If the world must truly go round, maybe every day in the calendar should be reserved for spreading the theme of love but each year only Valentine’s Day, 14 February gets the special designation, which was the precise moment Meiza Nigeria discovered how three women became so good at expressing their deep affection simply in Pidgin-English.

The love wey I get for you na follow come. E no get part two, Esther Ejiro wrote in her #ChikerAiye by Meiza submission. Here is an excerpt from her love letter to an imaginary or real boo, which has won her and two other women a snack voucher worth ₦10k just as the 2025 Val’s Day celebration was closing.

Even the most confident of individuals struggle when it comes to expressing matters of the heart. Meiza thought it would be something unique if the participants of its latest campaign got the chance to break down their affection using a dialect that possibly, Nigerian babies newly born would have easily recognised as much as a babbling sound.

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Well, this is how familiar Pidgin English feels to all. Miss Ejiro further writes: I bless the day wey I carry leg jam you. Since we jam, na so so good things you dey do give me and I appreciate am. You dey finish me with peace of mind. Infact, na man you be ooh, ending that with an applause emoji.

For putting her thoughts together the tip-top way, she was able to gather 616 likes and 28 comments on Instagram where Meiza Nigeria was hosting the contest to test the ability of a Nigerian to manifest love in a tongue utterly different from the lingua franca, which is the English Language, commonly used in formal environments that may make a user feel shy and possibly struggle for the right words.

To get into the #ChikerAiye Valentine’s Day essayist plot, all a participant needed to do were easy things. Like first composing the love letter in privacy and in a relaxed and funny tone letting their creativity guide them.

After this comes the posting on Instagram tagging @MeizaNigeria and also inviting the platform to collaborate. The competition kicked off on 11 February, meaning it ran for three days, which was all the contestants needed to showcase their bits of romance.

When they put out the notice asking for everyone’s contribution, organisers weren’t thinking of a top winner. Just people – not necessarily women although that is what they got – feeling bold enough to be vulnerable and describe what true love looks like.

The Meiza audience got an expression of deep affection when they saw several posts on Instagram. There were more than three attempts to win the prizes but only the best outputs got the benefits.

Two other top winners, a University of Ilorin recent graduate and a fashion entrepreneur Oluwabukola Alafe, alongside Onyinye Mercy Ekeogu also took readers on a journey to their lovers’ hearts.

I just say make I use this moment let you no say na you be the bedbug wey dey my mattress. Your bites dey sweet my body, come dey totori my belle, was Ekeogu’s imagination of love when she was thinking in Pidgin.

Every day wey I spend with you na beautiful adventures, full of laughter, love and all the little moments wey make my life dey special.

There are more stories from Meiza Nigeria’s contestants capturing hearts with their message of love.

Curious readers only have to head to Meiza’s Instagram page and social media aggregates to immerse themselves in deep affection, the Naija way.

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Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.