Music or chocolate? Report shows how Nigerians love on Val’s Day

Since then serenading a loved one might have receded in value. (Don’t worry, we have a selection of love songs for you.) A poll, conducted by e-commerce company Picodi, skips attending a concert or singing a romantic song at the karaoke bar to impress a lover during Valentine’s Day. In its place are such items as jewellery, clothing, and a date at the cinema.

But according to Picodi, the “report is a great source of information about lovebirds’ readiness to spend money, what are the most commonly chosen gifts and their costs, and eventually—whether reality does live up to recipients’ expectations”.

The survey interviewed over 5 000 people from more than 30 countries, and finds that “Nigerians tend to enjoy Valentine’s Day, at least four-fifths of them (precisely 83%)”.

As though to prove that men and women are from different planets, there are differences between what either give on the day. While men (33%) are most likely to take their women to a restaurant, women (40%) tend to give perfumes. A date to the cinema takes the fifth and last position for men, and a Valentine’s Day card takes that position for the ladies.

On one point, however, Nigerian men and women are united. Roughly the same percentage of men and women (32% and 30%) are unlikely to enjoy receiving sex toys as a gift. Twenty percent of women and 21% of men in Nigeria also say a date at a restaurant is a bad gift for Valentine’s. Perhaps this group would rather enjoy a home-cooked meal.

Among what counts as good gifts, Nigerian men and women agree on perfumes. “Perfumes are hands down the most preferable option both for male (53%) and female (50%),” says the report.

Nigerian popstars P-Square infamously sang about not minding “if you chop my money”. But how do Nigerians stand globally in terms of cash spent on 14 February? Not high, it turns out. “Nigerians are not generous with an average of $31 prepared for the gifts—that is 31st place out of 32 countries,” the report claims.

Though chances are Peter and Paul Okoye will not be pleased, there might be some consolation. The report doesn’t compare the average Nigerian income with Valentine’s Day expenditure, opting instead for a direct conversion of naira to dollar.

Although the lack of a music option means that a presumably important part of Valentine’s Day is missing from the poll, one of the Picodi conclusions is certain to spark arguments in Nigeria. “In almost every surveyed country—except Turkey, Vietnam and Nigeria—men try to impress women by spending more,” the report says.

You can already hear the collective groan of Nigerian men.

For more on the Picodi report, see here.