Look, if you grew up in Nigeria, you know this truth: plastic bags are not just bags—they’re family heirlooms. Your mother doesn’t throw them away. Your grandmother has an entire stash hidden under the kitchen sink. And you? Well, you probably have a secret drawer full of them too.

But why? Why are Nigerians emotionally attached to plastic bags? And more importantly, where do we draw the line? Today, we’ll investigate this cultural phenomenon that’s been passed down for generations.

Drake Let's Go Gif

Chapter 1: It’s Not Hoarding, It’s Strategic Planning

Let’s set the record straight—plastic bags are Nigerian gold. You don’t throw them away because you never know when you’ll need them.

  • Your mother keeps them for the day she needs to gift someone rice.
  • Your father hoards them for his shoe-polishing kit.
  • And you? You’re saving them for an emergency that hasn’t even been invented yet.

There’s an unspoken rule in Nigerian households: You can’t trust a person who doesn’t have at least five plastic bags lying around. How will they wrap amala for takeout? What will they use to separate meat in the freezer? Red flags, honestly.

Chapter 2: The Polybag Hierarchy

Not all plastic bags are created equal. In the world of Nigerian bag-keeping, there’s a clear hierarchy:

  1. Supermarket bags (the ultimate flex): If your stash includes a bag from Shoprite or Spar, you’re living large. This is the Gucci of plastic bags.
  2. Sturdy black polybags: The everyday workhorse. Ideal for carrying everything from akara to wet fish.
  3. Rice sack polybags: Reserved for serious operations, like packing for a wedding or smuggling fried meat to your big sister in the UK.

When you see a Nigerian carefully folding and tucking a plastic bag away, it’s not madness—it’s respect for the hierarchy.

Chapter 3: The Great Polybag Extinction Crisis

Ever noticed how plastic bags are slowly becoming hard to find? With supermarkets going eco-friendly, Nigerians are now in a crisis. Your grandmother is not buying “reusable tote bags” when she could get a free polybag. Who’s supposed to keep her frozen fish from leaking now?!

This crisis has forced some people into desperate measures:

  • Reusing the same bag for months (until it has holes like akara net).
  • Asking shopkeepers to double-bag everything.
  • And the ultimate move: stealing plastic bags from weddings when no one’s looking.

Chapter 4: Nigerians and Bag Attachment Issues

Now let’s dive into the psychology. Why are Nigerians so attached to plastic bags? Experts (okay, us) have a theory:

  1. Survival instinct: In Nigeria, everything must have a backup plan. Power? Get a generator. Water? Get a well. Plastic bags? Hoard them like it’s the apocalypse.
  2. Nostalgia: That Shoprite bag isn’t just a bag. It’s a reminder of the time you treated yourself to pizza after surviving Lagos traffic.
  3. Trust issues: Nigerians don’t trust things to stay the same. Fuel prices can double overnight; tomatoes can vanish from the market. But a plastic bag? That’s forever.

Chapter 5: The Global Angle

Don’t think Nigerians are the only ones. In Japan, they fold their plastic bags into perfect triangles. In America, they call it “recycling” and feel smug about it. But nobody does it like us.

When the world ends and aliens come to investigate human culture, they’ll find Nigerian kitchens stocked with plastic bags and think, Wow, these people were prepared.

Conclusion: Polybags Are Life

So next time someone mocks your polybag stash, remind them that it’s not just a bag—it’s a legacy. Nigerians have turned plastic bags into an art form, a survival tool, and a cultural icon.

And if they still don’t get it? Wrap their rice in one of your limited-edition Shoprite bags and send them on their way.

Categorized in:

Life’s Little Mysteries

Tagged in: