BREAKING NEWS: NAIJA YOUTHS ARE BREAKING THE JUGULAR!
Break the Jugular!
Recently, a military-themed gospel song titled Jugular, Jugular hit the airwaves. As a medical student, I know the jugular veins are critical to sustaining life. If severed, survival is almost impossible. In the same spirit, Nigerian youths are breaking the jugular of gender stereotypes, dealing a decisive blow to old norms. I can hear them chant:
Where dem dey? Who dem be? We will break the jugular!
Society has long dictated how men and women should behave, dress, and live. In Africa, traditions shaped by patriarchy taught men to be strong, ambitious providers, while women were confined to the home, tagged the “weaker sex.” Historically, Nigerian women were marginalized, excluded from power, and denied equal opportunities. These characteristics were not natural; they were programmed by culture and expectation.
However, it is interesting to note that the culture goalposts have shifted. Education, exposure, and creativity are reshaping identities and rewriting roles. Women are no longer boxed into silence or kitchens; they are leading, innovating, and competing at the highest levels. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the World Trade Organization and Amina Mohammed at the United Nations are global icons in male-dominated spheres. In sports, the Super Falcons boast of 10 continental titles, far outshining their male counterparts, while Asisat Oshoala and Tobi Amusan bring Nigeria international acclaim in football and athletics.
Cooking once defined women’s domestic role, but Hilda Baci transformed it into a global celebration with her Guinness World Record cookathon. In Nollywood, Funke Akindele rose beyond acting into directing, producing, and even politics. In literature, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shattered stereotypes, standing tall beside the likes of Achebe and Soyinka while championing feminism. Nevertheless, men are not left out in breaking the moulds, too. Mai Atafo redefined Nigerian fashion, excelling in a field largely associated with women. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, co-founder of Flutterwave, proved Nigerian men can innovate globally while embracing roles beyond the traditional “provider.”
The strains of gender bias we witness are not cracks but ruptures: tiny screams of a stereotype system gasping for breath. The cultural jugular is breaking, bleeding, and dying under the fearless teeth of Nigerian youths. The future is clear: gender is no longer a cage. Nigerian youths are biting hard at the jugular of stereotypes; and soon, they will kill it once and for all.
Written by Stephen Oyewale