Why Nigerians attitude to names dey cause kasala

Recently palava don enta Nigeria on top say di three top candidates for February presidential election bring academic records wey show different names from wetin dem dey call dem now.

Accusation of forgery or impersonation dey against President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi wey dem don deny, and dia tok-tok pipo don also give explanations for di difference wey dey for dia academic records.

Di court na im go judge how dis allegations serious reach but e carry me look how Nigerians dey take use dia names.

Most Nigerians get pass one name apart from dia surname. Many wey I know get like five to six.

For society wey many cultures dey name pikin based on how dem born dem, position for family or dia parents hopes of di pikin future, one pesin fit carry different names wey reflect each of dis different considerations.

For example, Yoruba pikin name fit be Taiwo Peter Tokunbo Olamide - Taiwo (mean say e be first of twins), Peter (na Chistian name), Tokunbo (wey mean say dem born am abroad) and Olamide (wey mean my wealth don come).

Di parents fit even allow di grandparents to add names give di pikin.

I get three names - two na Igbo and one na Christian.

I bin get chance to add anoda name as teenager wen I bin dey Catholic Church.

As I dey take di sacrament of confirmation (wey be wen dem go ask you to formally declare your faith and beliefs), di priest for my boarding school for southeast Nigeria ask all wey do am to choose anoda Christian name to mark di occasion.

But I give dem Tricia wey be di name dem give me for my baptism soon afta dem born me, I bin no feel like to add anoda name.

Some of my classmates use di opportunity say dia parents no dey di school to choose trendy names wey di older generation fit neva tink like Madonna.

Many Nigerians wey I know dey use dia different names for different reasons.

E fit be becos dem want fresh start, or dem no like di meaning of di name, or dem go new place wia pipo no fit pronounce dia more popular name.

Plenti times I don meet one of my childhood friends wey her name, for instance, na Ogadimma, but she don turn to Ego now.

E dey even more complicated wen you travel go di villages for Nigeria.

As I dey do reporting work for dose regions, I go dey meet pipo wey di name for dia ID card dey completely different - even dia surname - from di name wey dey dia bank account. Sometimes e go even different from di name dem dey call dem for di area.

Dem don tell me plenti times say, "Madam, dis one na my native name, dat one na di name I bin use for school. And di oda one na my family name."

Dem no sabi say to get differnet names for differnet official documents fit lead to kasla for future especially if dem go area wia dem dey take dia record keeping more serious dan how Nigeria dey do.

Many investigative tori don show how e easy to just go any Nigerian goment office and get official document wit name, date of birth and place of origin wey fit no dey correct.

Civil servants dey do I don't care for dis mata ehn. And sometimes wen dem wan chook eye, some naira notes for dia hand fit make dem look anoda side.

How dis name mata affect Chibok girls

I see dis kain attitude to names wen I bin dey work wit different groups wey dey give support to di Chibok girls afta di 2014 kidnapping of 276 girls from dia school dorm for north eastern Nigeria.

Some charities bin make list of di 57 girls wey jump and escape from di trucks wey bin dey carry dem go Sambisa forest hours afta dia kidnap.

Di groups bin give scholarship to di escaped girls to go different parts of di world.

Wen some of dem no gree accept, na so dia families carry di opportunity give oda siblings or pikin of dia close friends wey bin wan go without say dem tell di charities about di switch.

Yakubu Nkeki wey be di chairman of di association of di missing Chibok girls parents say, "plenti girls bin graduate from school in di name of Boko Haram but dem no be victims."

E explain say e no like di switch but im family members continue wit am and even enta fight wen im wan oppose dem.

E add say, "some of dem bin no even dey live for Chibok, dia parents bin dey Abuja or Port Harcout but dem dey claim Chibok girls."

Di girls go most likely spend di rest of dia academic lives with anoda pesin name, but e fit no hard for pipo wey dey use different names for different occasions.

Dis kain tin also happun wen charities offer scholarship give di siblings of di missing girls.

Opponents of President Tinubu dey hope say di ongoing kasala go make Supreme Court cancel im election.

Dem don go far and wide for traditional media and social media to try and prove say di different names for im different certificates show say im academic claims na fake.

Anytin wey sha comot from all dis gbas-gbos fit be lesson for Nigerians all ova di world to legally combine all dia plenti names for all official records.

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani na freelance Nigerian journalist and novelist wey dey stay for Abuja.