Nigeria Dog Names

Quite a few Nigerian celebrities are very close with their dogs; the affinity they have for their pooches has led to media attention for their beloved pals.

Take Ali Baba, for example. The veteran comedian is a well-known dog lover who enjoys naming his pups after presidents. Flavour, a Nigerian musician, is also very close with his beloved pets. So much so that he plays guitar for them. Nigerian rapper Phyno is also happy to share his love for his pets, showing off photos of his three dogs. Supermodel Agbani Darego can be seen in photos posing with her pups and singer, songwriter and recording artist Asa has two pups of her own. Actress Tonto Dikeh shares about her dogs on social media and has even tattooed the image of her dog’s face on her arm.

Another Nigerian celebrity, Toke Makinwa, who is a radio personality, television host, vlogger and author, has helped her dogs become well-known.  She has two dogs, named Coco and Spice. Coco has received a lot of attention for wearing a diaper when, according to Toke, she was “on her period”. As dogs don’t menstruate, it is thought that Toke meant that Coco was in heat. Toke also shared on Snapchat that Coco has expensive taste, having chewed-up shoes that cost 800 pounds.

The story of a dog named after President Muhammadu Buhari became well-known after his owner, a 41-year old man named Joachim Iroko, also known as Joe Fortemose Chinakwe, was arrested in 2016 and accused of “conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.” The arrest of Iroko led to nationwide outrage as critics accused police of stifling Iroko’s constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. 

The charges were ultimately dropped when a judge in southwest Ogun state found that the prosecution had not substantiated the charges against him. Iroko’s lawyer stated that the prosecution had not presented witnesses or the initial complainant. It is reported that the man who lodged the complaint against Iroko was a neighbor. Iroko was known to walk his dog with his name painted on both sides of his body. Police were concerned that this could antagonize people, though Iroko insisted he meant this as a compliment to the President and that he named his dogs after people he admired.