There’s hardly any way you are Nigerian or living in Nigeria and you haven’t heard the saying “wahala be like bicycle.” It has become one of the more commonly-used slang in Nigeria, especially on the internet and social media.
In most scenarios, people use it as a reaction to something shocking that has happened or to warn others about an impending danger.
For instance, one evening in Ikeja, a young couple in love was performing a delicate show of love near a trader’s kiosk. In the process, the girl while trying to avoid her lover’s flirtatious arm, knocked down the trader’s crate of eggs.
A man standing nearby exclaimed: “Wahala be like bicycle” – because truly that’s what it is.
A man advising his friend about a planned course of action may say: “O boy, be careful o. You know wahala be like bicycle.”
Origin of the saying “wahala be like bicycle”
“Wahala” in Nigeria means trouble. Saying “wahala be like bicycle” is a reference to how extremely easy it is to find oneself in trouble.
A bicycle is super easy to operate, requiring no fuel or battery to power. Also, one does not need to go through intricate driving classes or attend a school to know how to ride a bicycle. In a nutshell, just about anyone can start and ride a bicycle.
So saying “wahala be like bicycle” is a reference to how easy it is to start trouble or for one to land themselves into trouble.
