Nigerian singer Teniola Apata, popularly known as Teni, has revealed that she was fired from two nanny jobs within days, recalling how her shyness and an exaggerated claim about her cooking skills contributed to the short-lived employment stints.
Speaking during an interview on Queen’s Mic, the singer said she did not last a week in either role. Her second job ended after she attempted to prepare meals she had listed as skills on her application.
Teni explained that she had taken the jobs because she wanted to earn extra money while still in school, even though her parents had not required her to work at the time.
“I did two nanny jobs. I did not last up to one week. Shy,” she said, describing how her personality affected her experience.
The singer’s account took a humorous turn when she recalled applying for her second position, which was with a doctor whose husband was Nigerian.
During the application process, Teni said she listed several dishes she could supposedly prepare, including jollof rice and fries. However, she had not anticipated that her prospective employer would actually ask her to cook.
“I didn’t know they would tell me to cook,” Teni recalled, acknowledging that her application had overstated her abilities.
The situation quickly became a problem when she attempted to prepare the meal.
“Let me just say, I cooked rubbish. That was the end of your job. She just said don’t bother coming,” the singer said, recounting how the employer ended the arrangement.
Rather than securing the extra income she had hoped for, Teni found herself looking for answers after losing the opportunity.
She said she became frustrated because she had chosen to seek employment voluntarily while pursuing her studies, only to find herself dismissed from both positions.
“So I went to God angry,” she recalled, explaining that she questioned why she was getting fired when her parents had not even asked her to find a job.
Teni’s story offers a glimpse into an earlier chapter of her life, before her rise as one of Nigeria’s recognisable music personalities. It also highlights how the gap between the skills listed on a job application and those someone can actually demonstrate can have immediate consequences.
Her account of the two brief nanny stints adds an unexpected detail to the singer’s personal history: before entertaining audiences with her music, she had a difficult time trying to make it as a nanny.