This year in one word – omo.
2020 so far has been tough and full of surprises. Personally I plan to maximize this year’s Detty December’s enjoyment, but of course while keeping safe and taking safety measures, because we’re still in a Pandemic please. We deserve undiluted enjoyment after the chaos this year has been.
December is almost here and Christmas bells are ringing. It’s time to get lit, reconnect with friends, go out, (throw some a*s sometimes) and take bomb pictures. Sadly, it’s also the time of the year where kidnappers and ritualists are rampant in the city, so it’s important to always keep safe. Especially us women, we have to look out for ourselves and make sure we’re always protected.
Read: Going Out Alone? Here Are Safety Tips To Help You Through The Night
At 21 MAG, we care about you (and your safety), so that’s why in this article, I’ll be sharing some safety tips on how to have a safe and enjoyable Detty December:
1. Always inform someone, a family or a friend about your whereabouts. I won’t advise going out alone during this period, especially at night, but if you have to, please keep at least one person in the loop. That way, family or friends know whose doorstep to pull up to if you go missing or unreachable.
2. If you’re going to be out till late in the night, make hotel reservations or stay with a close friend you trust. Lagos is one of the most dangerous cities to ply at night, don’t try going home (especially if you live far away) when it’s late.
3. No matter how excited you are to take pictures, be careful not to unintentionally share details like house addresses or phone numbers on social media. These can be used by ill-intentioned followers to trace you and harm you.
4. Corona is still very much outside. Don’t forget to mask up and take your sanitizers with you when you need to go out.
5. Carry pepper sprays and tasers with you in case you need to tell someone’s predatory son to back off. Items like keys, perfumes and even your bag can also be used as makeshift weapons to hit or harm anybody who wants to assault you.
6. If you’re being attacked, do not get into your attackers’ car, even if they threaten to shoot. They want you to get into the car so that they can drive you to god-knows-where. Instead, try to run away screaming for help and do so in a zigzag pattern (this makes it harder for a bullet to hit you if your attackers try to shoot.) Do anything you can to draw as much attention to yourself as possible.
7. Always lock your car doors while driving. Robbing and kidnapping is rampant in this part of the country. There have been reported cases of robbers getting into people’s cars and hijacking or robbing them of their valuables in traffic. Also, if you’re one of those rare Nigerians that usually stops their cars for strangers, don’t try it this December.
8. When walking at night, be at alert. This is not the time to blast your favorite artistes with your AirPods on, or engross yourself in games or social media activities. You have to be at alert for any unexplainable noise. This is Lagos, anything can happen at any time, especially during this December period.
9. At parties, pour your own drinks or, at best, watch what’s been poured for you so you know what you are taking in. Your drink might be tampered with when you aren’t looking or when you go to the toilet. If you haven’t been with your drink for a while or even a few minutes, trash it and request for a new one.
10. When wanting to leave the club or a party, DO NOT enter the car of a drunk driver. No matter what, even if the person is a friend. I know parties are lit, and getting carried away is so easy. Still, if you don’t have another option, you can get an Uber (refer to #1 – if you do this, share your live location with a friend until you get to your destination because you can’t be too careful with these drivers).
11. Make your December as detty as you can, but remember to save for rainy days. Don’t blow all your money during this period o. I mean, do you see how much Dollar is to Naira? Yes, Christmas bells are ringing, but January is also creeping, and girl, that month is long as hell.
Hopefully you note down these safety tips, because as much as we know you want to end this dreadful year with a bang, it’s also important to remember to be safe. So, please take these extra precautions.
Have a safe and Detty December babe!
