If 2024 taught us anything, it’s that love is a rollercoaster. While couples seem to have collectively thrived this year, it’s hard to say the same for single people who were looking to change their dating status
Since first dates are where the magic often happens, we spoke to ten young Nigerians about their most memorable first date moments this year. From awkward silences to over-the-top romantic gestures, here’s a roundup of the good, the bad, and the downright weird.
“She switched up after I showed up in an Uber”— Chris*, 31
I met Pinu during a football practice match with some friends and decided to ask her out because I really liked her. I’m well off financially, but I’m not extravagant, so people rarely know how much I make.
Unfortunately, my car had issues that day, so I took an Uber to the date. When she realized I didn’t come with a car, her attitude changed. She started stonewalling me and making comments like, “I hope we won’t wash plates here when it’s time to pay o”. I brushed it off and tried to steer the conversation. I mentioned we could check out another popular Lagos restaurant next time, but she sneered and said,” Who will pay for that one?”
It was just a very weird and uncomfortable experience. I paid for the date and sent her some money for Uber back home. When she saw the credit alert, her mood completely shifted, and it really turned me off. I didn’t message her again after that night.
“We got caught up in the rain and stayed under a tree.”—Kemi*, 20
I’d had a crush on the youth church drummer for a year, so I was over the moon when he asked me out to lunch one Sunday in May. While it wasn’t anything fancy because we went to Chicken Republic, it was the perfect time to spend together. We couldn’t stop talking the entire time. Later, we went for a walk, got caught in the rain and had to seek shelter under a tree till it subsided. We continued talking the entire time, and the entire experience felt so cute and romantic. It’s the best date I’ve been on this year.
“We spent 30 minutes watching the stars.”— James*,26
I met a girl at a house party in France recently. She was the flatmate of the host, and after chatting for a bit, I asked for her number. When she agreed to go on a date, I asked ChatGPT to search for cool events happening in Paris that weekend. I found out about a star and moon viewing at the planetarium at the City of Science Exposition in Parc de la Villette.
We spent 30 magical minutes watching the stars and she then told me it was the coolest date she’d ever been on and wanted to take me out for drinks after. We went to a museum, had coffee and spoke the entire time until the sun set..
“He left me to pick up the bill.”— Toke*,24
This year has been so weird for dating. I was love-bombed by this guy who kept blowing up my phone, telling me he really liked me and all that. After some months, I agreed to go on a date with him. He chose the venue, and we went out to eat. The date seemed fine at first, but midway, this dude said he needed to use the bathroom— and never came back. I had to pay the bill, and thank God for savings because I that could have been embarrassing. . When I got home, I realised he had blocked me and I just cursed him out.
“She talked about herself the entire two hours we spent together.”— Chisom*,29
I’d liked this girl for a few months before I finally asked her out. We met through a mutual friend, and our conversations had always been great. But on the date, it was like I was meeting a different person. We were there for about two hours, and she talked about herself the entire time. I tried to get a word in, but no luck. She wasn’t interested in talking about any other subject, so it just felt like a two-hour lecture about her life. I did not ask her on another date after that.
“We only had raves and drinking in common.”— Peace*,27
Two months ago, I met a girl at a rave. She had neon paint on her cheeks, her skin glistened under the flashing lights, and she had this infectious energy about her. We danced, exchanged contact information, and started talking regularly. I took her out to dinner, hoping to get to know her better. However, the more we talked, the more I realised the only things we had in common were raves and drinking. It didn’t bode well for us after that. The date itself wasn’t the issue; I just didn’t think we were compatible.
“We spent four days together.”— Martha*,25
At a Friday night club party, I met someone I really clicked with. We danced, talked for hours, and when it was time to leave, she asked to come home with me. It was an uncommon request, but I said yes.
However, what should have been a one-night hangout turned into four days of non-stop fun. It felt like a really long date because we just kept going from my place to her plac,e or we’d go out together. We talked, watched movies and cooked together. It was a very lovely experience.
“She was extremely late to our date.” — Femi*,28
I asked this girl I really liked on a date, but it ended up being a disaster. . It was dinner at a restaurant. She arrived 30 minutes late, and instead of apologizing, she said, ”You know Lagos traffic now.”The rest of the date didn’t go well. I kept trying to carry the conversation, but we weren’t clicking. It felt forced. It was odd because conversations with her were seamless before I asked her out. I felt like I wasted my time.
“I won our games because he let me win.” — Teri*,23
I met this guy on X (formerly Twitter) because we bonded over our shared love of anime. After a few months, he visited Lagos from Abuja, and we met in person for the first time. It was one of my favourite dates ever. We grabbed ice cream and talked about anime and our hobbies for hours. We also went to an arcade and played games. He let me win most of them, which was really sweet. The date was really cute, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“I found flowers for her on a Sunday in Ibadan.”— Deji*,26
I only went on one first date this year, and it was incredible. She was schooling in Ibadan, so I travelled down for the weekend. She had an orchestra show on Saturday, so I arrived early to watch her perform. We met briefly afterwards, but the main plan was for Sunday.
Initially, I’d wanted to plan an outdoor picnic, but I couldn’t find a functional park, so I switched to a movie and dinner. She’s a huge Dune fan, and since Dune 2 had just dropped, we went to see it. I hadn’t even watched Dune 1 before then, so I binged it the night before to keep up. After the movie, we hit the arcade, and she beat me at most of the games.
By the time we parted ways to prepare for dinner, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun we’d had. I’d considered getting her flowers earlier but felt it was too much for a first date. Now, I regretted not getting them. While updating my friends, one of them encouraged me to still go for it and even offered to cover the cost.
It was already late, and finding a flower vendor in Ibadan on a Sunday seemed impossible. But I got lucky with one who agreed to open her shop just for me. I rushed to pick them up and made it just in time for dinner.
The flowers were the perfect touch to an already amazing date. I’m so glad I went the extra mile—it made everything feel even more special.
