Embracing My Nicknames: How I Came About Them and Why I Love Them

As a Nigerian, they are some names which automatically birth your nickname. In my case, I bear Abiodun, and everyone automatically calls me Abbey. However, Aside from this, I have had a lot of nicknames over the years. Aside from being called Abbey, Some people still call me some of these nicknames, while some nicknames did not stand the test of time as they wear off as quickly as they were given. However, as I approach my thirties, I have two nicknames that most people still refer me to date, and I am not sure they will go extinct anytime soon.

So the two other nicknames I am called are Lebey and Conprado. These nicknames did not come out this way at first, but over time, it was fine-tuned to sound posh, and that was when I finally accepted and embraced them. I still bear these nicknames to date, and only a handful of people know I bear the two nicknames due to the origin of the nicks. It happened at separate and different times in my life.

I will have to take you back to my school days to understand how I came across these two sets of names. I got Conprado while in secondary school in a funny way. So the teacher took us on Economics as a subject during a class. The topic is unclear now, but the teacher mentioned a term that stuck with me, and I asked a question about it, which made all the students laugh. The term the Economics teacher said was "comprador bourgeoisie" I guess they all laughed at me for not pronouncing the term well; that was how my Conprodo" Nick was birthed. That Nickname stuck with me all through secondary school, and to date, when I come across my ex-secondary schoolmate, they call me "Conprado".

The origin of the second nickname is quite embarrassing, and it was given to me in my first year and first semester at the University. I was very chubby during my first year, making me add fat in places where a male is not expected to have body fat. So yeah, I had fat on my bum, which made it bigger than normal. So I stayed in the school hostel my first year and enjoyed playing football with the other boys. Tunde gave me the nickname during one of the periods we played football on the school hostel football pitch.

I guess I was on his team, and he wanted to reach out to me to pass the ball to him, but he did not know my name. Out of nowhere, he shouts, "Idi gan Lebe", a Yoruba word that means Big BumBum. It was a funny moment that everyone around the field could not help but burst into wild laughter, and that was how they tried to force the name on me, but I rejected it. Rejecting the name was tough, as many people find it funny, and it also suits me due to my appearance. It was tough, but it was later fine-tuned to "Lebe". The name reminds me of those times, and thinking of the origin makes me laugh.

At the moment, I enjoy being called both nicknames, and I am cool with whichever people call me. It's a nick and a reminder of some funny moments. I will not change my nicknames; I have even embraced them. I like Lebey the most and use it the most on numerous platforms.

THE PICTURE IS MINE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED BY ANYONE