There’s always something new to try in the pursuit of love these days. Dating apps might seem like they’ve been around for a long time, but what kinds of experiences are women having as they search for the love of their lives? We spoke to four Nigerian women to get the inside gist.
Susu*(24)
I matched with a “woman” on Tinder, and we connected because we were both polyamorous. Let’s call her “Rewa”. At first, it seemed cool, but after a while, the texts got weird. She wasn’t asking me any questions about myself or trying to know me better. She just kept asking man-related questions like, “Have you ever been with a man?” “Would you like to try xyz with a man?” I lost interest and blocked her.
Later, my bisexual friend matched with her too, and they got talking. When Rewa confirmed my friend’s bisexuality, she revealed that she was actually a man! Apparently, he has a queer wife but likes to sleep with the women first before introducing them to his wife. My friend blocked him ASAP, it was too weird.
Dara*(27)
Dating apps are so useless. I joined one earlier this year, and the only people who kept matching with me were yahoo boys. One time, it took me so long to know this dude was doing petty fraud because he was well-spoken, not pushy and cute. Then one day, he asked me to help him speak to a “client” which I found weird because we weren’t even in the same field. But love is blind abi?
He convinced me anyway, and as soon as the “client” called and asked, “Are you really Isabella?” I just knew what was going on. I hung up and blocked both of them. It’s so irritating how you can’t even start a genuine connection on these apps. I’ve deleted my profile. I don tire.
Seun*(24)
I met a really nice guy on one of these dating apps. We got close really quickly and started talking almost every day. When my birthday came up, he insisted on doing something special even though we had only known each other for a few weeks. I agreed, thinking he meant something intimate. He then asked me to invite my friends and other people till it became a party of ten of us.
We went to a restaurant to eat and towards the end of the meal, he said he needed to step out for a quick call. That was the last I saw of him. I had to pay for everyone’s meal that night even though I couldn’t afford it. I was left wondering why he would do that. I tried calling and texting him afterwards, but he didn’t respond and blocked me everywhere. I’m still traumatised by that event, and I’ve sworn off dating apps till further notice.
Tolu*(26)
I unknowingly matched with a married man and didn’t find out until his wife sent me threatening messages. It was awful because we had gone on three or four dates and I thought we were becoming something real. Then, out of nowhere, I get this barrage of messages on WhatsApp accusing me of being a homewrecker. I blocked the crazy fool and his wife before I got attacked in public.
