Tatiana into sex work, Madam Ngozi, could easily have been the film’s villain, but Dika refused to do that. “I didn’t want to write her as a villain,” he says. “I never go in thinking, who’s the bad guy here? I don’t think great stories come from writing people as black or white. Where there’s a bad guy, and there’s a good one.”

Instead, he gives her a backstory that mirrors Tatiana’s. “I imagine that the circumstances might have been a lot harder for her than it was for Tatiana,” he says. “And so, she sees Tatiana as her younger self.”

His favourite scene is the one where Madam Ngozi hands Tatiana a contraceptive and tells her to look after herself. “That was the scene where we could really see her as human, outside of running her spa and being a madam.”

He also speaks on how little self-awareness Madam Ngozi has about her role in Tatiana’s situation. “It is not often that people recognise that what they’re doing is not in order.鈥� He even suggests, almost gently, that Madam Ngozi “could have thought of that as an act of kindness.”

The bond between Tatiana and her best friend Ginika carries much of the film’s warmth. But Dika explains that he wasn’t trying to make a grand statement about women specifically.

“I didn’t go into the story trying to say something about female friendships. I was simply trying to talk about friendship,” he says. “I have male friends, I have female friends, and it’s the same in how we care for each other. We look out for one another.”

Still, he can see how naturally it reads as something closer to sisterhood. Especially watching how easily his two lead actresses built real chemistry. “It feels as though it’s a story about Tatiana, but it’s also very much Ginika’s story, and it’s about their friendship as well,” he says.

Dika didn’t set out to make a film with a message stapled on it. He intended to write characters the way people actually are. Messy and with motives, and let the audience do the work of deciding what they think.

Next Read: Onyinye Odokoro Gets Honest About Before We Fall Asleep and Why Nazo Felt So Real

In this interview, Onyinye talks about the intricacies of what drew her to the role. The intimacy of romantic partnership, and the conversation that started it all. 

This film deals with the difficult side of love, the parts we don鈥檛 usually see. What made you want to be part of it?

I naturally lean towards stories that explore nuance. Not stories that are black or white, but stories that sit in the complexity of relationships. Whether romantic, platonic, or family. When I read the script, I remember myself, Blessing, Tobi, and director Kaelo all leaving  with different views. And that鈥檚 the thing. It鈥檚 a story that drives conversation. It鈥檚 not necessarily about right or wrong. It鈥檚 open-ended, and it leaves room for the audience to talk.

The film takes a different approach to reproductive responsibility. Usually, the cost falls entirely on the woman. Why does that shift matter?

I think art has a responsibility to shape culture. If there鈥檚 something we鈥檇 like to see change in society, we as artists have a responsibility to reflect that in our stories. The approach in which reproductive responsibility is portrayed hasn鈥檛 been the healthiest.  A child is brought into the world by two people and both of them should be responsible for the child.  From the point of conception until the child leaves this world. So this film asks, how do we move that needle forward? How do we portray something better than what we鈥檝e had?

The story also deals with the pressure of traditional gender roles on couples. What was important to you in portraying that authentically?

What mattered to me most is what the story says at the end. Are we sticking to what wasn鈥檛 working, or are we moving forward? The film presents two sides. You see what happens when you hold on to traditional roles, the good and the bad of it. And you see what it looks like when a couple chooses partnership instead. So it鈥檚 like presenting two choices, and then letting the audience ask themselves which one they want.

It鈥檚 not black or white. Neither is it 鈥渟he鈥檚 wrong鈥� or 鈥渉e鈥檚 wrong.鈥� It鈥檚 just, this is what happens in homes. This is real. So my job was to show that authenticity so that people can have real conversations about it.

What does partnership actually look like in this film?

It鈥檚 consideration and difficult conversations. Grace and forgiveness. It鈥檚 putting the other person above yourself. And when a child enters the picture, it鈥檚 less about both of you and more about the child.

Nazo and Tola are a new couple navigating something neither of them has been through before. They have outside pressure, their families, and ideas of who a husband or mother or career woman is supposed to be. And we see them fail. We see how damaging that failure is. But we also see them win, and we see what partnership produces. The film is basically making the case that when you partner, things just get better.

What was your experience like playing a romantic lead opposite Tobi Bakre for the first time?

It’s not exactly my first time working with Tobi, actually. We worked together on Slum King. So this is the second time, but the first time in a romantic role specifically.

Tobi is a great guy. He was up and ready for rehearsals, very committed. He has a spirit of excellence, like he genuinely wants to do things well. And he鈥檚 a friend, so there was a lot of laughter. Even filming late into the night, we were keeping each other going. In between takes, we were having arguments. Not real ones, just like, 鈥淭obi, they are going to come for your character on Twitter. The way you played that scene, you鈥檝e turned yourself into the villain.鈥� We鈥檙e looking forward to seeing whose side people end up on.

How did you prepare to play the character of Nazo, from the table read to production?

It always starts with asking a lot of whys. But the peculiar thing with this one is that it鈥檚 based on a real-life situation. I read the original article it was inspired by. The script itself was also very elaborate and clear.

And then there鈥檚 Kaelo, our director, who did something I鈥檇 never experienced before. He pulled me and Tobi separately into what I can only describe as a therapy session. He was asking about our childhoods, our relationships with our mothers and fathers, all of it leading us toward our characters. Tobi came out of his session saying he felt like a load had been lifted off him. And honestly, that鈥檚 what it was.

After that, it was a done deal. I understand Nazo because I understood why. And that鈥檚 really the whole process. Why does she say this line? Why does she think this way? You keep asking why until you get to the root. And when you find it, you can slip into that character鈥檚 shoes completely.

What makes going that deep worth it?

Honestly? It鈥檚 my job. I don鈥檛 take it as a special compliment because depth is what the work requires. I鈥檝e played lighter characters too. The emotional weight is different, but the depth of preparation is always there. For Nazo specifically, it was worth it because that鈥檚 what she deserved. I wanted to stay true to her and remain authentic to who she is. That鈥檚 what justifies the work.

What was it like working with Blessing Uzzi and BluHouse Studios?

Blessing is someone I鈥檇 say yes to any time, any day. There鈥檚 something Uzoamaka said at the premiere of Call of My Life that I think captures it perfectly. Blessing is a believer in people. She doesn鈥檛 need you to have the numbers or a million followers or to look a certain way. She believes in you, and she takes a chance.

There was a moment during production that really stayed with me. We had delays on set, and we were about to film the high-conflict scene of the film. I was telling someone how exhausted I was. How worried I was about going into that scene on empty energy. And without me even asking, Blessing said we were pushing the scene to the next day. Because her actors were tired. There was no point doing something if they weren鈥檛 going to do it at their best.

Not every producer would do that. I don鈥檛 know if I told her how much that meant to me then, but it really touched me. That鈥檚 what BluHouse is. Quality, care for the work, and care for the people.

How do you think the film will land with audiences? 

I have no idea, honestly. I think it鈥檒l be controversial. The conversations will be polarizing. Some people will be firmly on one side, some on the other, some completely in the middle. And I鈥檓 looking forward to all of it.

What do you hope they take away?

What I hope people take away, especially couples who are new parents or going through financial pressure together, is that it鈥檚 not you against them. It鈥檚 both of us against the world. Because for a partnership to work, it takes love. Real love. Patient, selfless, forgiving love. And if there鈥檚 a couple already losing each other through something like this, I hope this film gives them a reason to find their way back. Whatever cracks have formed can be fixed. But it takes two.

Before We Fall Asleep is a BluHouse Productions film, part of the 麻豆视频 Life Series Production and directed by Kaelo. Starring Onyinye Odokoro and Tobi Bakre.

Read Next: Kaelo Iyizoba Explains Why Before We Fall Asleep Refuses to Pick Sides 

Before We Fall Asleep flips the script on the typical Nigerian household. When a sudden job loss forces Tola to become a stay-at-home dad while his partner carries the financial load, their seemingly happy life hits a wall. It鈥檚 an uncomfortable dive into what happens to a relationship when traditional expectations shatter.

Blessing walks us through being a showrunner of the three-part anthology for the second time. More importantly, her message for the film she wrote is simple. “We are partners. You’re not helping me; I’m not helping you. We are doing what we鈥檙e supposed to do.”

Running 麻豆视频 Life the second time comes with its own pressure, particularly the pressure not to drop the standard you already set. Blessing Uzzi kept the same directors and writers from the first season on purpose. “I wanted the work to keep the same level of quality,” she says. The only new addition to the team was Kaelo, and even that wasn’t really a gamble because of how familiar his work was. “I barely ever hire a stranger,” she says. “Somebody I don’t know anything about.”

Her vision for the anthology as a whole has stayed consistent too. “My vision was to do something artistic and equally commercial,” she explains, pointing to how deliberate she and her team were about which 麻豆视频 articles made the cut. It’s the same bar every time. Something people will actually watch, and something that still says what it needs to say.

The Word “Help” Is Doing A Lot Of Damage

How often have you heard a Nigerian man say he’s “helping” his wife with the kids and household tasks? It sounds generous on the surface. But when you sit with it for a second, the word starts to give itself away.

Helping implies the job was never his. It implies he’s doing the woman a favour by stepping outside his own responsibilities to lend a hand. That he can stop lending it whenever he pleases. But it’s also his child, his home and his mess.

Blessing caught herself doing exactly this while writing the film. “It’s almost the default mentality,” she says. “You think he is helping, but helping with what? It is his child, it is his family. It’s also the woman’s child.” She’s watched this play out even in her own generation, where the shift is only partial. “We’ve made progress on men understanding that they’re part of the family. That they’re not doing their wives a favour by participating,” she said. “But there’s still work to do.”

That’s really what the film is about. Before We Fall Asleep challenges the way we’ve all been trained to think of domestic work as women’s work. With men occasionally popping in to assist. Even when the man isn鈥檛 contributing financially.

Choosing Relatability Over Literary Lines

Blessing鈥檚 intentionality as the showrunner of the production is evident across many things, even language. In an emotionally charged scene in Before We Fall Asleep, Tola (Tobi Bakre) tells Nazo (Onyinye Odokoro), “I felt naked. I felt like you didn’t cover me.” The line was originally written by Blessing as 鈥業 didn’t feel loved in that moment鈥�, but changed when Tobi asked for the change. Blessing agreed instantly. She says, 鈥楾ola wasn’t written to be somebody you can’t relate to. He’s an average Nigerian man, a middle-class guy, and the new line simply sounded more like him.鈥�

“There’s a slight shift there,” she says, “but it’s a shift towards the everyday language that an average Nigerian would relate to.” Blessing swapped one sentence for another, and the scene moved from something literary into something real. Tola sounds exactly like your uncle, your brother, your ex. Someone you can relate to. This is the vibe of the entire film. Scenes that make up the daily lives of Nigerians.

Married Or Not, Are You Actually Partners?

Tola and Nazo live together, have a child, and argue as every married couple does. But still, there鈥檚 something different about them that Blessing decides on.

鈥橧 don’t think 麻豆视频 set out to tell conventional stories,鈥� she said. Their unconventional relationship 鈥榓dds a layer鈥� of the exact discomfort Nigerian society is quick to serve. 鈥楰nowing Nigerians, there’ll be a bit of judgment鈥�. But her actual argument goes deeper than the judgment. 鈥橶hether you are married in the Nigerian traditional sense, or not, you’re together,鈥� she said. 鈥橸ou’re partners. If not, don’t be together.鈥�

Two Tired People Trying to Make It Work

Blessing says she struggled with drafts of the script because one partner kept showing up as a villain. She scrapped multiple attempts before deciding to write it herself. “I always like to put a mirror in front of everyone,鈥� she explained.

Her instruction to herself, and to anyone watching the film, is simple. 鈥橸ou need to understand these two people.鈥� 鈥橶hoever you feel for is left to you, but understand them. See them as humans. See what they are struggling with, and see how they’re trying to make this work. These people don’t hate each other.鈥�

Wearing two hats for this project, as the showrunner and writer, wasn’t always easy for Blessing. As showrunner, Blessing is usually the one reading everyone else’s scripts and giving notes. Writing her own meant that she had to go looking for that same outside eye. “I remember sending it to Dika, and we all had a conversation that led to some of the rewrites,” she says. “When you’re the one writing, it’s easier to miss a lot of things you don’t see.”

is not about who’s wrong. It鈥檚 about whether you’re building a life with someone, or letting them carry it while you lend and call it love.

Go watch the film. Then have an uncomfortable conversation with whoever you’re building your own life with.

Next Read: Kaelo Iyizoba Explains Why Before We Fall Asleep Refuses to Pick Sides

In this interview, Genoveva talks about falling in love with playing Siraam鈥檚 character. What it means to see a Nigerian woman be fully herself on screen and why the only thing worth striving for is great work.

When you first read the script for Siraam, what did you think of the character?

I read it and thought, she鈥檚 really fun. She felt colourful and animated, and I just wanted to play her. I remember thinking, Uzoamaka is such a phenomenal writer. Because there was something about the way Siraam was written that just jumped off the page. She had this incredible timing, this warmth, this physical personality. Siraam wasn鈥檛 just a character. She was a whole experience.

When I was cast, Uzoamaka sent me a message saying she鈥檇 had a great feeling about it, and hoped it would mean something to both of us. I thought it was so honest. We make a lot of things and appear in a lot of things, and sometimes you鈥檙e just asking yourself, how does this story move the needle? That鈥檚 what I hoped Siraam would do.

This is not the first time you鈥檒l be playing a bold, imperfect character. In what ways did Siraam stretch or challenge you as an actor?

Playing her was easy because I loved her. But what she gave me the space to do? That鈥檚 where it gets interesting. She has this gift of physical personality. She鈥檚 musical, young and unashamed. And she speaks Igbo, that felt so important to me.

Growing up, speaking your language sometimes felt uncool. I was raised between Nigeria and London, so even though my Igbo isn鈥檛 perfect, I understand it. I鈥檓 proud of that. And Siraam gets to carry that pride on screen. Uzoamaka and Blessing were so generous in guiding me through the Igbo-speaking parts. I felt comfortable exploring it as best as I could. That felt like a gift.

Siraam is a blend of so many things: whimsical, creative, chaotic. Why was it important to bring a story like this to life on screen?

I saw it for the first time at S16. Despite being on set and even having been in the writer鈥檚 room, I wasn鈥檛 fully prepared for what watching it with an audience would feel like. There鈥檚 something completely lost on set that only comes together on screen. And in that room, it hit me. 

Stories like Siraam will find girls who haven鈥檛 seen themselves reflected anywhere. Nigeria can be aesthetically and environmentally uninspiring. But Siraam says, you can still build whimsy in your head. You can still decide what your room looks like, where you eat and who you speak to. You have autonomy, even in an environment that rarely encourages it. I鈥檓 so glad that this story exists in the Nigerian sphere, told by Nigerians, about a Nigerian woman who wins in the end.

How did you prepare yourself for this story, from the first read to the last scene on set?

It started with a self-tape, and really wanting the role. Once I got the role, I talked to Uzoamaka about her writing, and all the characters Siraam reminded me of. I told her she reminded me of Michaela Coel鈥檚 character in Chewing Gum. Someone who wants to explore the world and break free from something. Then there鈥檚 the messy, bleeding-on-people energy of Fleabag. Siraam has a bit of both.

From there it became about rehearsing the big monologues. Sitting with the scenes, and allowing myself to feel whatever feelings she had. I think that was my approach. Allowing myself. The pink hair also helped, because in real life I made it a tradition to get pink braids every Christmas from 2018 to 2021. When I saw that was Siraam鈥檚 choice too, I was instantly aligned. I also vlogged the entire production. We filmed for three days and I vlogged every single day. It was a way of staying in Siraam鈥檚 energy. Whimsical and joyful. I even opened the first vlog with a prayer that we鈥檇 have an easy time and that God would give me direction with my choices.

What are the things you loved about this collaboration, and how does it speak to young women navigating the complexities of being themselves in Nigeria?

Blessing Uzzi and Uzoamaka Power knew the story they wanted to tell. From production design down to how Siraam鈥檚 hair would be styled. When you find a partnership that aligns in friendship and in work, you feel it. They made the set so comfortable, and that comfort showed up in the delivery.

I鈥檝e always been a fan of Uzoamaka. I watched her on MTV Shuga when I was in uni in London, gathering my friends around my single bed to watch. When I got to Lagos and saw her at an audition, the first thing I said was, I think you鈥檙e amazing. Seeing her blossom into this, and finding this partnership with Blessing, it鈥檚 not just great for their careers. It鈥檚 great for the kind of work that comes out of Nigeria, out of Nollywood. I鈥檓 honoured to be part of that journey.

Can you share one thing you particularly love about Siraam that Genoveva would definitely do, and another thing she did that made you think 鈥榦h no鈥�?

The pink hair, absolutely. I already lived that life, so that was instant recognition. As for the oh no moment, I don鈥檛 want to judge her. Her experiences are too relatable for that. But what I will say is that I鈥檇 want her to be a little more careful with who she chooses to be intimate with. To hold herself like an egg. To pamper herself. But when a girl gets there, a girl gets there. And Siraam does get there.

Sexual agency is a core theme in this story. Why do you think young women need to be unashamed about theirs?

Having sexual agency doesn鈥檛 mean being sexually active or ignoring consequences. It means having the freedom to choose. Whether to have sex or not, who to be with, what boundaries to set, when to say yes or no. That autonomy belongs to every woman, whether she鈥檚 choosing abstinence, casual dating, marriage, or celibacy.

We only live once, and we鈥檙e only young once. Our sexual autonomy needs to be explored confidently. We have to be prepared that not everyone will accept those choices. But the decisions are ours. Society doesn鈥檛 get to dictate what鈥檚 acceptable. We have to be happy with our own decisions regardless of whether we鈥檙e supported.

And part of that agency is showing up for your own health. Going to the clinic and taking the test. I know how scary those spaces can feel. Especially when the person attending to you is a male staff member, and you鈥檙e worried about being judged. But prepare your mind, set your goal, and show up anyway. Be cautious about who you鈥檙e intimate with. There鈥檚 so much we鈥檙e not taught about what can be passed between people, even through oral sex. Condoms are non-negotiable. Taking control of your sexual health is part of taking control of your life.

Another wholesome element of this film is the relationship between Siraam and Chidaalu. Can you speak to the critical nature of female friendships in the life of a young woman trying to find herself?

Female friendships are literally the light of my life. And the actress who plays Chidaalu? She and I go way back without even fully realising it. She recently sent me videos from the very first party I ever threw when I landed in Lagos. We鈥檇 been in each other鈥檚 orbit the whole time. So playing alongside her was easy. We brought our friendship into it, and you can feel that on screen.

There鈥檚 also Chidaalu鈥檚 brother. That dynamic adds something meaningful to the mix. Siraam respects the friendship so much that she doesn鈥檛 even clock that he鈥檚 pining for her. Real friendship creates space for things to unfold the right way, and that’s what happens between them. In my life, my friendships with women are everything. They make me laugh when my head is full. 

I have a best friend from uni who used to do my makeup before I鈥檇 head to film premieres at Greenwich. When I鈥檇 come back, she鈥檇 give me mock interviews because she loved watching them on YouTube. She was practising, but she was also helping me dream. Our friendship is over ten years now, and she鈥檚 still part of how I show up. There鈥檚 just such warmth when women love each other. When it鈥檚 completely safe, it鈥檚 a beautiful thing.

Can you speak to the importance of not giving up, especially for women whose dreams are unconventional and who tend to be misunderstood?

Being misunderstood is often a side effect of seeing a future that others are yet to see. Especially for women whose ambitions don鈥檛 fit into what society expects. Whether that鈥檚 acting, entrepreneurship, sports, or activism, the challenge often isn鈥檛 the work itself. It鈥檚 carrying the weight of not being understood.

But you have to keep going. History is full of women who were considered unconventional and became defining.  Don鈥檛 abandon the parts of yourself that feel called to bigger things. Even when you鈥檙e the only one who can see the vision.

What we see in Siraam is a woman who had those big dreams. A woman who experienced the backlash and the uncertainty, stuck it out and got her big break. And I think that鈥檚 the question she鈥檚 asking all of us. Are you going to stick it out? Are you going to keep showing up for the things that matter to you? Strive to do great work. Don鈥檛 strive to be liked.

Read Next: Overthinkers Anonymous: EDK Is Not Here For Hot Takes

In this article, four Nigerian university students tell us how pregnancy scares affected their mental health and relationships with others.

1. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 hear anything my lecturer was saying鈥� 鈥� Lewato*, 21

The scare lasted eleven days. I was sitting in class and not retaining a single thing, and walking around campus with this weight on my chest that nobody could see.

I didn鈥檛 tell anyone. Not my roommate, not even my best friend. I just carried it alone because the moment you tell someone on this campus, it becomes hot gist. I鈥檝e seen it happen before. You tell someone and by next week, everyone knows. The story will even have extra details.

So I just waited. I took three or four different tests within two weeks because I didn鈥檛 trust the first result. Each time, I鈥檇 lock myself in the toilet, hands shaking, trying to read the result fast before anyone knocked. The anxiety was physical. I was losing sleep, skipping meals, and convincing myself my body felt different.

When my period finally came, I sat on the bathroom floor and cried for a long time. Not just from relief, but exhaustion as well.

2. 鈥淢y boyfriend鈥檚 first response was 鈥榓re you sure it鈥檚 mine?鈥欌�� 鈥� Debire*, 22

When I told my boyfriend I thought I was pregnant, he asked me if I was sure it was his. That question ended something in me. We had been together for eight months. I went to him scared and vulnerable, and that was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

I didn鈥檛 even have the energy to fight about it. The rest of that conversation was him talking about what we鈥檇 鈥渉ave to do鈥� if it turned out positive. I stayed quiet all through. He was making decisions without asking me anything about how I felt or what I wanted.

Thankfully, I wasn鈥檛 pregnant. But the scare showed me exactly who I was dealing with. I broke up him with three weeks later.

3. 鈥淜eeping The Baby Would Have Been My Only Option鈥� 鈥� Dammy*, 23

When I got the scare, I wasn鈥檛 thinking about telling my parents or what my friends would say. I was already on my phone calculating antenatal costs and imagining what a semester deferral would be like.

I鈥檓 currently in my final year. I鈥檝e spent four years working towards something specific and the thought of it all pausing or disappearing because of a mistake was painful. I couldn鈥檛 sleep properly and I was very irritable. My group project partners probably even thought I hated them.

It eventually turned out fine. I was so glad about that because trying to comfortably afford a pregnancy would have been impossible for me at that time.

4. 鈥淚 was anxious for a long time after the scare鈥� 鈥� Mary*, 24

Everyone focuses on whether it鈥檚 a positive or negative result. They don鈥檛 dwell on what happens to you afterwards even when it鈥檚 a negative result. My brain was supposed to go back to normal after finding out I wasn鈥檛 pregnant, but I just couldn鈥檛.

I was anxious for weeks, every new random symptom I discovered just made me spiral. If I felt even slightly nauseous, my mind would start thinking and connecting the dots. I was constantly wondering whether I was pregnant even though my period was regular. I couldn鈥檛 enjoy sexual activities for a while and I became withdrawn generally. I cried in the bathroom a lot.

I think I needed to talk to a counsellor or therapist, but the ones available on campus have a very long wait list. Also, I didn鈥檛 have faith in them understanding me without judgement. So I just managed my emotions alone until it got better.

Next Read: 4 Reasons Why Nigerian University Students Won鈥檛 Get Tested For STIs

In this article, four Nigerian University students tell us why getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) sometimes feels like a nightmare.

1. 鈥淚 Don鈥檛 Have Money for Treatment, So I鈥檇 Rather not Know鈥� 鈥� Daniella*, 23

The clinic on campus is genuinely terrible. I went in once to treat malaria and left feeling like I鈥檇 done something wrong. The nurse looked at me like I was wasting her time. So the idea of walking in there and asking specifically for an STI test? I can鈥檛 even picture it.

It鈥檚 not just the attitude. There鈥檚 no privacy, either. The waiting area is open; everyone can see who鈥檚 sitting where, and people talk. My school isn鈥檛 that big. By the time you leave, three people you know have already seen you and started drawing conclusions.

I鈥檝e had unprotected sex before, and I know I probably should get tested, but every time I think about actually doing it, I talk myself out of it. What if it鈥檚 positive? I don鈥檛 have money for treatment, and I can鈥檛 tell my parents. So I鈥檇 rather just not know.

2. 鈥淚鈥檇 Rather Wait It Out or Pray It Away鈥� 鈥� Anna*, 20

There鈥檚 a way people in school look at girls who aren鈥檛 bothered by sex. The moment they notice you鈥檙e not ashamed of it, they start talking about you. Honestly, I鈥檝e seen it happen to other girls in my hostel and class. Just snippets of gist here and there about what they must be up to.

My friend once went to the campus clinic for a routine check. Somebody saw her there and assumed the worst. Now the entire department knows her for being the girl who took tests at the clinic. She hadn鈥檛 even done anything, yet that story followed her for the rest of the semester.

I鈥檓 in 200 level, so I still have years left in this school. I can鈥檛 afford to have a rumour about me being spread. So even when I鈥檓 worried or something feels off, I just wait it out and pray it resolves itself.

3. “My Girlfriend Thinks Asking to Get Tested Means I Don鈥檛 Trust Her鈥� 鈥� Bazzy*, 24

My babe and I have been together for about two years. A few months ago, I brought up the idea of us both getting tested, just to be responsible. She wanted to know why I was suddenly suggesting it, whether I鈥檇 been with someone else, or if I didn鈥檛 trust her. I dropped it so fast, and I haven鈥檛 brought it up ever since.

The thing is, I actually want to get tested, but testing has this loaded meaning in relationships. It feels like I鈥檓 starting to make a statement about my babe鈥檚 loyalty, and it鈥檚 going to keep causing unnecessary drama. I鈥檒l probably just go alone one day without telling anybody.

4. 鈥淢y Parents Don鈥檛 Know How To Mind Their Business鈥� 鈥� Bibi*, 18

I鈥檓 really dependent on my parents for all my finances. They pay my fees, my allowance, everything. And because my account is connected to theirs, they鈥檙e able to monitor the account. So any unusual transaction is a conversation waiting for me on the next phone call. And that鈥檚 assuming they don鈥檛 immediately call to ask.

Going to the clinic isn鈥檛 free. I鈥檒l pay for registration to get a card, a consultation and the testing. Even if I could explain away a random clinic charge, the follow-up questions are going to be crazy. My mum, especially. She would want to know exactly what I was tested for and why.

I鈥檓 not ready for that conversation, and I don鈥檛 think I鈥檒l ever be while I鈥檓 still depending on them.

Next Read: The Reality of Working as a Tech Babe in Nigeria

Elizabeth was in 300 level, when she decided that waiting to graduate before earning was a plan she wasn’t interested in. Her first check came from interning at a marketing and advertising company. After her internship, she decided to make a full move into tech product management before completing her degree.

Now 24, she already has years of product management experience across FinTech and MediaTech. Her current role as a Product Innovation Associate at a venture building and capital firm has her working directly with start-up founders. Elizabeth鈥檚 day-to-day includes running user research, writing product documentation, sitting in stakeholder meetings, and removing whatever blockers are keeping engineers up at night.

But before you start romanticising the trajectory, Elizabeth wants you to know what the path actually looks like up close. Here are five things she’s learned about working in tech and product management that nobody really warns you about.

1. The Job Doesn’t Clock Out When You Do

For Elizabeth, the “end of the work day” has always been more of a suggestion than a rule. An 8:30pm call from her team lead on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday. Saturday morning messages arriving with the urgency of emergencies. Sunday evening pings showing up right as she’d finally exhaled. Late night meetings with developers that nobody thought to schedule at human hours.

She absorbed all of it from her very first startup job, and young enough that the chaos became her normal before she had time to be shocked by it. “I’m not unfamiliar with how chaotic, exciting and sometimes unstructured working in a startup environment can be,” she says. Startups move fast and Elizabeth moved with them, even when moving fast meant always being on.

2. Your Personal Life Will Feel The Effects

This is the part Elizabeth tells with a laugh, because what else can you do?The first story involves a guy she’d been trying to meet for a while. They kept scheduling and the schedule kept collapsing because of work, which was a very clear preview of things to come. They finally locked in a date at Hans and Ren茅 on a weekday evening, after work hours. Surely after work hours would be safe territory. It was not safe territory.

A meeting got scheduled and stretched well past when it was supposed to end. Elizabeth sent apologies from her screen while he waited in his car outside for three hours. When she finally got there the place was nearly closing, they squeezed in anyway and got their ice cream. He ended up taking a work call during the date too. Just two tech people, doing their absolute best.

The second date had a different energy entirely. She was already mid-conversation with someone when her team lead called and needed her in a meeting immediately. Elizabeth excused herself, and joined the call on her phone. Then realised she needed her laptop and went back to her bag and date. Elizabeth returned to the table about forty minutes later with apologies. He was understanding. She was grateful. The laptop was completely unbothered.

3. Work-life Balance is Going To Need A New Definition

Elizabeth used to be a loud advocate for work-life balance back in school. She talked about it often and she meant every word. She’s since updated her position, not reluctantly but realistically.

“Nobody needs to tell me there is nothing like that,” she says, “especially if there is a certain level you want to get to.” Weekends started looking like weekdays. Rest became something she had to schedule rather than something that just arrived on its own. The version of herself that kept strict boundaries between work and personal time quietly stepped aside. Now, she鈥檚 made room for the version herself that was actually trying to build something.

She’s clear that this isn’t a complaint. It’s just the honest cost of being in a fast-moving industry. And she went in with her eyes open.

4. The Mental Load is its Own Full-time Job

The meetings and the late-night messages are the visible parts. What Elizabeth describes underneath them is a constant background hum of work that doesn’t switch off even when her laptop is closed. Checking messages first thing in the morning just to confirm nothing is on fire. Testing the product before the day properly starts to make sure everything is still working. Her head is a live map of every team she works with: Engineering, design, customer service, stakeholders, all running at once. And she has to know which one needs her attention at any given moment.

“People management is not easy at all,” she says. The job of a product manager is as much about holding people and priorities together as it is about the actual product. That kind of work lives in your head long after you’ve logged off.

5. You鈥檙e Allowed to Enjoy Your Money

This is the part Elizabeth wants young Nigerian women to actually hear. She takes herself out, buys herself things and plans annual vacations. She approaches it the same way she approaches any product goal: with a target, a timeline, and full intention to see it through. “Enjoy the money you’re working for,” she says. “Life is too short not to.”

The conversation around ambition for young Nigerian women tends to focus heavily on sacrifice and the grind. Those things are real, but the permission to enjoy what you’ve built is just as important. Building and enjoying aren’t opposites. Locking in at work and treating yourself well can exist in the same life. Elizabeth is proof of that.

For the Girl Who Wants This

If you’re watching Elizabeth’s career from the outside and wanting it, she’d tell you to want it fully, laptop dates and all. The path is worth it and the learning curve is steep. It will ask something of you. Your time, your weekends, and sometimes a version of your personality you were attached to. Go in knowing that.

The rewards are real too. You’ll learn fast, meet people who matter, and do work you’re genuinely proud of. You’ll build something that belongs to you, and when the money arrives, you’ll have earned the right to feel every bit of it.

Next Read: 7 Business Moves That Separate Profitable Brands From Broke Ones

1. Track These Three Things

Customer behaviour, inventory, and cash flow. These three systems stop businesses from leaking money. A basic website logging orders and customer profiles, an Excel sheet watching stock movement, and any tool showing the flow of money, in and out of the business. 鈥淭he data you get from that is truly undervalued, especially in Nigeria, where we don鈥檛 take data seriously,鈥� Seun said. They don鈥檛 have to be expensive. They just have to exist.

2. Cost-reflective Prices

Copying a competitor鈥檚 price without knowing your own numbers is guess work, and guess work keeps brands broke. Start with your actual costs, as regards production, logistics, overhead and marketing. Then factor in your customer type and leave room for inflation. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to be that brand that鈥檚 always changing prices every other day,鈥� Seun said. Buffer it in from the start.

3. Your Content Needs More Than One Function

Entertainment content gets traffic. Getting eyes on your page doesn’t mean getting money in your pocket 鈥� people who discover you through entertainment content are strangers, and strangers don’t buy on sight. For Seun Mallami, her fix is to use content pillars such as education, product information, behind-the-scenes and founder-led content. 鈥淭raffic is your cold audience. What that means is that they鈥檙e just eyes on your page. It doesn鈥檛 necessarily translate to sales.鈥� Brands that only dance are doing one job, when they need to do more.

4. Build a Sales System

Urgent promotions spike demand but they don鈥檛 build a customer base. 鈥淚f you only sell when you do the urgent ticket promos, I wouldn鈥檛 call that your customer base. That鈥檚 just a temporary spike in demand.鈥� The framework Seun Mallami offers is to build consistent sales with consistent traffic. Consistent traffic comes from intentional content and marketing. A business that only sells with discounts doesn鈥檛 have customers. It has opportunists.

5. You Don鈥檛 Need Capital To Start

Dropshipping, affiliate marketing and made-to-order are all real business models.. Many 鈥渂ig鈥� brands on Nigerian social media don鈥檛 carry stock. They produce when ordered. 鈥淓ven I,鈥� Seun said, 鈥渂efore my stock comes in sometimes, use AI to generate pictures. My sales team is using that to convert sales in the DM. We鈥檙e getting sales before the stock comes in.鈥� The excuse of no capital is losing ground fast.

6. If You鈥檙e Broke, There Are Three Causes

Bad pricing that doesn鈥檛 cover real costs. Stocking up faster than your customers can buy, and dipping into company money before you understand your net. 鈥淔or most average businesses, your net is no more than 20, 25%. So they see that cash flow, they see that money enter and they鈥檙e like, oh, I have money鈥� then dip into it.鈥� Seun says AI tools can help small businesses track this without paying for sophisticated software. But none of it matters if you’re not tracking anything to begin with.

7. Selling to Nigerians Still Works

Inflation is real, purchasing power is unstable, and logistics costs can eat into margins. But abandoning the local market isn鈥檛 the answer either. “Don鈥檛 abandon Nigeria, just try to think bigger than one market,鈥� Seun advised.

Founders who are fixated on the USA and the UK underexplore other African markets, such as Kenya and Ghana, which can be very profitable. As a founder, you need to think in economies of scale, explore B2B and bundle products. The goal is bulky cash flow, not just sales volume.

Seun Mallami鈥檚 point across every advice she shared is the same. Structure isn鈥檛 something that you add when you grow. It鈥檚 what makes you grow.

Next Read: Uzoamaka Power Made Call of My Life for Everyone Who Has Ever Loved Too Much

Eight years later, Uzoamaka Power literally brings back to life for the world to see.

鈥淚 got tired of it, and I stopped,鈥� she says. Call of My Life is a romantic comedy about a woman named Soluchi, a call-centre agent still nursing old heartbreak when a single phone call pulls her toward something new. The film is set to hit Nigerian cinemas on May 15th and stars Uzoamaka herself as one of the main characters. The story of how it went from three abandoned pages on a Word document to a full feature film is just as mind-blowing as the .

The Three-paged Story from Eight Years Ago

It was Blessing Uzzi, the producer of Call of My Life, who forced the resurrection. She knew Uzoamaka had old writing hidden away. The sort of early drafts writers typically shy away from. Blessing had a hunch and convinced Uzoamaka to start looking.

鈥淪he called me, and she was like, 鈥楨ven if you wrote them when you were two years old, they mean something. And when you鈥檙e able to look at them critically, revisit them and do better.鈥欌��

So Uzoamaka sent Blessing the existing pages of Call of My Life, and Blessing loved the premise of the story. Just like that, Call of My Life was back in the world. The thing about revisiting something you wrote eight years ago, though, is that you鈥檙e not the same person who wrote it. You鈥檝e lived more, felt more, gotten more honest with yourself about what you actually want to say.

鈥淚n 2018, I wanted to write about my experience at the call centre,鈥� Uzoamaka says. 鈥淏ut fast forward to 2026, and I鈥檓 asking different questions. What is the story I want to tell? Is the call centre the centre of this story? Am I telling a love story about this person? Can I remove this person from this job and have them live life outside their work?鈥�

Those are not the questions of someone who just wants to document what happened to them. Those are the questions of a person ready to create something beautiful and different from their personal experience.

What Actually Makes a Story Worth Telling?

There鈥檚 something Uzoamaka says in conversation that sounds almost like a joke but isn鈥檛. When she was building Soluchi, the character at the centre of the film, she had to make peace with an uncomfortable truth.

鈥淪ometimes, your life is not that interesting,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 given you a foundation to begin something.鈥�

In real life, the phone call Uzoamaka received while working at that call centre didn鈥檛 change anything. It didn鈥檛 redirect her path. It was just a funny call, and then it was over. But in the film, a similar call becomes the thing that changes Soluchi鈥檚 life.

鈥淚n writing the screenplay, I could have decided that the phone call was funny or annoying, or made decisions outside of the real thing that happened,鈥� she explains.

This is actually the most freeing thing about the way she talks about writing. Uzoamaka doesn鈥檛 treat her experience as sacred. It鈥檚 raw material. You take what happened, ask what it could mean if something different had followed, and then you follow the character wherever she goes. 鈥淭he more open-minded you are, the more questions you ask, the more the character tells you where they鈥檙e going,鈥� she says. 鈥淎t some point, it鈥檚 out of your hands. You鈥檙e serving the story now.鈥�

A Lover That Yearns

The thing Soluchi does that makes people regard her as relatable is simple. She does too much. Soluchi loves too much. She gives too much. She cares too much. In the film鈥檚 trailer, someone says this to her face disapprovingly, like it鈥檚 a problem.

Uzoamaka has feelings about this.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that there鈥檚 any love where you should have to pretend,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou have to perform wickedness so that somebody can love you? If you鈥檙e going to perform nonchalance in love, what is the point? Just get out of it.鈥�

Uzoamaka is not describing a character flaw when she talks about Soluchi being a lover girl. She鈥檚 describing a superpower. 鈥淭he person who loves wins. Even in heartbreak, even in hurt, even in pain. You loved, you won.鈥�

The dominant romantic playbook right now is all about withholding. Wait ten minutes before texting back. Don鈥檛 call twice. Make yourself seem unbothered. Soluchi does none of these things, and she gets hurt for it, But Uzoamaka鈥檚 argument is that she still won.

鈥淲e see her mother saying, you will not be too much for someone who truly loves you,鈥� Uzoamaka notes. 鈥淎nd I hope that Soluchi collects herself and loves even more fiercely again. Because what are we doing in this world? If we stop loving, we鈥檙e dead.鈥�

The Woman Who Shows Up for Her Own Work

Concerning her love and excitement for Call of My Life, Uzoamaka is not performing humility. She says she鈥檚 very happy with the work. 鈥淚鈥檓 very happy with the story that I wrote,鈥� she says. The award-winning writer and actress says that she has plans to go to the cinema every day once Call of My Life is released. Every day, in as many cinemas as she can get to in Lagos.

When the idea of shrinking her excitement comes up, she says, 鈥淚鈥檓 not doing that. When I was shouting for , I was shouting because I loved the film. Now, I鈥檓 shouting for Call of My Life, and that鈥檚 because I love the film from the depths of my heart.鈥�

Uzoamaka wrote this screenplay and stars as the lead actress. She watched it come together across Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, because that鈥檚 what the story needed. Blessing Uzzi took her writing seriously enough to make her work on it. Now she鈥檚 standing on the other side of it, refusing to be modest about what she made.

It matters, the way she says it, because there鈥檚 a specific kind of pressure on women in creative industries to qualify every good thing they鈥檝e done with a disclaimer. Uzoamaka doesn鈥檛.

will be out in cinemas from May 15th. Uzoamaka will be there watching. Probably every day.

Next Read: Earning Money Gave My Mother the Confidence to Hit Her Husband Back

They explained what unsafe sex actually costs, financially, physically, and mentally.

1. Looking Fine Is Not a Diagnosis

The first thing both doctors want to retire is the idea that no symptoms means no problem. 鈥淢any infections are silent, including HIV, gonorrhoea, chlamydia,鈥� Dr. Abiri says. 鈥淧eople can look perfectly healthy but still be carriers and transmit infections.鈥�

Dr. Smith-Okonu takes it further. 鈥淢ost STIs are asymptomatic. People have them and do not know.鈥� Her prescription is to stop waiting for your body to send a memo.

2. We Did the Maths and It鈥檚 Not Cute

According to Dr. Smith-Okonu, emergency contraception sits under five thousand naira if you know where to look. An IUD from a government facility can be close to free, while a private clinic charges between ten and twenty-five thousand.

Then there鈥檚 abortion. Because it鈥檚 illegal in Nigeria, most people procure unsafe ones, which means complications, which further means that costs spiral fast. 鈥淚t can vary between twenty-five, fifty, one hundred thousand, depending on where it鈥檚 being done,鈥� she says. And if things go wrong, which they often do, 鈥渢he cost of getting into an ICU is about one and a half million for blood transfusions, dialysis, and surgeries.鈥� She lost a patient to those complications recently. 鈥淧revention is definitely cheaper than cure.鈥�

3. The Bill Always Finds a Woman

Both doctors are clear on the fact that women carry the heavier bill. 鈥淏ecause of the female anatomy, women are more likely to acquire an STI from a man than a man from a woman,鈥� Dr. Smith-Okonu explains. Pregnancy, complications from unsafe abortions, and fertility damage from untreated infections. All of it lands primarily on one body.

Dr. Abiri brings up the cost that rarely makes the conversation. 鈥淭he children are often forgotten bearers of the cost.鈥� Kids born from unplanned circumstances grow up with limited resources, unstable environments, and emotional difficulties they didn鈥檛 sign up for. 鈥淯nsafe sex is not just an individual decision. It can create family, economic, and emotional strains, as well as generational impact.鈥�

4. The Part That Lives in Your Head Rent-Free

Dr. Abiri describes the psychological toll as 鈥渙ne of the most underrated and underestimated costs.鈥� Even waiting for results does damage. A patient of hers described the weekend between doing an HIV test and waiting for results as 鈥渢he longest weekend he ever had.鈥� According to her patient, 鈥淔ood tasted bland, and colours looked dull.鈥� He was negative, but those days still cost him something.

A positive diagnosis can trigger grief, shame, emotional withdrawal, and a complete reshaping of how someone approaches intimacy afterwards. 鈥淯nsafe sex affects the body,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut it can also affect the mind. It affects confidence, and it affects how a person relates to others, long after the event has passed.鈥�

Both doctors will be the first to say this isn’t about judgment. It’s about information that could genuinely save your life. 鈥淒on鈥檛 allow a few minutes of fun and excitement cost you a whole lifetime of pain and suffering,鈥� Dr. Smith-Okonu says. Test regularly and communicate before things get complicated. Choose yourself, even when it鈥檚 awkward.

Next Read: This Nigerian Woman Turned Her Concern For Brides Into a Business