“Nigerians will never argue with somebody that isn’t mentally well” — White man

A White man has sparked reactions online after humorously describing what he believes is a common Nigerian approach to handling arguments.

In a viral video, the man said Nigerians often appear to conduct a “full mental health check” on someone before deciding whether it is worth engaging them in an argument.

According to him, Nigerians would rather establish that the other person is mentally sound before investing their energy in a heated exchange.

‘Are you mad? Is he crazy?’

The man explained that the process could begin by asking the person directly whether they were “mad” or mentally okay.

He said Nigerians could then turn to people standing nearby to seek confirmation about the person’s state of mind before proceeding with the argument.

“Nigerians will never argue with somebody that isn’t mentally well. They will always, always do a full mental health check before any argument takes place.

“A Nigerian will check directly with you first that you are mentally okay and then they will check with the person in closest proximity to you and possibly one other check after that with someone else nearby before they argue with you.

“They will say, are you mad? Is he crazy? Is this man crazy? Free mental health checks before any argument happens.

“There’s no point arguing with somebody that isn’t mentally in the right place.”

Social media users find the observation hilarious

The humorous observation has resonated with social media users, particularly Nigerians who are familiar with expressions such as “Are you mad?”, “Is he okay?” and “Is this person normal?” during heated exchanges.

Rather than immediately engaging in a prolonged argument, such questions are often used to establish whether the other person is joking, serious or simply behaving unusually.

The man’s description has therefore been interpreted by many viewers as a light-hearted look at Nigerian conversational culture and the dramatic exchanges that can occur when disagreements become heated.

His comments have also drawn attention to the expressive nature of Nigerian communication, where questions about someone’s sanity can sometimes be used as an insult, a warning or even a humorous way of challenging an outrageous statement.

For the man, however, the practice amounts to a simple rule: there is little value in arguing with someone who may not be in the right state of mind to have a reasonable conversation.

Watch the video here…

A White man talks about how Nigerians 🇳🇬 do a mental check on someone before starting an argument with them 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/M76mf3siLH

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) October 7, 2026