Being a Nigerian Blogger in 2021: What It’s Like and It’s Challenges

If you’re a Nigerian, you’ll know how hard it is to live in Nigeria, and if you’re a blogger, you’re aware of the challenges of being a blogger. Now, imagine being a blogger living in Nigeria, TEARS.

Yeah, being a blogger, there are several obstacles you go through, but with being a blogger in Nigeria, the challenges are x10

The blogging world is still sort of new in Nigeria and there are lots of misconceptions about it as people don’t fully understand what it is to run a blog.

Below, i highlighted some of the challenges I’ve faced and even still currently facing as a Nigerian blogger living in Nigeria.

1. Ignorance/People thinking It’s a gossip blog

Like earlier mentioned, people are still somehow new to the idea of blogging in Nigeria, although blogs have been in existence for years in Nigeria. When you tell someone you run a blog, most of the time the first thing that comes to mind is a blog where you write news stories centered on celebrity gossip. Some people are oblivious to the fact that there are different types of blogs with different topics. It gets tiring having to explain to people that I run a lifestyle blog which talks about my life, my personal thoughts, tips and experiences, and not a celebrity gossip blog.

2. Lack of Stable Electricity

What actually gingered me to write this blog post was actually this issue. Imagine struggling with cramps, a faulty phone, a faulty laptop and when your faulty laptop finally patterns up, they just decide to break the whole table by taking the light. I just started shouting “I hate this country, I hate this place” . Thoughts on how to japa started creeping in again- “abi should i go to Ghana?” was one of the questions i started asking myself. I was in a bad mood for most of the day.

The issue of lack of stable electricity is one of the major challenges of being a blogger in Nigeria. To write a blog post, do research, edit and even publish a blog post, all need electricity because God help you, you now have a bad battery- either your phone, tablet or laptop/computer. These people can even shock you and decide not to supply electricity for days and sometimes even weeks and you have a deadline to meet. Why must life be so difficult when my fellow bloggers in the diaspora do not even have to stress about electricity issue.

Let me even burst your head right now, as I am writing this blog post, I am sitting down in the dark, struggling with a backache, thinking of whether it is possible to bite these mosquitoes back because they seem to be doing us dirty as they are stingy with this electricity and it is time for the mosquitoes to shine.

Let me just end this point here because if i don’t, i’ll just be ranting and i am trying to be professional today.

3. Mobile Data

My Nigerian bloggers, if you use MTN please raise your hand, you deserve everything good in life. Someone should please tell me why and how the amount I spend on mobile data in a month, is almost more than my monthly allowance. To people that do not understand this, almost all Nigerian network providers have a habit of sucking data. That is, we spend way too much money on mobile data and the internet because data loaded today, will most likely finish before next week and if you call customer care to complain, they will tell you that you are the one using it oh.

It does not make sense at all that i will finish 6GB of mobile data in three days, what am i doing for goodness sake?

4. Bad WiFi Connection

This one is also like the mobile data struggle mentioned above. But the problem is not that it finishes fast, the problem is how slow the internet connection is. I am so tempted to call out this particular WiFi company but let me refrain from that, but I feel some of you should have at least one company in mind.

5. Content

What I’ve noticed from being a blogger in Nigeria, is limited content. Unlike the abroad, you do not have the endless opportunities and varieties of content as regards going out. This one is for my Lagos bloggers, even if you do want to go out for content, you are discouraged by traffic jams EVERYWHERE that last for hours. And if you’re a blogger based in Ile-Ife, Osun State, like me (for school), you are aware of how ‘dead’ that town is, with limited places to go, explore and develop content from. It gets really frustrating, to be honest.

Although, there are all these challenges and more, I still enjoy blogging so much but of course, I still wish we had it easier.

Thank you so much for reading!

What country are you currently reading this from?

If you’re a blogger, what is your biggest challenge?

Whatever occupation you’re in, tell me one challenge of yours that you face.