‘No gree for anybody’ slang could be message of rebellion, Nigerian police claim

Pidgin English term triggers debate after going viral in new year as a motto for self-reliance and resilience

A Nigerian slang term meaning not letting anyone bully or cheat you is sparking debate after police warned the slogan could be a message of rebellion.

While not new, the pidgin English term “No gree for anybody”, and variations of it, has been going viral since the start of the year as a motto for self-reliance and resilience in the face of difficulties.

With Africa’s most populous country struggling with rising living costs and security challenges from jihadists to kidnap gangs, the phrase has collectively become a slogan for getting through tough times in 2024.

But the national police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, last week warned against using the phrase, triggering a debate on social media.

“The new slogan for 2023 and 2024 for our young ones is ‘No dey gree for anybody’. We have been informed by intelligence that this slogan is coming from a revolutionary sector that may likely cause problems across the country,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“No dey gree for anybody is being seen as a normal talk, but in the security community, we have seen it as a very, very dangerous slogan.”

It was not clear whether Adejobi was making indirect reference to the EndSars youth-led protests against police brutality in 2020 that spiralled into the largest anti-government rallies since Nigeria’s 1999 return to democracy.

Local media reported the term “no go gree” has its roots in an old gospel song. Nigerians often mix English, pidgin and one of the country’s local languages such as Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.

“We started saying it sometime towards the end of last year. It means be resilient, be persistent,” said Prosper Udeagha, a 30-year-old taxi driver in Abuja. “I see where the police are coming from because they fear people expressing their displeasure could turn violent.”

Adejobi’s comments triggered discussion online, with some critics saying the police had more serious matters to be concerned about than the latest slang.

Nigerian security forces are battling jihadists in the country’s north-east, criminal militias and mass kidnappings in the north-west and a flare-up of intercommunal violence in central states.

“It shows where their priority is,” Aisha Yesufu, a government critic, said on X of the slang warning.

However, soon after the police statement even a military spokesperson was using the slang to refer to Nigerians giving no quarter to armed groups. “No gree for terrorists, and no gree for perpetrators of insecurity,” Maj Gen Edward Buba said.

The Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, joined in last week to wish Nigeria’s Super Eagles football team luck in the Africa Cup of Nations. “I am looking forward to their first match and the message to them was clear – ‘No gree for anybody,’” he wrote on X. “Bring home the Nations Cup.”

It was not the best start, however, as the three-time cup-winners drew their first game on Sunday against Equatorial Guinea.

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