A Nigerian lady identified as @TDeisine has shared a heartbreaking account of how a lack of just ₦10 worth of matches left her unable to prepare food for several hours.

The woman, who described herself as the only Catholic in her neighbourhood, shared the experience on X, where her post has since gone viral.

Lady recounts being unable to cook

According to the lady, she returned home from church while most of her neighbours had already left for their own church services.

She said she had run out of garri and decided to prepare oil rice instead. However, after getting ready to cook, she discovered that she had no matches to light her stove.

The woman explained that although she could have bought matches from shops along the way, she did not know the shop owners well enough to approach them.

She added that the shops close to her home were also closed because the owners had gone to church.

As a result, she said she had to wait until about 1 p.m. for her neighbours to return from church before she could borrow matches and prepare her food.

The experience reportedly left her hungry for several hours over what amounted to a very small household item.

Social media users react

Her post has attracted reactions from X users, with many sharing their own experiences about unexpected situations that can arise even when someone has money or basic necessities are unavailable.

Komolafe remarked:

“E dey happen,you ho get money and it’ll be useless”.

Chinenye noted:

“We refused to be poor in Jesus name. Amen”.

Man Of Valuwence remarked:

“See why Traditional life good? Instead of waiting for matches, na just to strike two stones together to spark fire. School won’t teach you these things”.

Okam added:

“You can manage with yourself ana your family but you can manage with a man”.

The story has sparked conversations about preparedness, neighbourly relationships, household essentials and how seemingly insignificant items can become important during unexpected situations.