UK returnee Missdemz: How moving to Nigeria transformed my career

In the bustling world of digital entertainment, Oluwademilade Abimbola, popularly known as Missdemz, has carved a distinct space for herself through humour, authenticity, and an unfiltered portrayal of everyday Nigerian life. After years in London building a thriving hair business and dabbling in content creation, a brief holiday trip to Lagos unexpectedly became the turning point that redirected her career and personal journey. Now fully immersed in Nigeria’s fast-paced creative ecosystem, she reflects on her rise, her hustle, her relationships, and the moments that shaped her evolving identity. In this interview, she speaks candidly about her experiences, challenges, and the vibrant world she is building for hersel

Give us a picture of what your world looks like

My actual name is Oluwademilade Abimbola, a.k.a. Missdemz. I am a lifestyle and entertainment content creator, a YouTuber, a creative director, and an entrepreneur now based in Lagos. I create relatable content that reflects what life is like in Nigeria.

A lot of content creators started out like they were just having a pastime or fun but decided to take it as a job when they saw the encouraging reactions. What is your own story?

I knew I was going to come to Nigeria to open a branch of my business because I used to sell hair, make wigs, and style hair for celebrities in London. That was my plan when I came to Nigeria, to become a hairstylist to celebrities and do YouTube on the side. But once I got to Nigeria, I discovered it was a creative hub. I saw how creative people are and how people work here, even the influencers. And one of my close friends, Enioluwa; I watched how he created content, and then I realised the reason we couldn’t achieve that in London was because you actually need a team to work. So coming here opened up my creativity. I felt I could push myself and invest my money here. How creative could that be?

People love running to the UK and other places like that, but you relocated back here. What was the attraction?

(Laughs) Honestly, I came to Nigeria for two weeks in April. I was meant to go to Jamaica for my birthday, but one of my friends said I should come to Nigeria instead, so I came. In those two weeks, I was out every day. I went to parties back-to-back and met people. It was amazing. I was shown the highlights of Nigeria in those two weeks, and I had to extend my stay by an additional week. It left such a good taste that when I got back to London, I was depressed.

When I eventually decided to relocate to Nigeria in August, I thought it would be a six-month break, but six months became a year (laughs). When it got to a year, I relaxed and thought, “I already have my house; I don’t need to pay an agent’s fee again,” so I just paid my rent. Something in me said, “Let me do another year.”

Meanwhile, within that one year, I made so many friends and connections, and I felt that if I went back to London, the momentum I had built here would be lost. Nigeria, Lagos in particular, is fast-paced. It makes you increase your hustle and your determination. It makes you more disciplined. The culture can’t be compared to the UK. I felt I could stay here and build something because it’s cheaper to hire people, and when you have good intentions for them and they reciprocate, the possibilities are endless.

One would have expected a young lady like you to be fascinated by a corporate environment like an oil or telecommunication firm, but here you are, doing your thing. What do you say to that?

I feel opportunities like those from oil companies will always come because I meet so many different people every day, so I believe they will still come. For me, I am at a stage in my life where I am pursuing my passion. I want to look back and feel like everything I believed I could do, I actually did, and be proud of my decisions. I still have so many years ahead, and I have always been a creative person. I don’t see myself sitting in an office; I prefer to be in the creative industry and delegating.

Would it be right to say relocating to Nigeria helped you to discover your creativity better?

One hundred per cent… one hundred per cent.

Some people are of the opinion that nothing is working in Nigeria. Going by your experience, what can you say?

I think Nigeria is probably the biggest creative empire in Africa. We are constantly paving the way forward, and I feel the talents here are under-discovered. I believe it will be a lot better in the future. I am taking the risk of staying here now, so when it’s time to reap the fruit of our labour, I will already be here.

There is fun and glamour in what you do. How do you strike a balance so that you don’t get distracted?

(Laughs) Gym… For instance, gym in the morning. If you know you have gym activities and a personal trainer who is going to swear for you and your forefathers (laughs), you will know that whatever clubbing I am doing must be balanced, and I must get up because I have something to do in the morning.

So what you do is have a structured routine because it is so easy to get lost. In my case, I have learnt my body; if I do three days of partying back-to-back, I will catch a cold. My system doesn’t allow it, so I need to come home and focus. And on Instagram, I see many of my peers dropping content every day or every other day. The competition in Nigeria is a lot, so you just want to keep going. The competition is enough to keep you on your toes because it’s so easy to be left behind.

Your content has elements of humour. Is it deliberate, or is humour in your DNA?

Honestly, it’s definitely something that is in me. It’s in my DNA; I have always been like this. I grew up like a tomboy, so it was always me and the boys catching banter. That has always been me.

Is there anything you miss about where you come from?

McDonald’s. I swear I missed McDonald’s so much. I missed Big Mac, double cheese, pickles, fries, and Fanta with no ice. I also missed fast Wi-Fi.

As one who is in the public space, what are the highs and lows of it?

I focus on the positives because if I dwell on the negatives, I would be ungrateful; many people want to be in my position. I don’t want to be someone who complains. I grew up a tomboy, so I never used to bother about anything. In fact, if you see how I sometimes leave home, it will shock you, but to me, I didn’t care. But being in the public space changed that. I care more now.

How do you manage attention from the opposite sex?

Well, I find my way out in every situation. If you make advances at me, I turn it into a joke, and if you ask me to be serious, I will tell you I am being serious (laughs). Nigeria has made me smart. Men will always be men, but it’s a question of what you want for yourself. You can’t accommodate all guys, so it won’t be a case where, when you want to marry, every Tom, Dick, and Harry comes out to say they know you (laughs)… You understand?

Does your guy feel insecure?

He’s feeling insecure o… he dey feel am (laughs). I have promised myself that when it’s time for me to marry, I will probably go back to London because, from what I have seen, many guys in Nigeria don’t want their women to be out there. They want them inside or doing a certain type of business. But for me, you can’t be inside when you’re still trying to build. Sometimes, in being out, you might meet someone who will introduce you to where the real people are. So sometimes, love can actually be a hindrance to your purpose.

So, what is the exact disposition of your guy to what you are doing?

I no get oooo… he even broke up with me. He said I was going out too much. And I said, “Don’t worry, you will see me at the top, and you will regret it.”

You don’t sound heartbroken?

You know what? I have reached that stage where I can love you and love you no more. Everything I do, I put God first. I was at Awakening with Pastor Bolaji; I prayed. After Awakening, we broke up, therefore, he was not meant to be there.

I feel not being in a relationship could make you vulnerable to men. What do you think?

I understand your view, and I don’t disagree, but personally, I think I am more focused whenever I am single. When I am single, I don’t send men; I do what I need to do. When I wake up, all I think about is me; what I want to do, my plans, where I am going. I am cooking up more with my team, coming up with more content ideas. I am focused.

Your video with Okoya’s daughter created so much attraction. Tell us about it?

It’s crazy because I didn’t know the video was going to do that well. I like to stay humble when I do things, and I did it because it was fun for me. I am very grateful because Oyin suggested we do something together. We connected on TikTok, and one day she sent a DM saying we should collaborate, but she was in London. I said no problem. Then I started thinking about what to do and eventually came up with the idea of “A day in the life of a billionaire’s daughter.”

That was the video we did, and honestly, it was so good. The family was so nice, everyone was nice. I had known her brother, Raheem, from a previous occasion in Nigeria. I met him through a friend, Moses (ODN). He’s another YouTuber from London. So by the time I came to their house to do content with his sister, he joined the video too. Funny enough, the video wasn’t really planned; everything was spontaneous.

What reaction did you get?

It was really good. People tell me they love the video. They said it’s the best Okoya video they have seen. People were congratulating me, and I didn’t understand it at first. I thought, “I have done videos like this before,” then I realised it was because the Okoya family is very prominent and private, they don’t really let people get close. So I feel so appreciative that they saw something in me and chose to work with me. And even Aunty being in the video, I am so grateful. She gave me clothes to take home… oh my God. She gave me clothes and Eleganza gift boxes. I took home like twelve packets of soap… oh my God… I was so happy.

Tell us the high and low of your striking resemblance to Tiwa Savage.

(Laughs) The high is that it’s a compliment. She’s very beautiful, so if someone says I look like her, it means I am fine. I love that. The low is that men use it to come at me. Anytime a man asks if I have been told I look like her, I know he is trying to make an approach, so I keep a straight face or change the topic to escape it.

What was your growing up like?

I grew up in London. I was a proper tomboy. I learnt the value of money; pounds. I used to work. My first job was at McDonald’s: £3.85 per hour. You develop a hustle, but not like Nigeria. Over there, they indoctrinate you into the 9-to-5 culture. Growing up for me was fun; I wouldn’t change it for anything.

My upbringing was mainly school and church; my mum was in the choir and had to attend choir practice. I went to Middlesex University, where I studied Criminology. After that, I went into my hair business, then became a YouTuber. When I came to Nigeria, I pushed myself to new boundaries, doing documentaries and more.