It’s not uncommon to hear Nigerians casually make expressions like “Wahala no dey finish,” which translates loosely to “There’s no end to problems,” or more bluntly, “Trouble never ends.” The word “wahala” itself comes from Hausa, but it’s been fully absorbed into Nigerian Pidgin and everyday life to mean trouble, stress, or drama.
There was even a season—some years back—where the phrase “wahala no dey finish” practically became a national mood and trended on social media with Nigerians (myself included) running with it online like it was the gospel. We laughed, tweeted, made memes, made peace with life’s absurdity, and reminded ourselves to “enjoy regardless.” The core message was that, whether we like it or not, life’s tribulations are constant, plus life is already hard. So, you might as well try to “enjoy” the chaos, even if you can’t end the current wahala you’re dealing with that’s staring right into your face like a stubborn donkey that sits in the middle of the road and dares you to move it.
As one would expect, it didn’t take too long before musicians started jumping on the bandwagon to cash in on the moment. There was Tplay’s “Wahala No Dey Finish” featuring the famous Masterkraft that joined the wave to appeal to the public off the hype but it was 1da Banton’s “No Wahala” that seized everyone’s attention with its groovy beat and catchy resonating lyrics, “problem no dey finish, make you dey try to enjoy, wahala e no dey finish, make you dey try to enjoy…”
But here’s where I’m going with all of these; as much as “wahala” is by definition, trouble, and trouble is no fun, somehow, we always seem to gravitate toward it. Think about it. Have you ever taken a particular risk, even when you know there could be real trouble if it goes wrong? You’re flying at 80 mph on a highway with a 60 mph limit. Isn’t that just begging for wahala from the police? It gets even funnier when you hear people say they prefer a romantic partner who’s “a little bit toxic.” They might even use more refined terms, like “spicy,” “a little bit dramatic,” or “a handful.” That itself is just a sprinkle of relationship wahala they’re after!
Sometimes, we also crave or enjoy our dose of wahala through a screen, just watching it build up or unfold. As an avid lover of reality TV shows, I must confess that the drama that comes from the wahala that ensues on-screen is one of the main things that keeps me glued to the TV; the tension, the subtle jabs, and the petty clashes, and all its beautiful mess oftentimes leave you clapping for oui, encore!
Even recently, I was watching Cute Abiola’s “Make Me Laugh,” and while the first episode delivered just the right amount of wahala to make it hilarious, the second one didn’t quite hit the spot. It was almost too peaceful and thus, fell flat for me, and it just made me wonder; maybe we love a little bit of wahala, you know? Like that tiny pinch of seasoning you add to a dish—just enough to make it tasty, but not so much that it ruins the whole thing.
Well, in all our pursuit of that little bit of wahala, may the big one(s) not find us.
Anyways, na so I see am.
Note: “Na so I see am” is a popular Nigerian Pidgin English expression that roughly translates to “That’s how I saw it,” or “That’s how it happened to me.” It’s often used to tell/end a story with a tone of resignation, irony, or quiet reflection. It’s a way of saying: I may not understand it all, but that’s the experience I had anyway.