Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures.
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Top 5 slang words in Nigeria in 2022: Different nations and cultures have their respective slang used by both young and aging in schools, workplaces, homes, and even religious centers.
Nigeria, as a country, is never short of this slang, especially since the advent of social media.
2022 has indeed been one ‘huge’ year of slang trending among online users and taken to the streets and social places.
Here are, however, the top 5 most used slangs this year
1. God abeg
The phrase “God Abeg” is a plea to God in the Nigerian Pidgin language which means ‘please God’.
Nigerian singer Portable made the slang known among Twitter users more than other social media platforms with a video of a sneak peek of a yet-to-be-released song at the time “money before you love (God abeg)”.
2. Dey play
When the phrase “dey play” is in use, it means to continue wasting your time and not focus on things supposed to be accomplished.
The phrase originated from a TikTok user from Edo state, flaunting his newly acquired house and car on video repeatedly saying “Just de play” ironically mocking his followers to keep wasting their time on unnecessary things.
3. Shey you dey whine me ni
‘Shey you dey whine me ni’ isn’t completely a new slang used by Nigerians but trended pretty well this year on the internet.
The slang has different meanings but can be said to mean, hope you aren’t playing or messing with me?
It became trendy after the chorus of the Gospel song “shey you dey whine me ni” by Austine Emmanuel also known as Austine de Bull broke its way onto Twitter. It was always accompanied by a video of Austine dancing with choreographers chanting “shey you dey whine me ni.”
4. Otiloh
The slang followed the release of Poco Lee’s ‘Otilo (izz gone) featuring Hotkid. The slang is a Yoruba word that means it is gone.
5. Trenches
Trenches is normally an English word that means a narrow channel dug into the ground but Nigerians somehow managed to change its meaning into a neighborhood that is poorly managed and is accumulated by poor people.
