It started with a power outage. Femi had just finished posting a well-edited story on Instagram when PHCN struck. His inverter was dead, and his data finished right before he could refresh his timeline. Frustrated, he tossed his phone on the bed. No Wi-Fi, no Instagram, no Twitter. Just silence.
For the first time in a long time, Femi had nothing to distract him. He looked around his small, dimly lit room. Clothes he had promised to fold sat untouched on his chair. His Bible, bookmarked at a chapter he couldn’t remember reading, lay under a pile of old receipts. Without the glow of his phone screen, reality settled in—he felt empty.
Many Nigerian youths live in a digital world where validation comes in likes, retweets, and fire emojis. Online, everyone is doing something exciting. Someone just secured a visa, another just launched a business, and another is on a vacation sponsored by "hard work and grace." But when the Wi-Fi goes off, when the noise fades, we are left with ourselves—our thoughts, our fears, and the questions we avoid.
Femi sat up, uncomfortable with the silence. He picked up his Bible, dusted it off, and flipped it open. It felt unfamiliar, like reconnecting with an old friend. The words felt distant at first, but as he read, something stirred in him. Maybe, just maybe, the moments without distractions were the ones that mattered most.
For many, social media is an escape from the struggles of everyday life. But what happens when the escape is taken away? The Wi-Fi going off might just be an invitation—to pause, reflect, and rediscover who we are beyond the screens.
For the first time in a long time, Femi had nothing to distract him. He looked around his small, dimly lit room. Clothes he had promised to fold sat untouched on his chair. His Bible, bookmarked at a chapter he couldn’t remember reading, lay under a pile of old receipts. Without the glow of his phone screen, reality settled in—he felt empty.
Many Nigerian youths live in a digital world where validation comes in likes, retweets, and fire emojis. Online, everyone is doing something exciting. Someone just secured a visa, another just launched a business, and another is on a vacation sponsored by "hard work and grace." But when the Wi-Fi goes off, when the noise fades, we are left with ourselves—our thoughts, our fears, and the questions we avoid.
Femi sat up, uncomfortable with the silence. He picked up his Bible, dusted it off, and flipped it open. It felt unfamiliar, like reconnecting with an old friend. The words felt distant at first, but as he read, something stirred in him. Maybe, just maybe, the moments without distractions were the ones that mattered most.
For many, social media is an escape from the struggles of everyday life. But what happens when the escape is taken away? The Wi-Fi going off might just be an invitation—to pause, reflect, and rediscover who we are beyond the screens.