5 classic Nigerian shows that kept us glued to our TVs

At certain times, children stopped playing outside and came in to gather around the television to watch their favourite shows with their friends and family.

Filled with catchy theme songs, memorable characters and phrases, those TV shows easily became the perfect bonding moments for children growing up in that era.

You could not wait to go to school the next day and reminisce over the hilarious things you watched the previous night in anticipation of the next episode.

On Children’s Day, we are taking you down memory lane with a list of classic Nigerian shows that kept us glued to our TVs:

The first thing that comes to mind is the theme song. No matter where you were or what you were doing, you abandoned everything once that song came on.

Undeniably one of the greatest Nigerian TV shows of all time, the series mirrored the dramatic, daily lives of middle-class family and their neighbours.

Produced by Tajudeen Adepetu, the drama series featured beloved faces like the late Sam Loco Efe, Norbert Young, Ignis Ekwe, Carol King, Seun Soremi, Desmond Elliot, Ejiro Okurame, and Juliet Martin-Obazie.

Cue ‘It’s a super story, a life of strife and sorrows. It is a super story of good food & houses where the fish drown or even die of thirst… It is a super story! This is super story! This is super story!’

A Wale Adenuga production, this show managed to get families together in homes across the country with entertaining and suspenseful storylines.

Every Thursday night, you prayed and hoped that NEPA would come through so you watch the captivating show that always reminded you that ‘we are all pencils in the hands of the creator.’

Another hit show from WAP, Papa Ajasco, was easily the most popular comedy sitcom in Nigeria at the time.

With exaggerated storylines, slapstick comedy, and bigger-than-life characters like Papa Ajasco, Mama Ajasco, Boy Alinco, Pa James, and Miss Pepeye, this show kept us entertained for several years.

Wale Adenuga had us slapping our heads and saying ‘Ojigbijigbi’ just for the fun of it.

As a kid in a nuclear family, this family-oriented comedy was an interesting peek into an interethnic, extremely loud, and hilarious family.

With the family patriarch, Chief Fuji’s three wives, a mistress, and over a dozen children, this show supplied us with a steady flow of mischief and laughs.

Directed and produced by the late Amaka Igwe, this show easily became one of the best shows on TV thanks to the comedic brilliance of Kunle Bamtefa, Ngozi Nwosu, and a great supporting cast.

This drama documents the life of a widow, Teju, raising her children Ifeanyi, Susan, and Ada the best way she can. As a kid, it was interesting to see child actors performing brilliantly.

Veteran actresses Lanre Hassan and Moyin Olutayo commanded your attention whenever the show came on. Even if some of the nuances of their life went over your head as a kid, you could not look away from the screen when the show came on.