We’re all familiar with the concept of roommates in Nigeria. It’s like a right of passage for many young adults, whether you’re a university student, a service corps member in a remote village, or simply trying to navigate the high cost of rent, you’ll often find that living with a roommate may be the only solution for renting and living in a comfortable building.Â
But living with Nigerian roommates? That’s a different kind of experience. One that comes with loud laughter, late-night gist, kitchen fights, and the occasional silent treatment over who ate the last piece of meat.
Perhaps you’re planning to move in with a roommate, but before you do, take your time to read our review of different kinds of roommate and what to expect from them.
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The ‘I Only Sleep in the Room’ Roommate
This is perhaps the best kind of roommates to have, because they give you more than enough privacy. They’re the type to tiptoe into the house at midnight, smelling like a bottle of beer or chicken peppersoup. They’ll then disappear the next day before 6 am, leaving you wondering whether you’re really living with a roommate.
The only downside of this one is that you’ll often be lonely with no one to talk to.Â
The Volume is ‘Not Enough’ Roommate
Trust us, you don’t want to live with this kind of roommate if you have a 6 AM bus to catch. They’re typically not troublesome, but you can expect them to shake your wall with the sound of their speakers. If you’re not a noisy person, don’t even try to live with these ones, because they’ll definitely wake you at night with their loud praise and prayer section.Â
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The ‘I’ll Wash It Later’ Roommate
These ones are almost always too lazy to do anything in the house. They’ll pack their dirty clothes until it’s everywhere in the house before washing. Even when they set out to wash, they’ll soak the clothes with the bathing bucket until they run out of excuses for procrastinating.Â
The Gist Partner That Keeps You Alive
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Roommates are not always bad, so you don’t have to be scared. If you meet the typical gist partners, then you’ve struck gold. They gist about anything and everything, including their pastors, parents, office colleagues and the annoying conductor that almost ruined their day.
They even triple as therapists, comedians, and gossip plug all at once. Trust me; there’s never a dull moment with this kind of person.Â
The Spiritual Bulldozer
This kind of roommate doesn’t joke with God and they’ll not let you either. They’re always in your ears preaching to you and convincing you to follow them to another program down the street. Besides, they’ll disturb your sleep routine with their loud 2 hours midnight prayers.
Don’t panic, just save up enough to find a new house before the end of the current rent. Break the news to them, and never let them follow you to your new house, because your peace of mind is worth more than whatever name they’ll call you.
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