December 2017, I had just recently returned to Lagos from Toronto, and the Spirit of the Motherland was burning ever so fervently in my members.

I’ll never forget driving down Ozumba Mbadiwe road in Victoria Island, blasting Fela Kuti; a ‘Classic Afrocentric’ political revolutionary artiste’ I had recently been introduced to by a former colleague from highschool.

That Christmas, I did a lot of exploring in my adopted hometown; attending a Lady Donli show and a Burna Boy concert, amongst other activities.

But the most groundbreaking experience of that ‘Detty-December’ however, was when I accompanied my elder sister, Morenike, to one of her artshows in Lekki Phase 1.

I couldn’t help but notice a very peculiar and unique distinction between classical Afrocentric works of art and modern-day art pieces like the ones made by my sister.

I met with a friend of hers that day, who happens to be based in New York, and we spoke about this extensively.

We talked about how there is currently an ongoing transformation taking place on the Afrikan continent; how Afrika is being ushered into a new dawn, a new era of some sorts! With Millennials and Gen-Zs being at the centre of it all.

An Afrofuturist era, beyond the legacy of our ancestors and the pains of the past’ inflicted on them by Slavery & Colonialism.

Also acknowledging the influence these two injustices have brought upon us and how it has transformed us into ‘New creatures’!

It wasn’t until 2025, after a long, arduous research venture that I formed a name for this phenomenon.

I call it the Neoman Movement! Neo, being the Greek word for New, and Man, being the generic term used for Humans in the English Language.

So basically, Neoman Movement is an umbrella term used to describe individual who identify more with this ‘New Nation’ of Nigeria that was created as a result of Western Colonialism.

Those who feel a greater sense of connection to the New way of life that has emerged by the fusion of some certain elements of European culture with indigenous culture.

This can be seen in the political system we practice; Democracy, which has its origins in Greco-Roman Civilization.

Religion; Christianity, though a World Religion today, it was first fully embraced by Europeans due to Apostle Paul’s several missions to Anatolia. The Religion in the Nigeria, has however slowly metamorphosed into it’s own variant, enriched with high-tempo beats and the Nigerian pizzazz to match.

Language; there is no better example than the ‘Creole English’ spoken all over the Nation; Pidgin. The grammatical structures, wordings, and expressions of the language are based of the English Vocabulary.

This mishmash lingua also has influence from the Portuguese; who were the First Europeans to make contact with the People of the Niger Area.

Some words from the Portuguese lexicon are;

Sabi (to know) from Portuguese saber.

Pikin (child) from Portuguese pequeno (small).

Dash (gift) from Portuguese dás (give).

Indigenous languages like Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa have also made contributions to the growth of this language!

Yoruba Influence:

Wahala (Trouble/stress).

Shakara (Showing off/bragging).

Jaiye (Enjoy life).

Igbo Influence:

Kolo (To act crazy/mad).

Nna (Used for emphasis or respect).

Hausa Influence:

Danfo (Commercial bus).

Garri (Cassava flour a common staple food in the Country).

Maga (Someone easy to deceive) etc.

The influence is also seen in our Education system; in Precolonial times, Education was not confined to classrooms but occurred in homes, farms, markets, and workshops. Children learned through observation, participation, and storytelling. Boys were trained in hunting, farming, fishing, blacksmithing, and warfare. Girls learned cooking, weaving, pottery, childcare, and trade. Other border in-depth ideas like wisdom, ethics, and history, were thought through proverbs, folktales, and storytelling. But now, education has shifted from hands-on, communal learning to structured, classroom-based schooling as education has been institutionalized to followed Western-style curricula, emphasizing subjects like math, science, and English, in an indigenous setting, using indigenous methods.

Also, in our traditional values like; Individualism: Emphasis on personal autonomy & self-expression, as opposed to an outright focus on Communalism & the Family Unity (Especially in the Urban Areas).

Our Architecture is also another factor to consider: as several places in Lagos, the (Socioeconomic and Sociocultural hub of Nigeria) have buildings with an Anglo-Saxon element to them, as seen in places like Broad Street and Marina, which were influenced by British Victorian and Neoclassical Designs as well as Contemporary Models by Nigerian Architects.

Music; Afrobeats to be more precise, is a blend of Nigerian sounds with U.S. hip-hop and U.K. grime.

Fashion; with Popular Designers like Lisa Folawiyo and Orange Culture whose unique styles fuse Western fashion with Yoruba and Igbo aesthetics (e.g. Ankara fabrics with contemporary cuts).

A societies choice of culinary dishes, are an expression of who the peoples are, and as the Indigenous inhabitants of the Niger-Area have evolved, so has their eating habits. Nigeria’s biggest fast-food chains (for example Chicken Republic, Mr Biggs, Tantalizers, Sweet Sensation) are although distinctly and uniquely Nigerian, we most definitely cannot downplay the influence of popular American brands like KFC, McDonalds, Subway, Wendy’s etc have had in their brands.

This ideology is best exemplified by the Alternative kids of Lagos, better known as ‘Alté’, a counterculture movement that is on its way to becoming mainstream amongst Nigerian Millennials and Gen-Zs, at home and in the diaspora.

The Ideology, acknowledges the fact that the 21st century Nigerian of the Post-Colonial period, are transcendent! An updated more advanced version of their predecessors from Pre-Colonial and Colonial Era.

It is a non-traditionalist ideology.

In contrast to those that are traditionalist; or conservative in nature and are more aligned with their tribal identities.

A propagator of this movement, embraces the Post-Colonial Nation that has been created by Europeans as his or her own because they have taken on a ‘New’ meaning and life as the evolutionary process continues to take shape and more people become accustomed to our Modern reality.

This ideological Movement does not at all relegate tribal identities to obscurity. No, not all all. Rather, the idea confers that they are no longer the primary marker of identification and are therefore subordinate to that of Nationhood.

The vantage point of the Neoman Movement can be compared to that of the African-American Peoples of the United States, whose culture is heavily influenced by Afrikan, Indigenous Amerindian and European cultures. This diverse admixture, has led to the Black Man in America having a totally new and distinct identity outside that of their contemporaries back on the continent.

This can be seen through the lens of the genres of music they have gone on to create; for example, Jazz; originating from a city in the deep-south called Louisiana. It has strong roots in ragtime, a genre that evolved from Eurocentric Music styles. Jazz also absorbed an Afrocentric polyrhythmic sound, popular on our side of the continent.

The Black Man in America has undergone an evolutionary cycle that has given the African-American community one voice and one identity, as they stand in solidarity with one another in the face of systematic ‘race related’ oppressive structures that have been built up for several centuries.

In that same vein, we Nigerians too must take charge of our own destinies! To move forward we must begin to embrace our Post-Colonial reality. The atrocities our ancestors had to go through in the past should make us realize that, we are better off when we are a strong united force.

When we start to see ourselves as one people, we will be closer to the realization of that dream of being the Great Hope of Black Afrika.

Just like the 20th century formed and moulded the identity of the African-American, I believe the 21st century is the time period for the beginning of the rebirth of what is means to be a Nigerian.

There will still be individuals out there who might continue to view Nigeria as a ‘Colonial Contraptions’ or a ‘Mere Geographical Expressions’ but I see this Country as ‘Nations with a Soul’ that are slowly taking shape and coming into its own!

So, though being a Man of both Yoruba & Igbo heritage, my ‘Nigerianness’ is essentially of paramount importance in how I choose to identify myself.