On Saturday, Nigeria’s social media went into a frenzy after results from an autopsy showed that British-Nigerian influencer Igho ‘Tiny’ Ubiribo, 43, died from complications of a penis enlargement procedure.

He was a socialite and ally of multiple Grammy Award nominee, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke.

Although he died in March, the cause of his death, per an inquest at Inner West London Court released in September, sparked an uproar as netizens debated whether men were not left out of cosmetic procedures that were rampant among women.

For decades, womenfolk have been largely known as the gender to obsess about their bodies and undergo surgical enhancement procedures ranging from Brazilian butt lift, liposuction, breast enlargement, facelift, rhinoplasty, also known as a nose job and so on.

That the deceased was male, Black, married, and in his early 40s ignited conversations that would not have ordinarily surfaced in an African setting. 

Netizens asked questions such as why would a married man undergo such a procedure, who was he trying to impress at that age and so on.

The Peoples Gazette has compiled reasons why a virile Nigerian man would submit to a cosmetic surgical procedure to enlarge his penis.

Small size

Aside from this being the most obvious reason, six in every 1,000 men have a micro penis, according to Pollock Clinic, a male-health medical journal that has centres across British Columbia in Canada.

A micro penis is smaller than 2.8 inches or 7.1 cm and is likened to the short edge of an ATM card. 

Peyronie’s disease is another medical condition that motivates men to opt for a penis enlargement procedure. The disease causes a buildup of fibrous scar tissue that reduces the size of the penis over time.

The majority of men with relatively small penises fixate on getting an enlargement surgery or injections, but they often lack the funds and, in most cases, courage, to proceed. 

Sexual performance 

Although experts have repeatedly said the size of the penis does not matter in reaching climax but its use, many Africans believe that a small penis cannot satisfy a woman’s sexual desires and help her reach orgasm.

“It isn’t the size of the boat that matters, but it’s the motion of the ocean,” 66 per cent of 14,000 respondents agreed with a 2018 ‘Penis Perception Survey’ by Dr Kristen Mark, Assistant Professor of Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky.

However, many opine that bigger penises are known to last longer during sex, although there is no scientific evidence to support the theory. 

Men with small penises are quick to blame premature ejaculation and their lack of sexual prowess on their mini penises rather than improve their skills and techniques in pleasing their partners.

Nigerian men are so obsessed with their ability to fulfil a woman’s sexual needs, and they coined the term “dickmatised” to describe women who overlook a man’s red flags and flaws because of his sexual prowess.

Low self-esteem 

Many Nigerian men lack self-esteem due to the size of their penis and often shy away from conversations that could shed light on the matter.

An African man with a small penis believes himself to have fallen short of stereotypical ideals that Black men have large penises. 

A typical Nigerian man with a small penis sees himself as less masculine than his counterpart with a larger size.

“A larger penis made a man more attractive to women and perhaps more surprisingly, we also found that men use penis size to judge both a rival’s attractiveness and his ability to win fights,” Dr Upama Aich Forrest of Monash University School of Biological Sciences and Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia said.

He added that “Men rated rivals with a larger penis as being more physically threatening and sexually competitive.”

Nigerian men feel it’s a letdown to have a small size and are often bruised by comments targeting their size, whichcould be deemed an attack on their masculinity.

Bulge in swimsuits

Some men love the attention that comes with having a bulge in their swimsuits or shorts as it increases their level of attractiveness and sex appeal.

Male celebrities and even less popular figures often post pictures on social media deliberately showing the bulge of their large penis to gain thousands of likes and comments from users, the majority of whom are women.

For a Nigerian man, the most hurtful insult would be to reference the size of his penis or his lack of sexual prowess.