“Why Are We Taking Our Nannies to Parties in Their Uniforms?” — Tomike Questions Parents
Media personality Tomike has questioned a practice she says she finds uncomfortable: parents taking their children's nannies to restaurants, parties and social events while they are still wearing their work uniforms.
In a video shared online, Tomike said she finds it humiliating and questioned why the practice appears particularly common in Nigeria.
For her, the issue isn't whether a nanny is a nanny.It's how that role is communicated in public.
Tomike explained that when her nannies accompany her children outside, she prefers them to be neatly dressed rather than remaining in their work clothes. She said she considers them part of her household and believes the way they appear in public reflects the household they work for.
“I personally find it very humiliating. It’s giving, ‘I’m the nanny and I am the nanny,’” she said.
Tomike said she believes there should still be boundaries between employers and domestic staff, but argued that this should not prevent parents from treating their nannies with respect and dignity.
She also criticised people who believe nannies should always be reminded of their position, saying she would rather create an environment where those caring for her children feel valued and respected.
At the same time, she acknowledged that being treated with dignity does not mean pretending there are no boundaries between an employer and domestic staff.
A uniform can be practical. It can identify the person responsible for a child. It can also simply be part of a household's routine.
For others, keeping domestic staff visibly marked as “the help” can feel like a reminder of class hierarchy — particularly when everyone else at the same social event is dressed for the occasion.
Tomike's argument therefore isn't really about changing clothes.
It's about whether professional boundaries require social distance to be made visible.
Can you acknowledge someone's role as your employee without making their lower position in the household part of their public identity?
When a domestic worker accompanies a family to a social event, should their work uniform be considered practical or unnecessary?
Where is the line between clearly defining an employee's role and publicly signalling their place in the social hierarchy?
If your nanny is accompanying your children to a party, would you prefer her in her work uniform or dressed like every other guest?
Rachel Ojuromi signs with international modelling agency
The 22-year-old Nigerian model, known online as @giverachelashot, has secured representation with modelling agencies in New York, Paris, London and Canada: No Smoking NYC, Safe Management Paris, SUPA Worldwide London and Next Canada.
Ojuromi wasn't discovered after waiting for permission from a traditional fashion system. She was creating her own runway on Lagos streets — styling looks with her best friend and designer Debby Fasingha, using thrifted pieces, everyday locations and whatever resources were available.
In May, Dazed reported on the videos that had begun attracting international attention. Ojuromi described her intention simply: “You can have a voice and share your work with the world regardless of the resources you have.”
Now the same Lagos visual language that made her recognisable online is becoming part of an international modelling career.
For years, African fashion talent often had to travel outward before being taken seriously by the global industry. Ojuromi's story suggests another route: build the image where you are, let the internet carry it, and allow the industry to come looking.
What the international contracts represent — not the beginning of the story, but evidence that the world eventually noticed what was already happening on the streets.
What happens when you stop waiting for the global stage and start performing as though your own city already is one?
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
I've built Africa first Global Knowledge Centre - Amb Mfon Ekpo
For years, Amb. Mfon Ekpo built rooms for people to learn, question, connect and exchange ideas. Now, she has built something more permanent: a physical home for those conversations.
The Global Knowledge Centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, was commissioned in September 2026 as part of the Global Knowledge Festival. Organisers describe it as Africa’s first Global Knowledge Centre, conceived as a hub for knowledge, learning, discovery and human development.
The centre represents an evolution of Ekpo’s work through The Blueprint of How and The Discovery Centre — moving from convening conversations about leadership, entrepreneurship, personal development and impact to creating an institution where those conversations can continue.
At the commissioning, Ekpo became emotional while reflecting on painful words she said had surrounded her birth. “They said I would be retarded,” she recalled. She also said, “I cried this morning.”
Years later, she was standing inside something designed to expand what other people could become.
That changes the meaning of building.The biggest evidence of a person's journey isn't a title or another achievement. It is an institution that continues to exist after the person has left the room.
What happens when knowledge stops being an event and becomes infrastructure?
What Mfon Ekpo has really built isnot simply a centre, but a place where ideas can outlive the moment that produced them.
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Chef T reflects on harsh criticism of her cooking show as season 3 commences
As Season 3 of her cooking show begins, the chef is reflecting on the harsh criticism that followed earlier seasons — including comments about her cooking, presentation and the way the show was received by viewers.
For a Nigerian food personality building a public career online, criticism comes with the territory. But food shows have a particular kind of audience: people don't just watch the food being made. They have opinions about how it should look, taste and be prepared.
Chef T has now returned for another season, carrying the experience of being watched, judged and discussed along with her.
A new season doesn't erase the criticism from the previous one. It shows what happens when someone decides to continue creating anyway.
There is a difference between being criticised and allowing criticism to determine whether you keep going.
Chef T's return puts that difference on display.
What changes when you stop cooking for everyone's approval?
Season 3 therefore isn't only another chapter of the show. It is also a glimpse into what happens when a public figure learns to keep building while the audience is still talking.
Jaiyeorie — sometimes the next season is the answer to the last one's criticism.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Bestie Jesu - Toyin Abraham Turns Fan Appreciation Into a Praise Concert
Toyin Abraham has turned a promise to her fans into a physical gathering. On September 19, 2026, the Nollywood actress and filmmaker held “Bestie Jesu,” a praise and worship concert in Lagos, inviting her fans, colleagues and loved ones to celebrate, pray and give thanks together.
The idea began earlier in the year when Abraham announced the concert as a thank-you to her supporters, whom she called her “Toyin Titans.” She framed it not simply as entertainment, but as thanksgiving, love and family.
The concert also reflects how Nigerian public figures increasingly build communities around more than their professional work. Toyin's identity as an actress exists alongside faith, family, social media and her direct relationship with her audience.
The name itself — Bestie Jesu — carries that crossover. A phrase that began as part of her personal expression became the name of a physical gathering.
Toyin captioned ;
“When we are doing things like premieres, you guys aren’t always there, right? I have made up my mind that we’ll do this every year. We will do a red carpet. So don’t worry. There is food for everybody, and I have a gift for everybody. I will be giving you guys your transport fare.”
And when she first announced the idea of the praise concert earlier in 2026, she told her Toyin Titans:
“This isn’t just a concert. It’s thanksgiving. It’s love. It’s family.”
At the event, Toyin told attendees that there was food for everyone, gifts and money for their transportation home. She also said she intended to make the praise gathering an annual event, with a red carpet added in future editions.
Fans spend years giving celebrities attention, views, tickets, comments and emotional investment. Here, the celebrity is visibly acknowledging that relationship in the opposite direction.
What happens when an audience stops being treated simply as an audience and starts being treated as a community?
In Nigeria, faith and entertainment do not always occupy separate worlds. Music, celebrity, testimony, prayer, thanksgiving and public celebration can exist within the same social space.
Toyin's concert sits comfortably inside that overlap.It also arrives during an important professional season for her. Her forthcoming film Bestie is scheduled for Nigerian cinemas on December 16, 2026, meaning the concert exists alongside an active period of film promotion.
What happens when this becomes a tradition. Can a celebrity community built around films evolve into something that feels almost familial — and what does that say about the changing relationship between Nigerian stars and the people who follow them?
Toyin Abraham did not gather her fans to promote a movie.She gathered them to say thank you.
The most powerful way to acknowledge an audience is to stop performing for them and simply celebrate with them.
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Fisayo Soyombo Spends 47 Days Undercover Crossing the Sahara to Document the Journey to Europe
Investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo has spent 47 days undercover travelling the Sahara migration route, posing as a migrant to document what happens to Africans attempting to reach Europe through Niger and Libya. His journey took him from Kano in Nigeria through Magaria, Zinder, Agadez and Dirkou in Niger, then through Al Gatrun and Sabha to Tripoli in Libya.
What makes the investigation unusual is not simply the distance travelled. Soyombo did not report on the migration route from a safe distance. He entered it as one of the people making the journey, experiencing the uncertainty, overcrowded vehicles, desert crossings and dependence on traffickers firsthand.
He had initially been told to budget around 30 days.He spent 47.The Sahara route is often discussed in Nigeria through a single word: japa. But Soyombo's investigation complicates that shorthand. What can look from a distance like a straightforward journey towards a better life is, on the ground, a chain of vulnerability in which migrants can lose money, freedom, safety and sometimes their lives.
In his three-part investigation, Soyombo documented and reported accounts of starvation, thirst, robbery, physical assault, abduction, sexual violence, forced labour and conditions he described as modern-day slavery along the route.
Soyombo said migrants he met told him they would not have undertaken the journey had they known beforehand how severe the suffering would be. He also argued that many people believe any destination outside Nigeria must offer a better option, only to discover that the conditions awaiting them in Libya can be worse than the economic hardship they left behind.
What happens when the dream travels faster than the truth?
The most striking thing about Soyombo's project may therefore not be that he crossed the desert.
It is that he deliberately entered a world where many people make life-changing decisions without possessing a complete picture of what awaits them.
He spent six months preparing for the investigation. He was warned there was a possibility of abduction. He still could not predict how the journey would unfold.
If you knew the full price before beginning the journey, would you still call it an opportunity?
This desperation can make a dangerous road look like the only road left, then perhaps the real question is not simply why are they leaving? — but what has made staying feel impossible?
Soyombo returned with photographs, videos and firsthand testimony from a route many people know mostly through rumour, aspiration and fragmented stories.
The desert was not just something he crossed.He entered the story Nigerians tell themselves about leaving — and came back with what the story leaves out.
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Wike son Jordan accused of taking $2.1m to facilitate 60 hectares of abuja land
Jordan Nyesom-Wike, son of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, is facing a civil suit in an Abuja High Court over an alleged $2.1 million payment connected to a proposed 60-hectare land acquisition in Katampe and Guzape.
The claimants, Safwan Garba and GY Global Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited, allege that Jordan agreed to facilitate the acquisition of 30 hectares in Katampe and another 30 hectares in Guzape. They say the $2.1 million was allegedly paid in cash in September 2025, but the land was not delivered and the money was not refunded.
In court, he said he was outside Nigeria on the date the claimants say the payment was made and produced his American passport after the judge ordered him to do so. He also denied knowing one of the alleged witnesses and said the signature attributed to him on a disputed agreement was forged.
The claimants say there was a transaction, payment, witnesses and documentation. Jordan says he did not receive the money, did not sign the agreement and had no knowledge of the alleged transaction. The court now has to examine the evidence behind those conflicting accounts.
Land in the Federal Capital Territory is not simply another commodity. It sits at the intersection of government authority, private wealth, development and access. When a proposed transaction involves tens of hectares and millions of dollars, questions about who can facilitate access to land become inseparable from questions about influence and documentation.
That is why the allegation has attracted attention beyond the two parties involved.
Jordan Wike has not been found liable by the court, and the allegations remain contested. The claimants are seeking recovery of the $2.1 million, damages and other reliefs, while the defence has denied the claims and challenged the authenticity of documents said to link Jordan to the transaction.
The case has now been adjourned to December 1, 2 and 14, 2026, for continuation of trial.
When someone is believed to be able to open a door, how much is that belief worth — and what happens when the person on the other side says they never held the key?
The court will ultimately deal with the evidence. For everyone watching, the unresolved question is perhaps the most important part of the story: what actually happened on that September day?
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Canada Warns Travellers to Nigeria About Unregulated Alcohol
Canada has added a specific alcohol safety warning to its travel advice for Nigeria, advising Canadian travellers to be cautious about unregulated and adulterated alcoholic drinks containing potentially dangerous levels of methanol. The update was made to Canada’s Nigeria travel advisory on September 21, 2026.
The warning follows a serious poisoning incident in Ondo State, where Nigerian authorities reported 48 deaths and 182 cases of illness linked to locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions. NAFDAC said preliminary laboratory testing of 15 unlabelled samples found high concentrations of methanol.
Canada's advice is notably specific: travellers are told to buy alcohol from reputable establishments and to seek medical assistance if they begin to feel sick after drinking.
Nigeria is entering another period in which international visitors, diaspora Nigerians and business travellers move through the country in significant numbers. Alcohol is also deeply embedded in Nigeria's social life — from restaurants and hotels to weddings, nightlife and informal gatherings.
Methanol is a highly toxic substance that can cause severe poisoning, including visual impairment, organ damage and death. The recent Ondo cases demonstrate why the distinction between regulated commercial alcohol and an unlabelled or adulterated product can become a matter of life and death.
What happens when something that looks familiar can no longer automatically be assumed to be safe?
For travellers, the practical lesson is straightforward. Canada's advisory is not telling visitors that all alcohol in Nigeria is dangerous. It specifically warns about unregulated and adulterated alcohol and recommends established, reputable sources.
Canada has warned its travellers about the risk of unregulated alcohol following a deadly methanol-related outbreak.
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Happy OCTOBER 2026 JAIYEORIE
JAIYEORIE
A new month.
A new chapter.
A new way of seeing.
May October bring you beautiful discoveries, unexpected inspiration, meaningful moments and stories worth remembering.
Look closer.
See differently.
Stay curious.
JAIYEORIE
Culture. Style. Life. The way we see it.
Welcome to October 2026.
Dabota Lawson’s OPULEN Cosmetics Container Has Arrived
Dabota Lawson is marking another physical milestone for OPULEN, as a trailer carrying the cosmetics arrives — turning what has largely been seen online as a beauty launch into something tangible.
OPULEN is Lawson’s new “makeup book” — a nine-chapter beauty system covering primers, correctors, concealers, powders, blush, bronze and glow, eyeshadow, lips, brows and professional brushes. The brand describes the concept as “Nine chapters. One ritual.”
The beauty industry is highly visual. Consumers encounter products through screens long before they encounter them in their hands. But behind every polished launch is an unglamorous physical reality: manufacturing, packaging, logistics, inventory, warehousing and delivery.
Lawson has spent 2026 positioning OPULEN as more than another makeup collection. The product is deliberately presented as a book, with the contents organised into chapters and packaged as an object intended to feel substantial rather than disposable.
Earlier this year, Dabota Cosmetics also announced an international expansion partnership with Woodhall Capital International, describing it as a facility supporting the global expansion of the Nigerian beauty brand.
So the arrival of a trailer may look like a simple logistics update.But underneath it sits a much bigger picture of what happens when an African beauty founder attempts to build not merely a product, but a beauty company capable of moving product at scale.
Can the physical business become as large as the vision?
Because eventually, the dream has to leave the presentation deck.It has to enter a factory.Then a warehouse.Then a truck.
Then someone's hands.This is why this otherwise ordinary arrival is worth noticing.
A beauty brand becomes real in the moment the product begins moving through the world.
The container has arrived. The next chapter is distribution, customer experience and whether the object that looked so compelling on screen creates the same feeling when the book is finally opened.
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Mo Abudu received Spotlight of Year award at TIFF 2026
Mo Abudu has received the Spotlight Award at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Black Excellence Brunch, adding another recognition to a TIFF visit that has been particularly significant for the Nigerian media entrepreneur and filmmaker.She captioned, “September continues to surprise me. My fifth Toronto International Film Festival @TIFF_NET has been truly special. It was an honour to receive the Spotlight Award at the TIFF Black Excellence Brunch.”
The recognition came during the 2026 festival, where Abudu returned to Toronto with The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, the EbonyLife production based on Lola Shoneyin’s novel. The film had its world premiere in TIFF’s Centrepiece programme on September 11.
For Abudu, this was also her fifth Toronto International Film Festival.
Five TIFF appearances suggest something different from a single breakthrough moment. It points to a relationship with the international film ecosystem that has been developing over time — from The Wedding Party in 2016 to later EbonyLife productions and now The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives is rooted unapologetically in Nigerian and Yoruba culture. Abudu has described the decision to retain Yoruba as the film's predominant language as part of keeping the story close to its origins while making it accessible to international audiences through subtitles and dubbing.
For years, international accessibility could be understood as moving closer to a universal cultural language. Increasingly, another model is visible: take the specificity with you.
The Yoruba language does not have to disappear for the story to travel.The Nigerian setting does not have to become anonymous for the audience in Toronto to understand it.
The award is being received alongside a film that is attempting to move Nigerian storytelling further into international spaces without removing the cultural details that make it Nigerian in the first place.
There is also something revealing in Abudu's own reflection on the moment. She noted that she began her film journey at 40 and is still building at 62, describing the recognition as belonging to the wider EbonyLife team.
What does a creative career look like when it is measured not by one breakthrough, but by the accumulation of rooms entered, stories produced, institutions built and audiences reached?
What changes when the goal moves from being seen to building something that can continue to be seen without you?
Abudu's TIFF moment sits somewhere between recognition and continuation.
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Emelda Rufai Celebrates Daughter Nabeela’s 5th Birthday With a Harajuku-Inspired World Tour
Emelda Rufai’s daughter, Nabeela, has turned 5, and her birthday celebration was transformed into a colourful Harajuku-inspired World Tour.The immersive party environment: a pink-and-purple palette, arcade-style game machines, bubble effects, candy-like displays, transparent seating, and a large personalised “Nabeela’s” backdrop. It reads less like a conventional birthday hall and more like a child's fantasy arcade/world.
— complete with an immersive arcade-style setting designed around play, fashion and imagination.
The room tells the story before the birthday cake does. Pink and purple lighting fills the space, arcade machines sit among the decorations, bubbles float through the room, and tables are arranged inside a world that feels somewhere between Tokyo street culture, a playful gaming arcade and a child's dreamscape.
A child at this age is beginning to experience the world through symbols. Attendees experienced Japanese-inspired visual culture, global fashion, gaming, animation and pop culture in the same room.
Places become stories. Colours become memories. Costumes become characters. A birthday theme can therefore become more than decoration; it can create an environment for imagination.
Harajuku ,The Tokyo neighbourhood has long been associated with youth culture, fashion experimentation and visual self-expression. Bringing that vocabulary into a Nigerian child's birthday transforms the idea of a "World Tour" into something more contemporary: the world becomes something a child can encounter through aesthetics before she encounters it geographically.
The party therefore becomes a small reflection of how childhood itself is changing.Parents are increasingly creating experiences, rather than simply organising events. The decoration is no longer merely something behind the birthday photographs. It becomes part of the story the photographs are telling. Karen Koshoni ,Sep Nimi Briggs,Theo Mogo,Chiomagoodhair, Olatoun jolaoso attended in style.
Nabeela Nia Rufai was listed in 2025, she was publicly named among pupils who received a ₦150,000 Fidelity Bank scholarship through the Read2Lead initiative.
Jaiyeorie — this is why it matters.
#JaiyeWhyItMatters
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)