"Baba" (bah-BAH) – A word meaning "Father" in many indigenous languages within and outside Africa.
"How fa?" (HAW fah) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "How are you doing?"
"O, girl... My guy fine, O!" (o GYEL... my GAI...) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "Girl... That is one good-looking guy!"
"Taraba" (tah-RAH-bah) – A state in Nigeria.
"What kind of question is that, sef?" (... SEF) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "What kind of a question is that, even?"
"She don come again, O..." (shee DON... ah-GAYN...) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "Here she goes again..."
"Ewooo" (AY-woah) – A Igbo exclamation, generally used when one is in some serious shit or has witnessed some serious shit. Occasionally used light-heatedly.
"O, girl! You smoke?!" – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "Girl, did you smoke something?"
"... I don't know what your own is with that guy, O" – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "I really don't know what's going on between you and that guy."
"Oya, let's go home, girl!" (oh-YAH...) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "Come on, girl! Let's go home already!"
"Sha..." (SHAH) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "In any case..." or "Come to think about it..." depending on context.
"... Maitama..." (my-TAH-MAH) – An area in FCT, Nigeria.
"... akara..." (AH-kah-rah) – A Nigerian delicacy made from a thick mix of ground beans and spices, rolled into balls and deep-fried.
"NEPA" (NEH-pah) – National Electric Power Authority, an old moniker for an organization which centrally governed Nigeria's power supply until its eventual dissolution.
"... jarey" (jah-RAY) – A Nigerian Pidgin expression appended to informal requests to either sternly or light-heatedly indicate the (usually obvious) urgency of the matter.
"... dan iska." (DDUN EE-skah) – A Hausa term describing a very mischievous person, typically male.
"Guy... I be born and bred Naija babe, O." – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "I'm a born and bred Nigerian girl, man."
"It's not that bad, naw" (... nah-OO) – "naw", an informal spelling of "now" to distinguish the Pidgin meaning; in context, "Come on, it's not that bad."
"Gist me..." (JEEST...) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "Talk to me."
"Sorry, naw!" (SAW-ree...) – Nigerian Pidgin; essentially "Geez!I'm sorry, okay?"
"... Olokun..." (OH-LOW-koon) – A mythical spirit from the Yoruba traditional belief system.
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A Kind of Tomorrow (Excerpt)
Science FictionWHAT WOULD AFRICA BECOME... IF THE EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENED? Finari is a freelancer, making it through each day in a society he has never understood. Amina and Asante are bartenders, fresh out of the National Youth Service Corps. Chidiebere is a jour...
