My Bro is a weekly Zikoko series we started to interrogate and celebrate male friendships of different forms, and boy, have we done that this past year.
From friendships built on shared loss to friends who haven’t seen each other for over a decade, we’ve shared many brostories (you’re free to laugh) since we launched in April. But out of all the crazy and fun stories, here are the eight bromances you all couldn’t get enough of.
1) I’m Difficult to Deal With, But You’re Always Around — Ajibola and Oli
Oli Ekun and Ajibola Grey have a friendship almost as hilarious as the skits that have made them trending names within Nigeria’s bustling pop culture scene. Connecting over their mutual love of humour and rarely passing over a chance to drag each other for filth, these two understand that to do their jobs, they’ll need to be each other’s ride or die (Ajibola might not feel comfortable with dying, though).
In this episode of My Bro, they talk about being friends online for a year before meeting in person, navigating a friendship in which no one wants to be the serious friend and how they plan to share their money as business partners.
2) We Push Each Other Because We Don’t Want to Be Broke — Anny and Victor
Anny and Victor are all about the hustle. The self-proclaimed workaholics can’t go two seconds without talking about work, and while it may be annoying to some, it’s super inspiring to me. They both understand the unique struggles of being creatives in a country like Nigeria. And that ginger to be the best at what they do is what forges the bond they have as friends. One is always around to motivate or drag the other person. If this isn’t bromance, I don’t know what it is.
In this episode of My Bro, they talk about why Anny had Victor on a beef list when they first met, pushing each other to be the best version of themselves and whether or not they’d even be friends if they weren’t in the same industry.
3) Our Fighting Has Only Brought Us Closer — Stephen and Pamilerin
Stephen and Pamilerin started talking on social media five years ago, and now, they’re best friends who run a popular restaurant in Lagos. In this episode of My Bro, they talk about understanding each other’s love language, handling fights about work and how Pamilerin’s recent marriage has affected their friendship.
4) Our Long Distance Friendship Brought Us Closer — Caleb and Mofe
Despite the distance and different time zones, Caleb and Mofe have remained best friends for the last eight years. They met ten years ago at a church competition in Nigeria, but life physically pulled them apart when Mofe had to move to the US for school.
In this episode of My Bro, they talk about connecting over shared family values, maintaining a long-distance friendship and the tragic event that reunited them after eight years.
5) I Can Count on You and Know That I’ll Be Okay — Muyiwa and BFG
While there might be a little confusion over when Muyiwa and BFG met for the first time, their unique bond and friendship is as clear as day. Connecting over beer, Twitter jokes, career moves and heartbreak, these two, over the past decade, have successfully built their friendship on a foundation of honesty and humour.
In this episode of My Bro, they talk about why they’re the closest within their friend group, what people don’t understand about their friendship and why sometimes all you need after a bad breakup is your bro and a bottle of beer.
6) We Became Friends Because I Was Trying to Beat You at FIFA — Bamiji and Tomiwa
Friendships can be built on varying experiences — shared loss, beer parlour hangs or music careers that almost took off. But for Bamiji and Tomiwa, their nine-year friendship is built on FIFA video games and one friend’s mission to whoop the other’s ass at the game.
This love for video games has transformed them from campus acquaintances to housemates and cruise partners in crime.
In this episode of My Bro, they talk about making their friendship work despite being opposites, using bro code to handle girl trouble and why they feel seen in Batman and The Joker’s relationship.
7) We’re Best Friends Who Didn’t See Each Other For 13 Years — Okiki and Tobi
Okiki and Tobi first became best friends 21 years ago but didn’t see each other for 13 years. In this episode of My Bro, they talk about their childhood friendship, why they chose not to stay in contact after life separated them, and the interesting family event that finally brought them back together.
8) You Completely Changed the Trajectory of My Life — David and Dayo
David and Dayo have known each other for over a decade. They started out as acquaintances in secondary school, lived together in university, and now work in the same office. In this episode of My Bro, they both talk about how they became friends, what they learnt from living together and the big fight that almost destroyed their friendship years ago.
Find all the the bromance stories we covered in 2022 here.
