Nigerian Lives: 6 Nigerians on Learning to Drive

Driving in Nigeria is an experience like no other. Traffic signs are rarely obeyed in major cities, and the first thing most driving instructors tell their students is to “assume everyone else on the road is mad, and you are the only sane one.” From bad roads to half-hearted training by family members, learning to drive can be both interesting and terrifying. This week, we asked six Nigerians to share their stories.

Victor, 24

My father taught me to drive. I wasn’t scared at all, but that’s probably why I crashed so many times. I’ve crashed into my house fence and it fell. I hit an electric pole while reversing. Thank God it only shifted and didn’t fall. I’ve hit someone’s bike, but thankfully the guy jumped off before impact. I ended up breaking the car’s side mirror. One time, I almost hit my church building while service was going on because I mistook the brake for the throttle. Then the brakes failed while I was driving my family back from church. It’s God who saved us honestly. My dad’s car has experienced a lot in my hands.

Genesis, 27

It wasn’t hard at all. I feel like people exaggerate the difficulty because it only took me two days to learn from my brother. The excitement almost got me into a deadly accident a week after though. A tricycle (keke/maruwa) came out of nowhere and surprised me, and I lost control. Since then I’ve learnt how to be cool under pressure.

Gray, 23

Nobody taught me how to drive. My friend had a car and we went out one day to buy drinks. We got back to his place only to realize we’d forgotten something. He just looked at me and said,  “Oboy you suppose sabi drive, take car key help me go pick am abeg.” That’s how I collected the key o. I did somehow drive, but there were several scratches when I got back.

Sharon, 20

My stepdad took me to a driving school because he was tired of being the one taking my siblings to school. It was a two-week class. The first week was theory, where they taught me road signs and the parts of the car. Then the second week, I was on the road with the instructor in the passenger seat. I had so much anxiety, and it’s a miracle I never ended up hitting anyone. The instructor told me I was doing well and asked if I’d driven before, but I felt like he was whining me. By the time I started driving my dad’s car, he was always shouting in my ear so I just left it for him. 

Somto, 22

My man started teaching me to drive last year, and he quit after a month. He couldn’t deal, but it’s really not my fault. How am I supposed to know when to look at that mirror on top or the mirror outside? What do you mean I should drive in my lane? I don’t even know which one is my lane. I turned my head back to see what was behind me because it made more sense than using the mirror and he started shouting. I wanted to accelerate and I bent down in the middle of the road to look for the accelerator because it’s close to the brakes and I wasn’t sure again. If you see how he screamed! I’ve left the driving for people who have strength.

Benedict, 26

I always watched my father whenever he drove his car, and one day when he wasn’t around, I carried his car key and the rest is history. I came back without one of the side mirrors that day and my father nearly had a heart attack, but it was worth it.