If there's one thing that has frustrated me since I moved back, It's the lack of information. Nigerians are extremely secretive people, they value hoarding information. Maybe that prevents robbers from trailing your car from the airport, but it definitely doesn't help when deciding on a career or finding out a review of something. In general you guys, having a secretive culture isn't useful to us.
I started What Dami Did to be a 'what dami did and how she felt about it incase you want to find out first before trying it' which is why a lot of my posts are reviews. I just like the idea of googling stuff in Nigeria and finding some damn information! Anyway, to break the secretive trend, I'm launching a couple of series.
The 24 Hour Worker
Having a side hustle is a full on Nigerian trait. It seems like everybody wants one or is trying to get one. This series will give you a glimpse into the lives of people that are currently juggling full time jobs and starting a business. This feature won't be about people hating their jobs and putting it minimal effort till they can leave because I have a moral issue with people using their employers in this way. It will be about people who like their jobs (whether or not they plan to do it forever) and are doing (or starting) a side hustle that they may or not pursue full time.
12 hours in the life of...
Have you ever met someone in Nigeria that had a super interesting job and wondered, how the hell did they get here? 12 hours in the life of gives you a glimpse into the life of people that have these jobs. It's nice when you talk to someone that's at the start of their career sometimes. Too many times, I read interviews with people that have 'made it'and even though the interviews are inspirational, there is a disconnect between the beginning and the end. Sometimes, I come away feeling frustrated- 'but how did you start' and 'how did it develooop' and in a country like Nigeria where progression paths are as much a mystery as fried ice-cream, it's even worse. I hope this series provides some answers. It's not going to completely de-mystify stuff because Nigeria is mostly figure it out as you go along, but maybe it will give more people an idea about where to start.
Movement Series
I watched
channel 4 segment on moving back to Nigeria and it was all land of milk and honey and whatnot and I was like.... Nigeria is whatever you want it to be. It can be a land of milk and honey (if you're into that sort of thing) or it can be a land of pure water. Whatever it is pretty much up to you. I'm speaking to people that decided to move to Nigeria after they had whole adult lives set up abroad. So basically, people that lived and worked abroad before they decided to move here or non-Nigerians who upped and left their countries for here in their adult lives. I think it's good to see the move from the point of view of choice and not just student visa expiring. I'm also going to talk to people that lived and worked here and decided to move back abroad (because they exist too).
There will also be loads of features and interviews that don't fit neatly into these categories. If you're curious about a specific job, let me know and maybe I can find someone that has it!