With Valentine’s Day drawing closer and people planning how to spend the day and with whom, we asked six Nigerian women to tell us about the most romantic thing their partner has done for them. Consider this as a guide if you still don’t know what to get your partner.
Gimbs, 29
Just like most women, PMS is a huge pain in the ass for me. It’s a struggle for me every time my period comes. So my girlfriend got me this hot water bottle to help relieve me of the misery I go through monthly. It may not seem like a lot to some, but it was easily the sweetest and most thoughtful thing a partner has ever done for me.
Ms S, 33
My husband and I work in different states most of the time because of our jobs and we get transferred a lot. I’m very bad with directions so anytime I’m transferred to a new state, my husband takes time off to help me pack and settle into the new place. But that’s not the romantic thing. The thing is, he would map my new route from home to work and back, and drive me on that route before my official resumption day just so I can get acquainted with it. When we moved to Lagos, we lived in Yaba. He was working in Ojo while I was working in Victoria Island. He would drive ahead of me with his hazard lights on, from our house to Agbogon – where I could find my way straight to Victoria Island — before he would go to Ojo. He did this for one whole week until I became familiar with the route and started driving alone. When I got to know Lagos a little better, I realised what a huge inconvenience that must have been to him and how sacrificial it was with Lagos traffic and everything. It easily sticks out to me as one of the most romantic things he’s ever done for me.
Tolu, 22
Everyone’s interpretation of romance is different. For me, it’s the tiniest things that really get me. So there was a point I was struggling with the way my body looked, and I had tweeted about it. The tweet was something like, “I really don’t want boobs”, and a mutual friend of ours – me and my girlfriend – made an odd comment about it. I shrugged it off as nothing even though it kinda bothered me. My girlfriend saw it, and she sent the person a message saying, “Hey, this is not okay. She tends to keep things to herself and this is important to her.” I’m just paraphrasing here, but I remember just feeling so seen and loved for being me, regardless of what I want to look like. It was even more heartwarming because I hadn’t brought it up with her prior to this time. I thought it was the sweetest thing ever.
Bemigho, 27
When I was turning 20, my husband — then boyfriend – made my birthday so special. He lived in Dallas, TX and I lived about 150 miles away from him. After driving for almost two hours, I got to his apartment and no one was home. In the bedroom, there was a new phone with cases to choose from, a new dress, new earrings, a new pair of shoes and a card asking me to be ready at 7 p.m. At 7, there was a knock on the door, and it was him holding flowers. He took me downtown Dallas to the top floor of some high-rise building. He had hired a chef and while we were eating, I turned around and there were fireworks coming out of the reunion tower. Till this day, I don’t know if he planned it or it was a coincidence, but it was an excellent night. We had only been dating for 10 months, but I thought he was about to propose. One of the best birthdays.
Vue, 26
They sent me cards, chocolates, a handwritten message in a bottle, a mug they drew my name on. All these things were shipped from the UK. They were also going to ship white and red roses because I love them, but I stopped them. I loved that they noted the things I liked and surprised me with them across the continent. Our relationship is going to be three years this year and we still get butterflies for each other. We still flirt like people in secondary school.
Dinma, 34
In 2012, I was living in the UK while my partner lived in Nigeria. We would typically see each other once a month or every six weeks. Life happened, and this time, we hadn’t seen each other in six months. One day, I fell sick and told him I had visited the GP. He was headed to the US for some work, and we had agreed the plan was for me to either come to Nigeria when he returned, or he would come to the UK on his way back. However, that night, at about 1 a.m., he rang and said, “There’s a parcel at Hilton Tower Bridge with your name on it.” And I was like, “Surely, you could have told me in the morning.” Then he said, “It’s living and breathing, and it stopped over to be sure you were feeling better”. See! I blew about 65 quid on a taxi to his hotel, in shorts and a t-shirt. The wild thing was when I got there and started stooling, this man spent the rest of that night wiping my bum and mopping my face. The next night he caught his flight to the US.
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