The compound is visible from there, full of people and noise. Head-shattering, soul-crushing noise. The generator is already running. People are dancing rather lousily, but none of them seems to care.

You can see your mother through the windshield, already out of the car, hugging someone.

You take a breath and go in.

GREETINGS

The greetings that always happen at family gatherings in Nigeria have their own rules, and, unfortunately for some people, they are not written anywhere. You learn them by getting them wrong. Lol.

Eye contact is required, but sustained eye contact is seen as confrontational. You should smile, but if you smile too seriously, it looks like you are faking it, which you are, of course, but nobody is supposed to know that.

Depending on who you are greeting, you kneel, half-bow, shake hands, hug, or some combination, and the correct style varies by person, tribe, how religious they are, or factors you would never comprehend.

And then, the OG question:

“Do you remember me?”

This question deserves an essay of its own because the honest answer is almost always some version of no, which is never acceptable. You remember a face in the loose way you remember all your relatives’ faces, which is to say you know they belong to this family, and you know you should know more, but you don’t.

The move, developed over years of trial and very uncomfortable error, is a slightly theatrical “Aunty!” delivered with just enough confidence to imply recognition. It works until it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, they tell you who they are and why you should remember, and you apologise.

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THE QUESTIONS

After greetings come the questions, which are not really questions. In form, though, they pass as questions. In family gatherings, they are part social ritual, part genuine curiosity, but mainly a way of knowing where you are placed in the family’s books of winners and losers.

“What are you doing now?” means, are you broke or balling? “When will you marry?” means we would like an update. “Why are you so quiet?” does not actually want an answer. It wants you to stop being quiet.

The problem in all of this for a neurodivergent person is that each of these requires real-time interpretation that the asker doesn’t realise they’re demanding. You are parsing tone and subtext and intent while also following four other conversations happening nearby, while also remembering to look engaged rather than overwhelmed, while someone is trying to hand you a drink, and a child from god knows where has just appeared beside you and is staring directly into your face.

The question now was “where do you live now?” but processing it has taken you three seconds longer than it should have, and now the person is already looking offended, and you haven’t even answered yet.

You answer. You move on. You do this forty more times before the gathering is over.

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

People who don’t experience sensory overload tend to think of noise as something you simply endure, the way you endure standing in a long queue. You wait it out, and then it passes. But that is not how it works for everyone, especially in family gatherings.

Family gatherings are one of the noisiest settings that could ever possibly exist. Everything is always happening at the same time. Conversations are competing for volume. Speakers are blasting with music. Someone laughs loudly from a direction you weren’t monitoring. Your name gets called from across the compound.

Your brain, the whole time, is trying to process all of it, which means it is processing none of it well. You are nodding at the right moments and responding at the right moments, but internally, you are running at a pace that is wearing you out.

THE SCOPE

Here is what could help, though nobody ever explains it as a strategy: tasks. For instance, serving food gives you a reason to move, which is easier than standing in one place.

Helping older relatives to their seats, refilling drinks, washing the stack of plates accumulating near the sink: all of these are ways of being at the gathering without being in the middle of it.

“I’m coming, let me just check something in the car,” is one of the most useful sentences in the English language. There is nothing to check. The car is just where peace is.

THE PART THAT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN

“Why are you like this?”

It is not always asked cruelly. It comes, mostly, from genuine confusion, from people who have known you your whole life and cannot reconcile that familiarity with the fact that you sometimes seem far away or stiff or slow to respond or intense about something nobody else is paying attention to.

It is a fair question, in its way, but it just has no short answer.

Because how do you explain that your brain is always working extremely hard, in ways that aren’t visible, and that visible ease is actually the result of a significant amount of invisible labour?

That you are not rude, you are just wired differently, and you are doing your best and your best looks like this?

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WHY IT’S WORTH IT

There is that cousin who sits next to you at these things without needing to talk constantly, and that is worth more than she probably knows. There is the uncle who asks you one question and then actually listens to the whole answer.

None of this cancels out the difficulty. It doesn’t make the noise less loud, or the questions easier to decode, or the invisible rules less exhausting to understand, but it is also real, and it is part of the same gathering.

Family gatherings, at their core, are people trying to maintain connection across distance and time. For a neurodivergent person, belonging to that family means showing up to the gathering and finding, somewhere inside all of it, the pieces of it that feel like home.

If you recognise yourself somewhere in this, Project Neuroharmony is building a space for exactly these kinds of stories. You can find us on Instagram @projectneuroharmony

Hey! How’s it going? How’s your week been?

‎It’s been rough, we’ve been trying to wind down the process of this entire one-year project with a bunch of me sifting through program data and trying to make a visualisation for our donors and partners, while my coordinator is just asking me to make the dashboard “professional” as though that would help me do anything or make my dashboard any closer to his idea.... I mean, how do I make this clearer? Give me an actual direction, not just an abstract “make it professional”.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you identify as neurodivergent?

‎I’m somewhat of a Renaissance man. My day job is as a glorified graphics designer and data analyst, but the actual role is Monitoring and Evaluation, and Information Management Officer. It’s a role that allowed me to merge my interest in statistical analysis, Project Management and a bit of design (when it comes to data visualisation), however, personally—outside of the source of income—I’m often battling through my (definitely going to be on Broadway) Musical.

As you can probably tell, I have many things running through my brain at the very same time, and have been described as being “quite hyperactive”, never been diagnosed with ADHD though—The only diagnosis I have from my university’s guidance counsellor is acute depression... if you ask me, I feel obtuse, and that’s so blique (ba-dum-tish).

I mean, the depression was bound to happen. A social scientist spending his time studying Physics in the worst University in the world, that rhymes with den, is a disaster waiting to occur. Thankfully, I’ve taken my degree and have put it to a much-deserved use (since I’m in Borno and suffering from the heat, the thickness of the paper is the optimal width for a good hand-fan).

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Where in Nigeria are you from, and where are you based now?

‎My father’s father was a Nnewi man, my mother’s father was an Awka-etiti man, and my mother’s mother is from Ondo State. I was born in Lagos state, lived 9 years of my life there before moving to Delta State—following my father’s “answering the call” of the Anglican communion ministry.

Bounced around a bunch of communities in Delta state, completed my senior secondary school education in Agbor, and then immediately got admitted into Uniben.

I was able to get an internship in my 300 level to work in an NGO in Borno—yes, I was also a tad bit suicidal—I also began to dabble in absurdism, wherein living in spite of the meaninglessness of the human experience was the point of it, the main end was then to put yourself in the service of others. I was also an executive member of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, UNIBEN detachment. Information Management Officer—I’ve been volunteering for the longest time.

I was able to keep my contact with HR, and once I graduated and entered into service, I redeployed myself from Kano to Borno state.

What is one challenge you face that most people don’t see or understand?

‎I don’t think people don’t see it, I can talk, and I do talk. I think I talk about the challenge so much that they’ve all seen it, and I guess my main challenge is having too many things on my mind at the same time, and the struggle with the balancing act that I often have to battle with.

‎Growing up, (or in even now), what were some of the names or labels people gave you, or what did people think about you because of your condition?

‎Hyperactive, talkative?

‎What would you want to change about the knowledge or understanding of neurodiversity in Nigeria?

My real opinion is that Nigerians have way more things to be bothered about, however it does not change the fact that a little bit of more awareness would aid in cultivating empathy.

What helps you thrive or stay balanced when things get tough?

‎Music? I just start writing music and dissolve into my own world.

‎Is there something amazing your brain does that absolutely stands you out in a great way?

‎Ability to connect multiple ideas and topics when I’m going on my yapping stream, I’ve been told I would be a nice podcast host.

‎What advice would you give to someone discovering they may be neurodivergent?

‎Read books? I guess that’s the advice I’d give to anyone discovering anything about themselves: read diverse literature—it’s a window to the soul of the human experience. Go on a journey, find yourself, and then get lost in the searching. My belief is that at the root of all things is the complexity and proximity of things moving, activity—entropy. DO NOT BE STILL, and do not hide yourself.

If you could tell everyone in Nigeria one thing about neurodivergent people, what would it be?

‎Neurodivergent people are people; everyone deserves empathy, care, and not to be ignored. A good, healthy life is a human right; crafting a safe mental-health-aware environment is a must.

In the ‘Inside My Mind’ series, we interview neurodivergent Nigerians and ask them questions that explore their experiences living as neurodivergent individuals in Nigeria. Read our previous edition here.

As an African, I know I’d have been among the 45,000+ Nigerians drafted and forced to fight on the frontlines, clearly against my wishes. Or maybe I’d have been close enough to the administrative groups in my society to avoid being shipped across the Atlantic. Would that have mattered? Maybe. Maybe not.

Okay, let me back up a bit. The point here is that I deal with fragmented attention, but then I also tend to get lost in a particular activity. For example, just yesterday, I was playing Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) on my laptop. What started with the intention to “blow off steam for a few minutes” saw me sitting for at least two hours, flicking buttons and relishing a seemingly never-ending wave of dopamine.

This doesn’t only happen when I play games. It happens when I write, read, see movies, think, and/or engage in other activities.

Some people refer to this state as “lock in.” To lock in is to enter a state of deep focus, typically when taking on a task or goal that requires intense concentration. It is all about removing distractions and staying committed to a task at hand.

But framing hyperfocus as “lock in” would miss the most critical aspect of it. Let me explain. To lock in, you have to take deliberate steps to accomplish a particular goal or task. For example, you could decide to lock in to complete an assignment that you’ve been putting off, and that is due tomorrow. For this, you’d most likely put your phone away, turn off the television, and just focus on the assignment.

This is where the difference lies. In the personal instances I gave earlier, I did not have to take any deliberate steps with any end goals in mind. I did not have to consciously shut any distractions away to help me focus on whatever I was doing. It just happened.

I just started something, and then got lost in it. I’ve read a book for over five hours, and I did not, at any point, feel the need to do something else or get distracted by anything, even when a million things were happening all around me.

This is what hyperfocus means. It is highly focused attention that lasts a long time. It is the ability to concentrate on something so hard that you lose track of everything else going on around you. You may feel hungry, tired, or thirsty, but the activity you’re engaged in overshadows all of it.

A lot of people experience this; they get sucked into something for hours and come out the other side wondering where their day went. Hyperfocus is very common in people with neurodivergent conditions like ADHD and autism, and many of them have no idea. They may just think that they’re “really into things.”

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If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone, and you are definitely not weird. Many Nigerians are living with the same experience, trying to make sense of their own minds without any support.

That is part of what Project Neuroharmony is trying to change. We are a social impact initiative focused on raising awareness about neurodiversity and neurodivergent conditions in Nigeria, and building a community for neurodivergent Nigerians.

You can find us across social media platforms and on Substack.

In the show, Dr Shaun Murphy, the protagonist, has autism with savant syndrome. He has a photographic memory and spatial intelligence. He remembers every medical textbook, journal, and case he’s ever read — word for word, image for image. He spots tiny details others miss: a slight skin discolouration, an odd lab result, a rare symptom. His brain links it to something he read years ago.

And the most impressive part, in my opinion, is that he can visualise the human body in 3D inside his head. It was, and still is, one of my favourite shows. I thought autism was really cool and even wished I was on the spectrum so I could have Dr Murphy’s “supernatural abilities.” I didn’t know better.

It isn’t just The Good Doctor. Several other shows and even social media advocates frame autism as a kind of superhuman condition. To the uninformed, autism translates to being specially gifted. And the idea of an “ungifted” autistic person becomes incomprehensible.

So What Is That “Superpower,” Really?

It’s called Savant Syndrome, a rare condition in which a person demonstrates exceptional ability in one specific domain, such as art, music, or mathematics, often alongside neurological or developmental differences.

Savant syndrome can be present from birth or emerge later in life, and in some documented cases, it has appeared following a brain injury. It takes several recognisable forms:

Memory: Savants with exceptional recall can memorise books, maps, zip codes, and historical dates with striking precision, often retaining far more than the average person ever could.

Mathematical and calendar calculation: Calendrical savants can instantly identify the day of the week for any date in history, without performing any visible calculation. Ask them what day March 24, 1959, fell on, and they’ll answer before you finish the sentence.

Visual art: Artistic savants can view a building, landscape, or face once and reproduce it in photorealistic detail entirely from memory.

Music: Musical savants may have perfect pitch, compose original pieces, or replay a song after a single listen, sometimes with no formal training whatsoever.

Spatial intelligence: These savants possess vivid three-dimensional visualisation, their imagination functioning almost like an internal camera.

These are remarkable abilities. But they belong to savant syndrome, not to autism itself.

The Majority We Don’t Talk About

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that approximately 1 in 127 people worldwide had autism as of 2021, while a broader WHO estimate puts the figure at roughly 1 in 100 children globally.

Meanwhile, research estimates that only between 0.5% and 10% of autistic people have some form of savant abilities. That means the vast majority of people on the autism spectrum, at least 90%, are non-savants.

In Nigeria, the picture is further complicated by stigma and a severe shortage of diagnostic infrastructure. A 2025 review estimated autism prevalence among Nigerian children at between 0.8% and 1.2%.

Applying that range to Nigeria’s population, conservative projections suggest well over 600,000 Nigerians are on the autism spectrum, with the true figure likely significantly higher due to chronic underdiagnosis.

However significant that gap is, it doesn’t change the underlying reality: most autistic people, in Nigeria and everywhere else, have no exceptional ability to point to. They are simply autistic.

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What That Reality Actually Looks Like

Even in The Good Doctor, there are moments where Dr Murphy’s autism creates genuine difficulty, where his condition doesn’t step aside to let his gifts shine. The show, to its credit, doesn’t fully ignore this.

But Dr Murphy is still a savant. He still has something remarkable to offer that silences the room. Now consider the millions of autistic non-savants who don’t.

They struggle to interpret sarcasm and navigate social cues. Relationships require sustained, deliberate effort. Tasks that many people handle automatically, such as managing money, commuting independently, and living alone, can present serious daily obstacles.

Some non-verbal autistic individuals have significant difficulty expressing their thoughts and needs at all. Many experience intense sensory sensitivities that can become completely overwhelming.

And then, on top of all of that, they are expected to justify their diagnosis to a world that has been taught autism looks like a superpower.

We Can Do Better

That seemingly simple question about what extraordinary abilities an autistic person possesses? Yeah, that one. Before you ask it, think deeply about the consequences. Think about how that question could undermine the experiences of an autistic person.

Think about the message you’re sending to others who might want to express themselves. Think about the struggle of a large community of people. And remember, the spectrum is wide, and most of it isn’t openly discussed.

‎Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you identify as neurodivergent?

My name is Victor Dubem Eze. Omo, tbh, my friend who’s a psychologist is the one who put me on. He, among a few other psychology students I know, has also classified me.

So when he told me about this, I agreed, simply because he put me on. I don’t actually know if I am. But I trust his judgment, so if he says so, it should be correct to some reasonable level of accuracy. As for myself, I’m just me, I guess.

Where in Nigeria are you from, and where are you based now?

I’m from Enugu State, and I currently live there for the time being.

‎What is one challenge you face that most people don’t see or understand?

My mind. I have so many ideas in my head at every point in time that they often overspill, making it very easy to switch between conversations, which makes it a challenge (not hard) to keep to one for too long.

Growing up, (or in even now), what were some of the names or labels people gave you, or what did people think about you because of your condition?

Hyper, Hyperactive, Ezemuo, among others.

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What would you want to change about the knowledge or understanding of neurodiversity in Nigeria?

Um, the general population of the country indeed, I am sure doesn’t understand that some children aren’t unintelligent nor are they stubborn, they simply are different. And different is good, it means they have different views, and this allows them to colour life in a way not conventional or limited to traditional norms that may otherwise be limiting negatively.

But different also means learning to channel that energy, so I hope parents, teachers, and guardians come to this knowledge and have the grace and patience to help the neruos. (My new nickname for neurodivergent persons, sounds cool, innit?)

What helps you thrive or stay balanced when things get tough?

Music, meditation, prayer, talking to myself or God, and journalling, oh and pushups, the pain of a rep gives clearance to the mind to think clearer thoughts.

Is there something amazing your brain does that absolutely stands you out in a great way?

Um, pattern recognition, it kinda messes with me, in a good way, how I notice things very early on. But people tend to dismiss or ignore it for a long while, until it happens. Then I’m quietly vindicated and have my told you so moments in my head. Unless we’re close, then I’ll laugh at you *depending on the situation*

‎What advice would you give to someone discovering they may be neurodivergent?

Prayer, journalling, and meditation. Being neurodivergent means your mind works differently, and how your spirit interacts with your body is different. It makes it easier for you to become spiritually tuned, even to strange or familiar spirits, and so, it becomes important to guard your heart and spirit through prayer and deep and active thinking and processing alongside meditation.

In the ‘Inside My Mind’ series, we interview neurodivergent Nigerians and ask them questions that explore their experiences living as neurodivergent individuals in Nigeria. Read our previous edition here.

A friend he had made at university and someone who had known him for a long time, Seun had insisted. His reasoning was simple: he believed Tunmise was not weird. Now, seeing the results with Autism Confirmed written at the bottom of the page, Tunmise didn’t know which emotion best described him — relief or grief.

Reflecting on his childhood, Tunmise couldn’t help but think of the moment he realised he was viewed differently from other kids. He felt relieved to know that he was not abnormal, as his classmates had said, nor was he possessed, as his paternal aunt had once mentioned during one of the many Christmas holidays his family spent in the village.

But he couldn’t help but also feel grief for the experiences that had left him traumatised. He remembered being called *abiku* by his cousins during those holidays simply for acting differently and sticking to himself.

One would think the stigmatisation would have ended once he became an adult and was fully responsible for himself, but it hadn’t. It continued when he was tagged as unfriendly at work for not socialising, or when he was stigmatised for being direct in his communication.

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After sitting for an hour, Tunmise finally let out a breath he felt as though he had been holding for the past twenty-nine years. The clarity that comes with finally understanding a situation could not be underestimated.

Making a mental note to call Seun later in the day, he stood up, adjusted his shirt, and walked out of the hospital a different person. He had finally discovered he wasn’t broken, just wired uniquely.

If Tunmise’s story resonates with you or someone close to you, you are not alone. Project Neuroharmony is here to provide a safe, understanding space where you can explore and find the support you deserve.

In November 2024, Kanyeyachukwu, also known as Kanye, broke the world record for the largest art canvas. The painting was titled “Impossibility is a Myth”. Then, in March 2026, he earned a second GWR title for being the youngest person to cycle 100 miles, riding through seven states in Nigeria alongside his father and 20 cyclists from the Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN).

But Kanye did not pursue either record for fame or money. He wanted to raise awareness about autism, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication and social interaction. And he did it twice.

A Different Kind of Child

Kanye was diagnosed with autism before he turned 5. In an interview with Project Neuroharmony, his mother, Silvia Tagbo-Okeke, recalled that the first signs appeared around his speech. “He met all these milestones, but the thing was that the speech wasn’t there. He wasn’t talking the way he ought to.”

It was also during this period that Kanye began to show a passion for drawing. “We noticed that he had the propensity for art. He was scribbling all over the wall. We started looking for an art teacher, and we were eventually able to get somebody to take him on. She said, ‘You brought a genius to me.’ That was the beginning,” Silvia recalled.

From there, Kanye kept painting and gained recognition for his work. At just 8 years old, he became the youngest recipient of the Flame of Peace award in Austria, an international honour recognising contributions to peace and human dignity.

In 2022, one of his paintings was featured on the front cover of the Art Vancouver Catalogue, one of Canada’s most prominent art publications. Today, he holds two Guinness World Records, actively dismantling the myths that surround people with autism.

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“Why Don’t We Make a Big Impact?”

According to Silvia, the inspiration for Kanye’s ‘Impossibility is a Myth’ painting grew out of observing her son’s energy every day. “Kanye has a lot of energy. Big energy. I keep telling people that energy not utilised is useless. You just burn it, and it’s just useless. So the best use of energy is when you redirect it into something productive. He has this huge energy. We have this big canvas outside, and I say, ‘ Go and paint’. And he goes there, and he’s painting and painting and painting.”

The idea took shape one afternoon while she was scrolling through the internet.

“One day, I was scrolling through the internet when I saw this guy who broke the Guinness World Record for the largest art in the world. I’m like, okay, Kanye can do this because he spent so much time painting on big spaces. And in one hour, he’s through with one canvas, and we’re looking for a canvas to give to him. So, I thought, why don’t we use his talent, use what he’s good at, for advocacy?”

By that point, the family had already been running advocacy initiatives, including the No Child Left Behind exhibition at Transcorp Hilton. The work was making a difference, but Silvia wanted to reach further.

“It was making an impact. It was an impact little by little. So, I thought, why don’t we make a big impact that will reach out to more people, not only in Nigeria, but across Africa and across the world? That’s where the idea of attempting a Guinness World Record came from.”

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

It is not all rosy for Kanye and his family. Silvia was candid about the challenges that come with navigating a world that does not always accommodate neurodivergent people.

“Imagine somebody who has no speech, no social skills and is out there. The world is not always a nice place. There’s this movie that we watched when we were quite young, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’. That’s basically how society is. You have the good, the bad and the ugly,” Kanye’s mum said.

“You can’t avoid not meeting all three of these at every point in time. For people who are on the spectrum who are misunderstood, it’s not always kind to them. That’s why we do what we do. That’s why Kanye is doing what he’s doing. For empathy, not sympathy. Empathy, a place of understanding. They are different. Different is not bad. Different is not useless. They are just different. So acceptance, understanding.

“That’s why he does this big stuff so that he can get that big attention to not just him, but to people like him. Challenges are there, really. Every day. Him trying to communicate, but he can’t communicate. Every day he is trying to.

“The system in school, in parties, and at home. Even in your immediate family, there are challenges, but you shouldn’t let those challenges weigh you down or bring you down. That’s why we say ‘Impossibility is a Myth’. That is a message of hope. No matter how bad it is, no matter what part of the spectrum that child is, we keep at it because they matter.”

Silvia and her husband manage by being intentional about their limits. “What we have done is make an effort. It’s a pathway that we consciously decided to take, not the publicity. We didn’t envisage this huge publicity. We just wanted to make a difference using his talent in art and in cycling. But of course, the publicity that came with it is quite huge.

“At times, it can get overwhelming. But my husband and I decided that when it gets to a stage, we’d take a step back and reevaluate so that we don’t get too overwhelmed and Kanye doesn’t get too overwhelmed. We try to manage it as much as we can.”

A Win for Every Neurodivergent Person

For Silvia, Kanye’s achievements belong to a community much larger than their family.

“He has been winning awards upon awards, which is really good for the neurodivergent community. Look at someone who has limited social and verbal skills. He’s a two-time Guinness World Record holder. The title of his Guinness World Record is ‘Impossibility is a Myth’. Nothing is impossible when you set your mind to it.”

This April, as the world marks Autism Awareness Month, Kanye's story reminds us that the right support and outlet can turn difference into something extraordinary. Project Neuroharmony is working to ensure that more stories like his are heard. We are raising awareness of neurodiversity and building a community for neurodivergent Nigerians.

Mustering up the little confidence he had remaining, he walked to the front of the class and started reading. Then it happened… A mispronunciation. Slowly at first, then again, and again, until laughter erupted and jeers echoed through the classroom. “Olodo,” “Mumu boy.”

Even though the noise eventually died down and the class quietened, Kingsley’s experience did not.

This scene plays out in classrooms across Nigeria. Children who have this experience live through it without getting any explanation or support. In many instances, that missing explanation has a name: dyslexia.

What Is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a condition that affects the ability to connect sounds to letters and words. It is not, in any sense, an intelligence issue.

It is a neurological difference that affects how the brain processes written language. Dyslexia also does not affect only children; many adults live with dyslexia.

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How Does It Show Up?

In the classroom, dyslexia tends to show up in recognisable ways. Reading aloud is often difficult, partly because of what is known as the crowding effect, where visually similar letters like b and d, or p and q, become easy to mix up.

Reading a paragraph of text can be slow and labour-intensive, sometimes requiring multiple passes before the meaning settles. Some dyslexics also struggle with working memory, making it harder to retain sequences, follow multi-step instructions, or manage time. None of these difficulties reflects how intelligent a person is. They reflect how that person’s brain is wired. Nothing more.

If You Are a Kingsley

For anyone who recognises themselves in Kingsley’s story, the most important thing to understand is that the classroom moment does not define you. Your brain works differently, and different, when properly understood and supported, is not a disadvantage.

You are not an olodo. You are not behind. You are simply wired differently.

If You Know a Kingsley

For those who know a Kingsley, the role is straightforward: resist the instinct to label. A child who struggles to read is not a dullard; they may simply need a different approach to learning, whether that means more time, different materials, or a specialist’s input.

Emotional support also matters. Being told you are not broken can change the entire trajectory of how someone sees themselves. But you cannot support what you do not understand. And in Nigeria, dyslexia is still largely misunderstood.

Breaking the Silence

The larger problem in Nigeria is the silence around the existence of dyslexia. Ignorance allows the “olodo” label to stick, and spreading awareness helps to loosen its grip. The classroom stops being a place of humiliation when parents, teachers, and peers understand what dyslexia actually is.

‎Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you identify as neurodivergent?

My name is Eunice. I’m a brand communication strategist, copywriter, marketing creative director and filmmaker. That sounds like a lot now, but yeahhhh. Sometimes, I reflect back to when I was like 8-10, and I laugh. When I was 8 or 9, I used to wonder what it was like to be grown. I used to wonder also how people get to be thingssss. I wish I could paint all that I think and feel about that, but here’s not the place. Yeah, I think I have ADHD and also a little on the autistic spectrum, too.

Where in Nigeria are you from, and where are you based now?

I am from Anambra State. Wanted to mention my mother’s state, inclusive, but she’s also from Anambra State... let’s not go into that. I’m based in Lagos right now.

‎What is one challenge you face that most people don’t see or understand?

Generally, this challenge is familiar with anyone who’s not the norm. Like, part of the 80. And it’s the challenge of people being small-minded, that they fear or hate anything that’s not conventional. It’s terrible mhennn! I know I’m different, but I think it in a fun way. I don’t hurt anyone. I can be fun and funny. I’m creative, but someone just gets weirded out because I like to be alone with myself, or I hate physical stress or, I talk to myself a lot. Like, wtf is wrong with you.

Growing up, (or in even now), what were some of the names or labels people gave you, or what did people think about you because of your condition?

One sticks on me like a gum — like those nice gums that can be really sticky. My Dad used to call me “slow”. And also other people, too, in different terms, but his own sort of stuck harder. And it’s crazy because, one, at school I was called “sabi-sabi”. Secondly, it was crazy because being slow was just me trying to do things carefully or just liking to be quiet and observe my world deeply. Once, one of my sisters said something between the lines of how “the academics is the only thing I would be able to succeed in” (yeah, I was a real bookie as a kid). I actually believed her then, because I hated physical stress like. But see me today and my love for chaos, including some extent of the physical one.

What would you want to change about the knowledge or understanding of neurodiversity in Nigeria?

What I would change is the belief that Neurodivergent people are “just overdoing it”. Stupid advice like, “you just need more discipline”, “you’re just using those as excuses”, “you’re slow”.

Basically, I need the world to be some more open-minded. Try to really care, listen and research. So that everyone, including people who are not the majority or norm, can all have a better life.

What helps you thrive or stay balanced when things get tough?

Many things. I love my friends more than I have ever loved any of my romantic partners. And that’s mostly because of the dating culture, though. The dating culture where we fall into stereotypes, which forces us to present ourselves in a certain way, but I digress.

I love myself because my friends help my life immensely. I love my career in communications (especially when the work is going well and the money is coming in). I love creating and working in general, which gives me the calms.

I love movies and books because of how they transport me to other worlds. God bless all the people who write wacky erotica, especially those who give warnings like “guys, don’t do this in real life, you’d ruin your life”

Social media...thank you to everyone who contributes. Music: Fave, Frank Ocean, Ayra Starr, Kamauu and many more. Then, myself...for all the wonderful conversations we have and for picking up whenever life tries to break me.

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Is there something amazing your brain does that absolutely stands you out in a great way?

Quirky thing my brain does is be holding like 4-7 different conversations at once, plus 1 million micro thoughts, and then mix up everything at a point — mistakenly, of course.

I could basically be in the middle of the road and stop, because in that moment, I’m lost in life. Like, literally, I have l tapped out and I would usually takesome seconds for everything to start working again.

My mind also comes up with super ideas, that I myself even be like “Damn, Eunice. Shittttttttt. You be fire! Chai!”

‎What advice would you give to someone discovering they may be neurodivergent?

The advice I’d give is “First, I’m really sorry. I understand how it may be hard, especially without support, but go online and search. Be free, and freedom starts from knowledge and understanding. Also, connect with people at Project Neuroharmony. We can just chill and walk with you through the process”.

Don’t say that stupid thing you want to say. Don’t say it. Go and do some research first. And omg, be empathetic... yes, you can be, just tryyy.

In the ‘Inside My Mind’ series, we interview neurodivergent Nigerians and ask them questions that explore their experiences living as neurodivergent individuals in Nigeria. Read our previous edition here.

Due to an issue with our previous Substack page, Project Neuroharmony now has a new home. Going forward, all our posts will be published on this page.

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If you’ve been following our work, we’d love for you to join us again there and stay connected as we continue building and amplifying neurodivergent voices.

Thank you for your continued support.