By Ayo Onikoyi Nollywood actress and entrepreneur, Didi Ekanem, has claimed that genuine friendship is rare in Lagos, particularly among women. Ekanem, who is also the CEO of Daily Meals Odot, made the remark in a video broadcast on her Instagram page, where she humorously described what she believes are the hidden motives behind some friendships in the city.
According to the Akwa Ibom-born actress, some people conduct what she described as “due diligence” on prospective friends before establishing relationships with them. “Before anybody would become your friend in Lagos, they would study you thoroughly. They would carry out their due diligence to find out whether you are the owner of the bakery or connected to the owner of the bakery.
They want to know who your friends are, who you are rolling with, they want to know if you have connections. It is never free,” she said. Ekanem alleged that once such people identify what they can benefit from a prospective friend, they begin cultivating the relationship through social media comments and compliments. “Once they see you have everything they need, they would approach you for friendship.
Don’t worry, it is not you that would go to them, they would approach you. They would start by commenting on all your posts. You would start seeing comments like, ‘I’m rooting for you sis’, ‘I’m proud of you Queen’, ‘You are doing amazing sis’,” she stated.
The actress said the frequent use of terms such as “Sis” and “Queen” could sometimes be a strategy to create an impression of closeness and genuine affection. She further alleged that such friendships could lead to invitations to expensive social events, where the new friend may be expected to purchase costly aso-ebi. “Before you know it, they would invite you to one frivolous event where