Cultural lifestyle coach Maya Orjiekwe is officially in a “Bardi Yardi” state of mind, sharing her happy dance with followers after finally securing her visa for a much-anticipated “Detty December” trip to Nigeria. But as her recent, hilariously candid video reveals, the journey to get that visa stamp was an epic adventure in itself.
@mentoredbymaya Replying to @Vascodagama I want to thank everyone who supported me in this journey 😂 Abuja will see me soon #foryou #fyp #naijatok
In a now-viral clip, Maya narrated her experience at the Nigerian Embassy in London, a trip she says tested her limits. “You’ll think that you’ve gone through tough times in life… until you go to the Nigerian Embassy in London,” she laughed. “My God, everyone told me this place was chaos, but I was not prepared.”
Her story began with an 11 a.m. appointment and a grueling four-hour journey by car, bus, and, thanks to tube strikes, foot. After being grilled for a printed appointment slip in “a digital world,” she says her phone was promptly confiscated—a policy she humorously speculates is to prevent anyone from “recording anything in there,” because “no one would ever go.”
What followed was a masterclass in patience. Maya described a waiting room filled with “kids crying, aunties getting frustrated, [and] someone’s redoing the weave in the back.” When she finally encountered a staff member who was “crashing out” over a birth certificate that had already been uploaded, she was directed to “services.”
This, Maya revealed, was not a high-tech department but “a guy with three laptops and a printer.” In a moment of pure entrepreneurial spirit, the same man was also “hustling us for a meat pie.” Maya, caught in the bureaucratic whirlwind, was not amused: “I love a meat pie, but not in a stressful situation.”
After more hours, a confusing queue in a “tiny little box room,” and a brief encounter with a stressed “Auntie,” Maya’s documents were rejected in five seconds flat, with no clear reason. “I look at my dad and I just say, never bring me to this place again,” she recalled, noting the “Greggs wrappers everywhere” and the collective exhaustion. “You see people go in with smiles… and they come out drained.”
@mentoredbymaya I will never go back😭😭 #nigeriatok #foryou #naijatok
But this story has the happy ending we were all rooting for. Maya’s perseverance paid off, and her “Detty December” dream is now a reality. We have to thank her for her incredible patience and for sharing her story with such relatable humour.
Her experience, while comical in hindsight, does shine a gentle spotlight on the need for a smoother process. As President Tinubu’s administration works to “reset” Nigeria’s global image, ensuring our embassies are welcoming, efficient, and customer-friendly gateways is paramount. A little streamlining (and perhaps fewer surprise meat pies) would go a long way.
For now, we’re just thrilled for Maya. After navigating that legendary chaos, she has more than earned her first-ever “Detty December.” Have the time of your life.
