"Your own don dey inside" is the Nigerian promise that your share is waiting, even when it is not. The food is being served. The money is being shared. The opportunity is being distributed. You are anxious. You are last in line. You ask, "Wetin about my own?" The response comes: "Your own don dey inside." It means: Don't worry. Yours is reserved. Yours is coming. Yours is safe. The phrase is often a lie. The food finishes before it reaches you. The money is short. The opportunity is gone. But the reassurance is given anyway, to calm you, to delay your anger, to manage the moment. And the trust! You believe it because you want to believe. Because the alternative—"Your own no dey"—is too painful. Because Nigerian hope is built on promises that may be empty. But sometimes it is true. The mother who hid the best meat for you. The friend who saved you a seat. The boss who held your bonus. The "inside" is real. The promise is kept. These moments are rare and precious. When did someone tell you "Your own don dey inside"? And was it true, or were you left empty-handed?
