A comedy storytelling podcast about my search for a partner. Confessions, and cold truths from the most single man in Nigeria

I'm Edgar Eriakha, a Lagos-based TV presenter, podcast host, and storyteller. I co-host Wake Up Nigeria and Quick Kash on TVC Entertainment, and I'm a Theatre Arts graduate from the University of Lagos. WAISS is a solo show, no co-host; it's just me being brutally honest on mic.

WAISS (Why Am I Still Single?) is a podcast where I unpack modern dating, relationships, and the running joke of my life, that I've been "the most single man in Nigeria" since 2018. Each episode is a mix of personal storytelling, comedy, and real observations about love, dating culture, and everything that goes wrong (and occasionally right) when you're trying to figure it all out. It's not a relationship advice show. It's more like eavesdropping on a friend who overthinks everything and isn't afraid to say it out loud.

My listeners are mostly young Nigerians and the wider African diaspora, people navigating dating, situationships, and relationships in a culture that doesn't always talk about them honestly. They come for the humor and stay because they see themselves in the stories.
 

I listen to a lot of podcasts myself like Midnight Miracle, Dead Eyes, Conviction, and The Horror of Dolores Roach; that kind of storytelling and audio craft always stuck with me. What pushed me toward making my own was a simple observation: most Nigerians only really listen to music mostly, when they're doing something else. Gym, commute, chores, a walk. Nobody is listening to audio podcasts. So I asked myself, how do I make something people can enjoy while they're busy living their lives?

I actually decided to start WAISS back in 2020, but life, work, and probably some fear kept it on the shelf for four years. I finally released the first episode in August 2024. My goal has honestly never changed since day one, and it's the one thing people don't expect when I tell them: I'm trying to find a bride, get married, and end the podcast. Everything else, the stories, the comedy, the honesty, is just what happens while I'm figuring that out on mic.
 

WAISS comes out weekly. My day job is hosting a breakfast show on TVC Communications in the mornings, and after that I move straight into writing content for the day. So most of the podcast work, the writing (each episode is 6,000+ words before I even record), the recording, and the editing, happens around that schedule rather than instead of it.

It's fully self funded. Each episode costs me roughly 300,000 naira to produce, and I've carried that cost myself from the start because I'd rather control the quality and the message than take money that comes with strings attached.
 

I don't currently have a sponsor, I'm actively searching for the right one, someone who actually fits the show rather than just anyone with a budget. So right now WAISS isn't monetized; it's fully self-funded, as I mentioned.

What I do have, and honestly what matters more to me at this stage, is a growing community. People who show up every week, who message me, who see themselves in these stories. That's the real gain. The sponsorship will come. The community is the foundation everything else gets built on. I call them Checkmates.
 

I record and edit in Reaper DAW using an Audio-Technica mic, then send the finished file to my sound engineer for final polish. WAISS is mostly a solo show, it's just me on mic most weeks. When I do bring guests on, they're friends and exes, and we record in person rather than over Zoom or phone, which keeps the energy and the honesty real.

My prep is simple but deliberate. I write the full episode first, since each one runs 6,000+ words, then I go back through it and make sure it's actually funny before I ever hit record. If a line or a story doesn't land on the page, it's not going to land on mic either. Once I'm satisfied it's sharp enough, I sit down and record it in one go.
 

WAISS mostly grows through word of mouth, social media, and live events, people hear about it from a friend, catch a clip online, or come across it at something I'm hosting or performing at in person. Of everything I do, WhatsApp and Instagram are the two channels I find most useful for actually driving people to listen. WhatsApp especially, because that's where my CheckMates community lives and talks to each other directly.
 

The biggest thing I'd tell someone starting out, if you actually love your niche, you will never run out of things to talk about. That's it. That's the whole secret. I decided to start WAISS in 2020 and didn't release an episode until 2024, and looking back, most of that gap wasn't about ideas, it was about waiting for permission I never needed. If the topic genuinely matters to you, the content takes care of itself. Also focus on your marketing as much as you create your content.

As for resources, I'd point new podcasters toward the shows that shaped how I think about audio storytelling, Midnight Miracle, Dead Eye, Conviction, and The Horror of Dolores Roach. Listen to how they build a story, how they use silence, pacing, and honesty. You'll learn more from studying great shows than from any how-to guide.
 

Website: checkedgar.com
Instagram: instagram.com/checkedgarr
YouTube: youtube.com/@checkedgar
Community (WhatsApp/CheckMates): chat.whatsapp.com/FChMbHvuUubFjoTMBWUjul
Patreon: patreon.com/cw/checkedgar
Email: edgar@checkedgar.com