ARTICLES

How to Deal with Sapa in School as a Nigerian Student: 17 Foods to Try When Sapa Hits You

Sapa is a popular slang used to describe a situation whereby someone is hungry, financially constrained, or broke. Every Nigerian student must have witnessed sapa in one way or another, especially during examination periods when there is no money to run things smoothly.

So how do you deal with SAPA when it battles with you as a student? These are the best foods you can rely on when sapa falls back on you and how to deal with sapa.

How to deal with sapa as a Nigerian Student:

1. Cook Beans.

Beans is an underrated food among students, especially female students, but this food is a lifesaver. It really saved me and my colleagues back then in school. In fact, beans are one of the cheapest foods to try to avoid sapa.

The reason why beans are good is that you can use them to fry akara. It also goes well with bread, moi moi, and the almighty garri. If you want to deal with sapa, just cook beans. At least one cup of beans and one cup of garri will last you for a whole 24 hours.

Are you worried about your gas? Soak the beans in water overnight and cook the following day. It won’t take long before it gets done. You can use bicarbonate to soften the beans to reduce the pressure on the gas. If Sapa is dealing with you, make beans your favorite food.

2. Garri.

Garri is the most popular food among Nigerian students. It is a lifesaver because it goes well with sugar, salt, groundnut, peeper, fish, or any other combination. Garri is also one of the cheapest foods. When Sapa falls back on you, Garri is always there for you.

3. Trek Instead.

Instead of paying a bike man and cab to school, you should trek instead to save money and limit your expenses. Also, instead of buying food at eateries, you should cook your food yourself. Let your legs be your favorite source of transportation.

4. Water Leaf And Eba.

When Sapa deals with you, you will know that fish and meat are unnecessary when serving food. Most of the polytechnics and universities in Nigeria are located in farming environments or local settlements. Look for water leaf or any other vegetable, cut it, and cook it with pepper and palm oil, then make eba with it. It’s not about getting satisfied, but just satisfying hunger. When hunger bites you, “no book fit enter your head.”

If you have little change on you, you can cook vegetables; it doesn’t take much money, then make eba with it. Eba is also cheap to make because it’s a product of garri.

5. Beg For Money.

Sapa doesn’t understand whether you are a student or not; it can frustrate you, and to deal with it, don’t be shy to beg people for money. After all, begging is better than stealing and defrauding other people. Explain yourself to your colleagues and people in your environment; show them your identity card; anyone can decide to help you; use any money you get from the begging stuff to buy something to eat. Out of every 20 people you beg for money, at least two may volunteer to help.

6. Concoction Rice.

Rice is one of the most expensive foods in Nigeria. You might not have the capacity to cook the right sauce, so to make concoction rice, put everything together at once when the rice is parboiled. If you don’t have oil, you can still cook it like that and manage it. Concoction rice is an emergency food that students take when Sapa is dealing with them.

7. Okro Soup.

Okro soup is cheap and easy to make; it doesn’t take much time before it gets done. Visit a nearby market to buy Okro, pepper, Maggi, salt, and oil. Cook it, and before you know it, food is ready. You can top it with any swallowed food you have left at home, maybe garri or cassava flour.

8. Noodles.

This is for the female students who don’t like beans or swallow foods. Noodles are an emergency food too, but they’re kind of expensive. To deal with sapa, it’s best you buy a pack of it at home so it can help you whenever you are broke and running out of food.

9. Cocoyam.

Cocoyam is another food you can count on during sapa, and it will last you for more than 24 hours because it is a solid food. It goes well with oil and pepper.

10. Make Sure To Always Resume With Ingredients.

In order for you to defeat Sapa, make sure you resume with enough food ingredients, this will make cooking easier for you. Ingredients like Maggi, grind pepper, dry pepper, melon (egusi), palm oil, and groundnut oil are very important. When you have all these ingredients in abundance, Sapa will not be able to defeat you.

11. Fruits.

Yes, fruit is another way of dealing with sapa. Some schools here in Nigeria planted fruits across the campus, such as mango, guava, and cashew, among others. Whenever you are hungry, rush to the place, pluck as many fruits as possible, and eat. This can help in suppressing hunger.

12. Do Menial Jobs.

There are many jobs that you can do on campus to make money. Look for one you can do on a part-time basis that won’t affect your studies. Once you have a source of income, you will deal with Sapa, and Sapa will run away from you. When I was in school, I did car washing and ushering jobs so as to save money to deal with sapa during the examination period.

13. Shadow Weekend Parties.

Every weekend is for owambe vibes in Nigeria, and you can take advantage of that to defeat Sapa. Put on your native attire. Go to parties or event centers where ceremonies like weddings and burials are going on; sit among the attendants, and you will be served food when it’s time. You can take along a poly bag to pack foods because you might be so lucky to have excess food as takeaway.

14. Drink More Water.

This may sound funny, but it works too. If the hunger is too much for you, drink a lot of water until your stomach becomes full. Drinking lots of water doesn’t kill hunger, but it can help you suppress it when there are no other better alternatives.

15. Cook With Firewood Or Charcoal.

There is no shame in cooking with firewood; perhaps that is what our parents and grandparents used to cook in those days. Meanwhile, this also depends on the kind of hostel or environment you live in. Nevertheless, if you are the type that doesn’t care about what other people will say, you can cook with firewood or charcoal to limit your expenses on buying cooking gas.

16. Drink Pap.

Pap is a local food made from corn. It is prepared the same way custard is done. Pap is a local food you can count on when sapa hits you. It is cheap and can sustain you for a few hours.

17. Banana/Plantain.

Unripe hybrid bananas are also good for your health, and you can rely on this food when sapa hits you. It is cheap and doesn’t consume much gas before it gets done. You may decide to fry it or boil it, depending on your choice.

ALSO READ: Vaginal Odour and Vagina Itching: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment