Every December for as long as anyone can remember, rich kids flood our little corners of Nigeria from our villages to the cities, especially Lagos. They are so easy to spot it’s almost comedic.
These people are not so fondly called, I Just Got Back (IJGBs)
You see an old friend and you ask about how they are and they are quick to mention how they just got back. The interaction will go like this, ‘Hey, how are you?’ ‘I’m fine, I just got back from the UK two days ago.’
They marvel at Nigerian culture
We are not talking about the japa trope, those who just left the country less than five years ago but those who have spent almost 15 years outside Nigeria. “Can we go get amala?” They say in a very funny accent, amala sounds like amaluh. Plus, how they pick it up with their fingers is hilarious.
They want to go clubbing
“Let’s hit the club” They scream because, with the devaluation of the Nigerian currency, they can spray their pounds and dollars and have so many people folk to them not to mention the hype man raining praises and the ladies trying to get a seat at their table. A very easy way to pick up women.
Rekindle old flames
The IJGBS can wreck your relationship if you are not careful. With their air of western refinement, thick accent and designer clothes, you should hide your man or woman if not, they would be gone.
But perhaps in Lagos, we feel like those villagers do whenever people from the city come around, a subtle air of inferiority we mask as jokes but we must joke away if we don’t have the money to japa yet. Maybe one day we will become an IJGB.