Maryam Auwal—When Passion Meets Persistence

We recently had a chance to sit down with Maryam and uncover her journey, her struggles and her aspirations. In this article we will get to know how a girl studying to become a doctor is also a food creator on the rise, balancing her two roles with ease.

Maryam wasn’t always keen on cooking. Like most kids, initially she was only interested in consuming delicious food, paying no heed to how they were made. Her love for cooking began in secondary school, when she joined food and nutrition classes. It was then, her dislike towards cooking transformed into love.

“It was actually baking that I loved more.”, recalls Maryam. She told us how baking became the first string that tied her to cooking.

Then came 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the schools were shut. Even post-COVID, she didn't immediately resume her studies as university strikes were happening back then. No one knew when these strikes were going to end. So, Maryam started shooting food videos and posting them in the meantime. And that’s how @meerahscuisine, Maryam’s official Instagram page, came to be.

During the Ramadaan of 2021, Maryam applied to BBC for a feature, by sending them a few of her recipes. BBC was hosting a series dedicated to spotlighting Nigerian chefs and content creators on Instagram at the time. Maryam attributes her selection to sheer luck. This was the first time she featured on this series. Since then, she has been featured twice more, including for BBC’s Ramadan 2025 series. “Each time I posted, I got selected.”, Maryam revealed cheekily.

Along with being a rising influencer, Maryam is also a medical student in Abuja. We asked her how she balances these two extremely time-consuming and demanding roles simultaneously. Maryam revealed that juggling her studies with content creation hasn’t always been easy. Maryam transferred from her public school to a private one in 2020 after being tired of waiting for her school to reopen. By this time, she had already started her food influencer journey. This was a challenging time for Maryam. However, she was determined to balance her passion with education.

“I don’t want to leave one passion behind just because I’m busy with the other. I want to do both.”

The biggest challenge for Maryam is the fact that Instagram isn’t monetized in Nigeria yet. So despite her grand success on the platform, it doesn’t bring her any financial support. This had led to Maryam exploring other options as well. She is currently expanding her brand on other platforms like Facebook and YouTube where content can be monetized in Nigeria.

Maryam views the world as her idea ground. She draws influence from everywhere– other creators, scrolling through Instagram and TikTok, or sometimes just brainstorming ideas on her own. She comes across various dishes and wonders to herself–_if I had to do this, how would I do it? _

We asked her about her biggest viral hit– a jollof rice with chicken video and how she feels about being on the other side of influence.

“I can't actually see how that got so popular. It is such a simple video,” she stated. “ I was just hosting an online class and posted a clip. I don’t know if it was the sound or how the chicken looked, but it just blew up.”

Maryam did not hesitate for a second when asked what her signature dish was that she would use to represent Nigeria.

“Definitely jollof rice. That’s my favourite, and I think Meerah’s Cuisine is the go-to place for it now.”

Maryam’s advice to aspiring creators is to never compare themselves. She warns against looking at someone above you and thinking–this person is getting so much more engagement than me although I have been posting for such a long time.

Maryam suggests that aspiring creators and beginners do their thing. Continue doing so without comparison and have faith. Just keep being you and keep posting. Be consistent on Instagram. One day it will pay off.

Maryam plans to continue her studies and grow her brand. She hopes for brands to consider her for partnerships and collaborations. Additionally, Maryam also has a desire to launch her own recipe website–a permanent home for all of her recipes.

Maryam Auwal’s journey is proof that passion and education does not have to be at crossroads. If you are dedicated enough to push through, you can ace at them both. You can have it all, you just have to choose not to quit.

Updated on 24 Jul 2025