Emeka Nweze
2019 saw a lot of incidents that blew up and broke the internet, the year was probably one of the most eventful of the decade. These good, the bad and the downright ugly moments were coming in thick and fast and it was almost difficult to keep up. We have however narrowed it to just 10, so below are our picks for the 2019’s biggest viral moments.
1. Jack in Nigeria
TwitterNG went completely berserk when its founder, Jack Dorsey, visited Nigeria as part of his tour which included Ghana and Ethiopia. Jack had dinner with some notable influencers, visited several tech companies, ate jollof, danced zanku and promised that he’ll be spending more time in Africa in 2020.
2. 10 years challenge
This was the ultimate throwback, the #10yearschallenge had people uploading pictures of themselves from 10 years ago and now, side by side. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon and both twitter and Instagram was filled with throw back pictures.
3. Wole Soyinka Airplane seat drama
Nigerians were divided on opinions early this year when Sahara Energy founder Tonye Cole narrated how a young man refused giving up his assigned seat to Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. The story was supposed to chastise the young man for disrespecting someone of the caliber of Wole Soyinka. Social media was quick to jump on the story with several for and against views on the bizarre incident.
4. BBNaija
Even before the housemates got into the house, you already knew that there was sure to be drama and a lot to talk about. When the show eventually started, Nigerians were hooked and everyone started to take sides. Twitter was on fire everyday, if it wasn’t about Tacha’s rudeness it was about Khafi and Gedoni’s relationship, many even prayed for the show to end so that sanity could be restored . Even months after the show has ended, the housemates, now turned celebrities still dominate the timeline.
5. Fvck you challenge
This was arguably the biggest challenge of 2019. Immediately after Kizz Daniel’s Fvck You was released, the song went viral, everyone from top artists to upcoming rappers desperate to sell themselves and down to regular people, jumped on it with their own versions, making it a true sensation at that time.
6. Red flag
#Redflag was arguably the biggest trend of 2019, it was as if everyone on twitter had been waiting for the opportunity to air their turn offs in the opposite sex. The internet was filled with several complaints, displeasure, red flags and hillarious bants, #redflag was truely memorable.
7. Cardi B
American rappper,Cardi B’s visit to Nigeria was quite memorable and filled with talking points. Everything she did, From her trip to the strip club, to her drinking beer, her philantropy and the drama that ensued when she went to Ghana caused frenzy on social media. Cardi B certainly left her mark on West Africa.
8. O jewa ke eng/Scopa tu mana/Bomboclaat
All three phrases which generally impy ‘what is bothering you’ were viral sensations in 2019, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. Everywhere you looked on twitter you were sure to find one of them, they were so popular that all three appeared on Twitter’s Most Retweeted with comment worldwide.
9. Buhari’s UN gaffe
Nigerians were taken by surprise when a viral video on the internet showed President Buhari bewilderingly detailing from a question about Nigeria’s young population at the UN General Assembly. Buhari went on to read from a prepared script about Nigeria’s dedication to combating climate change. This incident was both laughable and sad at the same time.
10. Xenophobia
For the umpteenth time, Nigerians living in South Africa were attacked by the citizens of the country. This set off a chain of events; Burna Boy got into an argument with South African rapper AKA, Nigerians disappointingly began breaking in and looting from malls and stores owned by Nigerians all in the name of exacting revenge, and everywhere was filled with chaos. Calls for sterner actions and the issue came from all angles as the Nigerian government once again dallied in their response. Normalcy was eventually restored and everybody seems to have moved on now, but the incident remains remains the biggest viral moments of 2019.
