“Nigerian Sector is Male-Dominated,” Tacha Criticises Nation’s Patriarchal Structure

Summary: Reality TV personality and entrepreneur Tacha Akide has criticised the phrase “na man dey do man,” saying it falsely suggests men are the most unsupported group in Nigeria despite structural systems that favour men across most sectors. She shares that women succeed despite the system because it is not designed to support them.

Reality TV personality and entrepreneur Tacha Akide has criticised the popular Nigerian phrase “na man dey do man,” meaning men sabotage other men, stating it as a misleading narrative that ignores structural gender inequality on Jan 10, 2026.

Tacha said Nigeria operates within a deeply patriarchal structure where men dominate most sectors of society, arguing that this imbalance is systemic rather than subjective. “Nigeria is a deeply patriarchal society almost every sector is 70–90 per cent dominated by men. That’s not opinion, that’s structure,” she wrote, adding that men are more likely to fund and support other men than women.

She stated that power and opportunity do not concentrate by accident, but flow through systems designed to favour men, noting that even women are sometimes conditioned to trust men over other women in business. The reality TV personality noted that these systems influence access to capital, networks, and professional growth across various industries.

Using her personal experience, she said she believes her career trajectory would have been significantly different if she were a man with the same ideas, drive, and work ethic, stressing that access, not merit, often determines outcomes. She explained that while her ideas are frequently praised, conversations with potential partners often fail to translate into concrete opportunities.

The Guinness World Record Holder further highlighted differences in how business negotiations play out for men and women, saying men often close deals informally, while women face added, non-professional expectations. She noted that environments where deals are easily sealed for men often become sites of pressure or barriers for women instead.

Rejecting claims that men uplift women more than other men, Tacha said women’s success often comes in spite of systemic obstacles. 

“Men put men on. The system puts men on. Women succeed despite the system, not because of it,” she wrote, urging women to over-prepare, over-deliver, and avoid relying on goodwill in male-dominated spaces.

She expressed that competence alone is rarely sufficient for women, stating that women must repeatedly prove themselves to gain entry into spaces where power circulates primarily among men.