Nigerians Go Back to High School With Tens of Thousands of Hilarious Tweets · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Screen Shot of Humorous Nigerian Tweets
Within the last 24 hours, more than 193K tweets about unforgettable and rib-cracking laughter generating secondary school life in Nigeria have spread across Twitter with the hashtag #SecSchoolinNigeria.
Students in Nigeria spend six years in Secondary School, the US equivalent is 7th-12th grade. The first three years are known as Junior Secondary School and the remaining three years are called Senior Secondary School. These six years aside from being mandatory are also a tussle between competitive academics, intense socializing and fun-filled leg-pulling.
According to the analytics site Topsy, the first tweet that used the hashtag was sent on August 3 from Philadelphia, US based Melanin Mami's account. She alludes to the competition between SS3 (11th grade) and SS2 (12th grade) students.
#secschoolinnigeria. Ss3 guys go for Ss2 girls, Ss3 girls notice and then look for any small thing to fight with the Ss2 girls.
— Melanin mami (@_Faleke) August 3, 2015
Her tweet was RTed over a thousand times. Two days later the hashtag exploded, being used more than 194K by August 6. Some of the tweets are shown below:
Dining hall prefects in Nigerian secondary schools have a reputation of being ‘well fed’, with a propensity to ‘sell’ the food meant for feeding fellow students:
My typical day when I was dining hall prefect. #secschoolinnigeria pic.twitter.com/QNDfJPAQNQ — Amara Nwankpa (@bubusn) August 6, 2015
For the students that tried to show off with their parents cars at school:
#SecSchoolInNigeria When you sneak your father's car to school and you want everybody to notice you. pic.twitter.com/iBHMfU3Etn — AYOKUNLE Odekunle (@Oddy4real) August 6, 2015
Many Nigerian high schools run a senior and junior (Junior Secondary School – JSS) section. It is common for male students in the junior school (7th, 8th and 9th grade) to wear shorts while their counterparts in the senior category wear trousers:
#SecSchoolInNigeria When you've got swag but you have to wear shorts cos you're in JSS. pic.twitter.com/1nuWx3X4rI — Dr Erhumu (@drerhumu) August 6, 2015
The disparity between junior and senior students is rife in Nigerian public schools. Thus, the tweet below captures the humour evident in ‘displeasing’ a senior student:
#SecSchoolInNigeria when you're a junior, they're serving bread in dining hall and ss3 boys are on your table pic.twitter.com/ArjqrZ8nZF — Folarin (@FolaFowosere_) August 6, 2015
Bibi recounts a likely conversation with the house mistress:
House Mistress: Do you remember the ss3 students that vandalised tuck shop? Me: #SecSchoolInNigeria pic.twitter.com/Q5BQmKpHqY — Bibi (@boluxxxx) August 6, 2015
A typical scenario when the teacher forgot about a scheduled test but a class representative is over-efficient:
#secschoolinnigeria When your class rep wants to remind the teacher about the test. pic.twitter.com/pg6K2VEneO — Drink Water (@OscaRankinG) August 6, 2015
That awkward moment when ‘senior’ students get punished:
#SecSchoolInNigeria Seniors be like pic.twitter.com/bpkXmDu5bs
— Mano (@UgoMano) August 6, 2015
Or the victory dance that erupts after a mean head girl is caught on the wrong side of the law:
#SecSchoolInNigeria when that wicked Head Girl finally gets caught cheating in an exam. pic.twitter.com/9E3CmAbusj
— Chisomaga (@SirKatchaz) August 6, 2015
Nothing ignites one to dance like the stroke of a cane on one's back:
When the cane lands in the centre of your back and your can't scratch it #Secschoolinnigeria pic.twitter.com/5Ob2CxMCMZ — HENRY Okelue (@4eyedmonk) August 6, 2015
But the dance is more joyful, if, despite the many strokes of canes received, one still tops the class:
#SecSchoolInNigeria When you've been declared the best graduating student ………. after all the flogging in school pic.twitter.com/kLwiYFXO2k
— Abang! (@AbangMercy) August 6, 2015
Not being in the ‘noise making list’ was a big achievement in high school:
#SecSchoolInNigeria when you have been making noise and your name is not on noise makers list pic.twitter.com/bkoOZ7UUKy
— Yoruba Baby Boy (@dammydr3zy) August 6, 2015
If you want to be a school prefect, then you better laugh at all manner of jokes from your school principal:
#secschoolinnigeria when the principal cracks a dry joke but you really need that Senior prefect post😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/0dPpDijNn7
— MissWorld (@Bammie_sanuce) August 6, 2015