'If I fit live wit HIV, anybodi fit live wit am' - Chika Wonder

"If I fit live wit am, den anybodi fit live wit am. No be death sentence."

Dis na wetin Chika Ekezie aka Chika Wonder tell BBC News Pidgin as e share im journey of living wit HIV and educating pipo on how to live healthy wit am.

Chika wey don dey live wit di virus for di past nine years say e start dis HIV awareness content creation becos e bin wan release from di dark place wia e bin dey.

"So I don dey HIV positive for nine years now. But for seven years, I bin no dey take my medication. I bin still dey deny am. So I go always fall sick and all of dat.

"You know HIV dey more psychological dan medical, so I bin dey trapped mentally. So I need form of release, na one of di reasons I come out to dey tok about am.

"I kon find out say I no dey only speak for mysef, but I dey speak for millions of Nigerians wey dey live wit HIV. Becos a lot of pipo dey wey dey live wit am but dem no fit express diasef becos of di stigma and discrimination wey dey attached to di name HIV," e tok.

On how e contact am, Chika say e dey veri hard for am to trace how e take get di virus sake of wia im contact am.

"E bin dey veri hard for me to trace how I take get HIV becos of say wen I bin dey veri young, I bin dey carry women. I be dat kain pesin wey be say I go just go any brothel, dose places wia you go fit find hookup girls and stuff like dat, wey you go just give dem small money and sleep wit dem.

"So I bin no fit kon trace who I get am from exactly. And na why I dey use my platform dey let pipo know say e dey veri important to get one partner.

"Becos if to say I get one partner, den I fit trace wia I bin get di HIV from. But up till today, I still no know who give me HIV," Chika tok.

Di stigma of living wit HIV

Chika say living wit HIV and coming out to tok about am don make am experience stigma from pipo.

"I don receive stigma from different angles becos since I come out tok say I get HIV, friends no be friends anymore, dem don become strangers. And no be just from my surroundings.

"E don happun for church, church don discriminate me, I don go barbing salon even wit my own clipper, dem no gree barb my hair, I don go hotel, di one wey happun two weeks ago, wey I go buy drink to drink, dem dey serve evribodi dia wit glass cup, but e reach my turn dem bring disposable cup becos dem feel say if I use di glass cup, di next pesin wey use am afta me go get am," Chika tok.

Di content creator say e don redefine di meaning of HIV from Human Immunodeficiency Virus, to Having Incredible Values.

"So wen pesin dey call me HIV, dem dey only remind me of my values, no be di virus wey I carry. So I no too dey feel pain.

"If I check comment section and I see pipo wey dey even insult me or dey stigmatise me, I dey follow dem laugh, na dem shame go kon dey catch," Chika tok.

Matchmaking pipo wey dey live wit HIV

Chika dey also use im platform to matchmake pipo wey dey live wit HIV and e say some of di pipo e bin matchmake don already marry.

On im own relationship, Chika say becos e don come out as pesin wey dey live wit HIV, e dey harder for am to actually dey for relationship even wit woman wey get HIV.

"Becos di truth be say, if you see anybodi wey stand by my side right now, weda or not you like am or not, your head go dey ask you say, "Dis pesin get am too, you understand?" And for a lot of pipo wey no want make anytin dey attached wit dem and HIV, dem no wan dey wit me, and na only becos of dat, you know?

"But I don still get pipo wey be say dem dey my DM, dem tell me say dem like me, but no be for anytin serious. And me, if dem no want anytin serious, I no dey game.

E encourage pipo wey dey live wit HIV make dem no look like di virus becos dem no dey write am for face.

"So HIV, dem no dey write am for face. And becos dem no dey write am for face, you no suppose look like am. No be problem, na just somtin wey suppose make you see life differently," e tok.