Funny Stories we believed as kids…

In ‘stupid song’, Bez recounted the silly songs we all enjoyed as kids. More recently there have been heart shattering discoveries undoing the very foundation on which our education was built. Discoveries like ‘Sandalili’ is actually “Standard Living”; ‘Jangulova epo moto’ is actually “Jingle Over like a motor” etc?  Heart shattering discoveries capable of making you doubt everything you know. For Instance, are you sure you know the real meaning of MR NIGER D or BODMAS?

Guest blogger, @Oyebilan uncovers the truth behind some funny stories we believed as kids. Whoever spreads these stories anyway? Are we already telling such stories to our kids or creating brand new versions of generational ‘bobo’. In this social media age, garnishing and serving bobo is even easier, God help us!

Marshall McLuhan was right, growth is only possible when humans are willing to learn, unlearn and relearn. Enjoy.

Nigeria VS India: 99 - 1

Though there are many variations of the story, every prevaricator seems to agree on a couple of facts about this fictional football match. Each storyteller agrees that;

1. This match ended with India scoring 99 goals and Nigeria scoring just one goal.

2. Nigerians where unable to kick the ball because the football kept turning to a lion (or something scary) to prevent them from playing the soccer ball.

3. The Indians later agreed that if Nigeria could score a goal, they would concede defeat

4. Samuel Okwaraji scored the winning goal and lost his life in the process.

5. FIFA banned India from soccer because they used black magic in that very game

Sam Okwaraji was the player rumored to have lost his life in that game when in truth he died during a FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Angola in the 77th minute, On the 12th of August 1989.

No such match was ever played.

Bruce Lee Died of Muscle Pull

Bruce Lee, was a popular Hong Kong American actor, martial artist, philosopher, filmmaker.

Back then, some accounts stated that he had muscle pull in one of his acts, while some stated that he was accidentally shot and his body exploded (due to muscle pull). The latter account, though happened to his son, Brandon Lee.

What actually happened? On July 20, 1973, Lee complained of a headache, and Ting, his colleague gave him an analgesic (painkiller), Equagesic, which contained both aspirin and the tranquilizer meprobamate (which he was allergic to). Around 7:30 p.m., he went to lie down for a nap and never woke up. By the time the ambulance reached the hospital he was dead. He was 32 years old.

Daewoo Racer is the fastest car in the world

Daewoo LeMans (Called Daewoo Racer on some body styles) is a  compact car, first manufactured by Daewoo in South Korea in the ‘90s. It’s possible that the “Racer” in the car gave it a reputation of seemingly incredible speed; a fact which cannot be verified. There were many cars at the time, and Daewoo was not even close to the fastest set.

Gbomo-Gbomo – baby snatcher

When kidnapping was rampant during the 90’s, many children were banned from entering bushes close to their schools as there was a certain (Gbomo-Gbomo) monster that would take them away. This was also related to the “Bush baby”, an animal that reportedly cries like a baby and snatches people away from paths and roads.

More often than not, kidnappers were mostly human beings!

Touch it and turn to Yam

This was one of the scariest tactics used on children to prevent them from picking objects and money from the ground. It was rumoured that many who picked objects as such turned to Yam (or some other object/animal) on impact. Hence, children stayed away from objects on the floor or in extreme cases peed on it before picking it up. Of course, there is an exception if the object is yours.

What other ridiculous stories were you told as a child? Is it possible to teach children morals without generating such stories? Share with us in the comment box.