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Move different.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

Funny story: As a child, I used to think money was an actual scary person, like those witches in old Nollywood films, because my parents were always praying against it. 

Against money?

Yes. Every day, during our morning and night prayers, my parents would ask God for protection against the 鈥渆vils of money and the spirit of worldly riches.鈥�

See, my dad was 鈥� still is 鈥� a full-time pastor in a small church. When I was growing up, my mum assisted him in the church, but she also had a small provisions store near our house. These days, she runs the church with him full-time. 

We were very poor and mostly depended on financial assistance and food from church members, but my parents weren鈥檛 bothered by it. They constantly drummed it into my and my siblings鈥� heads that anyone who had a lot of money had likely done money rituals, or would go to hell. 

鈥淕ood鈥� money, according to my parents, was only the little you needed to survive each day, or give out to people. But gathering money and spending it on yourself? Nope. They quoted scriptures like, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

So, for a long time growing up, I believed money was something I should be scared of, like those witches in movies. It also didn鈥檛 help that the few rich people I knew weren鈥檛 nice.

What rich people did you know?

I attended a private secondary school, thanks to a church member who paid my school fees, and one of my classmates was the son of a prominent local politician.

That boy was a wicked bully. He would beat fellow students, steal their food and throw it away. I was his regular customer. He would literally come and look for me in my class to beat me. I鈥檓 still not sure what I did to him. I couldn鈥檛 report the bullying either because all the teachers feared his father. 

And it wasn鈥檛 just because his father was rich; everyone in our town knew that the man was into ritual practices. We always heard rumours that he did human sacrifices around election season. He and his son were the perfect examples of what my parents used to say about the evils of money. That family, along with my parents鈥� teachings, really convinced me that wealth and evil were two sides of the same coin. I told myself I would never want to be rich if it meant turning out like them.

I still sort of have the same mindset. Not that everyone who has money must be evil, but I truly believe that too much money can be corrupting.

Let鈥檚 talk about the first time you worked to earn your own money

That was in JSS 2, when I was around 12. My parents believed it was biblical for everyone, regardless of age, to work to avoid idleness and support their families. So, I started helping neighbours fetch water from the borehole down our street. 

A 25-litre jerrycan was 鈧�5, and they would pay me 鈧�10 to carry it up three flights of stairs. After school, my brother and I would hawk sachet water and soft drinks for my mum along the expressway. We did that throughout secondary school and submitted the money to our parents. 

In 2013, I gained admission into university to study Computer Science. My parents could only afford to pay my tuition. Other school expenses and surviving in school were strictly on me.

How did you fund that?

I started working from my 100 level. I just walked into one of the cyber caf茅s near our campus gate one day and asked the owner if there was any available work. The man liked my boldness and hired me as an assistant. 

I assisted students with typing assignments, passport photos, and photocopies, and did practically any work for 鈧�5,000 a month. I also joined a fellowship at school and volunteered as a leader. Volunteering came with free accommodation, and occasionally foodstuffs from other students in the fellowship. That was extra helpful because the cyber caf茅 guy never increased my pay from that 鈧�5,000.

We surveyed 5,000 workers across Nigeria鈥檚 formal and informal sectors to examine what Nigerians earn, where the money goes, and whether hard work actually translates to financial security. This is what we found. Download the 糖心原创 State of Income Report.

How long did you work for him?

Throughout my time in uni. In fact, my 100 to 400 level was a combination of hustle and fellowship. When I wasn鈥檛 working, I was busy with fellowship things. 

However, my third year came with an opportunity that changed my life. One of the guys who lived with me in the fellowship lodge was learning to program and was part of various tech communities. The way he talked about tech was so contagious, and I decided to try my hand at it too. It turned out to be really enjoyable, and I learnt quickly.

Fortunately, I had unrestricted internet access at the caf茅. Whenever customers weren’t there, usually at night, I learnt and practised HTML, CSS, and eventually JavaScript using free tutorials on YouTube and W3Schools.

By my final year in 2017, I was making 鈧�10k here and there, building small websites for people. The most I made in school was 鈧�50k, from a department that got me to design a voting page for their association鈥檚 elections. I think I used that money for my final-year project expenses. 

But after I graduated, I didn鈥檛 code for a few months.

Why not?

Leaving school meant I no longer had access to the laptops at the caf茅. Thankfully, I worked at a primary school for NYSC in 2018, and the principal took a liking to me and became like my mentor. I told him about my coding skills, and he gifted me a brand-new laptop. He just said he felt led to sow the laptop into my life. That鈥檚 how I got back to coding.

Beyond the laptop, the principal also connected me with several people who needed my services. I was making an extra 鈧�30k – 鈧�50k every other month from side gigs, in addition to my 鈧�19,800 allawee. Once I took out what I needed to survive, I usually sent the rest of the money home to my parents.

In 2019, a few months after NYSC, I got my first proper software engineering job at an agency. This connect also came through the principal.

Love it. What was the pay like?

鈧�120k/month. It felt like all the money in the world. It took me a long time to get used to it. For the first few months, I would forget the money in my account for days, only removing transport fare. 

Whenever I noticed money was beginning to feel 鈥渢oo much鈥� in my account, I would send some home or give it to a church or to beggars around me.

Was your reason for this still based on the mindset that 鈥渢oo much money corrupts鈥�?

I guess so. It didn鈥檛 even occur to me to spend my money on myself. Also, my parents raised me only to require the basic necessities. There was no reason to keep money lying around in my account when people around me had needs. 

My career accelerated quickly. In 2021, I switched to a fintech startup earning 鈧�350,000. By late 2022, I landed a remote role with an international company, and my salary jumped to $1,200 (around 鈧�650,000 at the exchange rate then).

Over the last few years, I鈥檝e grown professionally, and my pay has increased. In late 2025, I got my current senior role at a fintech, and my pay is around 鈧�3 million.

鈧�3 million is a long way from carrying jerrycans. How did it feel when that first salary hit your account?

Honestly, it was terrifying. I didn’t sleep that night. I was supposed to feel accomplished, but a massive wave of guilt and panic washed over me. I kept feeling like I was becoming too greedy. 

For context, I was the one who had negotiated my pay to that amount. They wanted to pay about 鈧�2 million, but I told them I wanted more. Now that the money had hit my account, I kept wondering why I needed so much in the first place. I was even thinking maybe I had lost my soul already, like the money had changed me, like my parents used to say.

Because really, to be honest, what鈥檚 one single human being supposed to do with 鈧�3 million every 30 days? 

I mean, a couple of things come to mind. So, how do you spend it?

I give away most of it. That鈥檚 the workable solution I鈥檝e found to be able to live with this much money. I only live on 20% of my income, and I鈥檓 even trying to reduce that percentage.

Interesting. Who do you give the 80% away to?

So, 80% is 鈧�2.4 million. I send about 鈧�300k to my parents. They use it to sort out home and church needs. A small confession: They believe I earn 鈧�600k. They would be too worried that I earn too much and could backslide if they knew the actual amount.

I spread the rest of the money across tithe, church giving, and goodwill giving. I support friends and extended family who need money. I also give a lot to crowdfunding on Twitter. So many people need help in this world. If you see the amount of posts about medical emergencies and ransoms I see every day ehn. I鈥檓 just happy I can do my part and help. The moment money leaves my account for a good deed, I feel so much relief.

What does the remaining 20% cover?

It covers my typical monthly expenses. As I said, I鈥檓 still trying to figure out how to cut down my expenses.

Do you have any savings, outside what you keep for rent?

No. I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 any point in storing money for my own use when people need it. If I ever have an emergency need, I鈥檓 sure things will work out. Even if God doesn鈥檛 raise anyone to help me 鈥� which I think is impossible 鈥� I have the professional skill and experience to ensure I鈥檓 never broke for long.

And you still want to cut down on the 20% on expenses?

Yes. Again, I鈥檓 not on the extreme like my parents, believing money is evil. It can be used for good too, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檝e been doing since I started earning money.

That said, I think holding on to money is pointless, and that鈥檚 when it can become corrupting. It鈥檚 why people earn so much and never feel completely satisfied. They always want more. I don鈥檛 want to get to that stage where I鈥檒l always want more money and be willing to do questionable things for it. So, spending less is a way of training myself to be content with little and open enough to spend money on what matters. God blessed me with this money. I should bless others too.

I feel guilty when I spend on unnecessary things like ordering food on delivery apps. I could鈥檝e just cooked at home and given the money to someone else who needs it. But I鈥檓 trying to be more deliberate about tracking my expenses, so I can be more intentional with my money.

Out of curiosity, do friends and colleagues know about your lifestyle?

A few of them do. A few weeks ago, a colleague visited my apartment and was surprised to see that I had only one sofa and my workstation in my sitting room. I鈥檓 sure he feels like I鈥檓 being too frugal or just enjoy 鈥渟uffering myself鈥�, but I live alone, and there鈥檚 no point stacking up furniture. When I get married, I鈥檒l be happy to add more things, but for now, I just don鈥檛 need much.

Speaking of marriage, do you think your spending will change when you do get married?

I鈥檇 like to continue helping people. I don鈥檛 even have a girlfriend, but I鈥檓 trusting God that the woman I鈥檒l marry will have the same heart for people that I do. She should know and accept that you don鈥檛 need countless riches to live a good life. As long as we have food to eat and a roof over our heads, we鈥檒l be fine.

Is there anything you want right now that you refuse to buy?

A car. I can easily afford one, but I reason that I鈥檓 mostly indoors because I work remotely. The only time I need one is when going to church or work events. Spending 鈧�10m on a car just to use it a few times feels like a waste, especially considering how many people that money can help. So, I just use cabs when I need to go out.

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?

10. I鈥檓 grateful for how far I have come and for being able to show love to people with my money.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What is your earliest memory of money?

It鈥檚 from when I was in primary school. During break time, some of my classmates brought food from home, while others brought money. I was among the kids who brought food, and it really annoyed me. 

My friends would have 鈧�15, 鈧�20, or even 鈧�100. Back then, 鈧�100 was for the big boys. I wished so badly that my parents would give me pocket money too, but all I got was food.

What was the financial situation like at home?

My mum was a homemaker, and my dad was a civil servant. He actually retired while I was still in primary school, but he had his pension, so we were somewhat comfortable.

He drove us to school and picked us up. There was always food at home. The cracks only showed when the pension was delayed a bit, or when the school asked for extra money for things like the yearly class pictures. That was always an issue.

It wasn鈥檛 necessarily because we lacked money. My dad grew up without his parents; his dad passed away when he was young, and his mum wasn鈥檛 in the picture. In his mind, as long as you had food to eat and were getting an education, you shouldn’t really ask for much again. That鈥檚 why it was an issue for him to give you money for pictures or stuff like that.

Do you remember the first time you did something to earn money?

That was in secondary school, when my friends and I decided to do adashi (a thrift contribution). Even though I didn’t usually take money to school, there were times when I’d just have money. For instance, I could collect money to buy a biro, or some days I didn’t take food to school and got like 鈧�20 or 鈧�50 鈥� 鈧�50 was when my dad was feeling really generous.

Anyway, my friends and I kept 鈧�10 every day for like a month. At the end of the month, we shared the money. It’s not the way they do adashi now, where when you join the money, one person carries it. We were just pooling our money and sharing it equally at the end of one or two months. I mostly used my share to buy snacks and cupcakes.

Beyond these contributions, I didn鈥檛 do anything else for money until I left secondary school in 2015.

What came after secondary school?

I got into the university that same year. Uni was in a different state, but my uncle鈥檚 kids attended the same school. So, my dad would send money to my uncle to do wholesale provisions shopping for all of us together.

In addition to the shared food, my uncle gave me an allowance of 鈧�5,000 every week. In 2015, that was substantial money for a student.

Around 200 or 300 level, that arrangement ended, and my dad started sending me money directly. When he was still giving money to my uncle, he was giving him 鈧�30,000 a month for me. When he started giving me money himself, he started giving me 鈧�20,000, and there were no provisions. 

Surviving on just that became tough, but by then, I had already started doing business on campus.

What business did you do?

I sold hijabs and shoes. I partnered with my mum: she provided the capital and bought the shoes for around 鈧�700 each, while I sold them on campus with a nice markup.

She took the capital and the bulk of the profit, but I made around 鈧�300 per pair. Back then, students were constantly buying shoes. In a good week, I could sell five to ten pairs and clear 鈧�5,000 in personal profit.

That was really good money then because shawarma was like 鈧�450 or 鈧�500. It was a passive business, so it was just nice to have the extra cash.

We surveyed 5,000 workers across Nigeria鈥檚 formal and informal sectors to examine what Nigerians earn, where the money goes, and whether hard work actually translates to financial security. This is what we found. Download the 糖心原创 State of Income Report.

How long did the business run?

From 100 level through 300 level. Eventually, friends and relatives started taking shoes on credit without paying back, and that ran the business into the ground.

After that, a friend based in India started sending me earrings to sell and send the capital back to him, but it was only a short stint. I stopped business entirely in my 400 and 500 levels to focus on my academics. I eventually graduated in early 2021.

What came next?

I got married almost immediately, towards the end of 2021. It wasn’t like I planned to get married so quickly. I just met my husband, and I felt like I just wanted to get married then.

My marriage is very chill. He is supportive and lets me pursue what I want. I didn鈥檛 work for the first couple of years because I got pregnant right away, and jobs were scarce anyway. But as time went on, the situation with my family back home forced me to start aggressively looking for work.

What was happening back home?

Things had progressively deteriorated. My dad鈥檚 pension could no longer support a family of seven children; I鈥檓 the second child, with an older brother and five younger siblings.

My immediate younger brother dropped out of university out of nowhere, and my dad refused to spend another kobo on him. My elder brother also finished school but couldn’t find work and was stuck at home. They were all depending on my dad, but the pension could no longer go round, so I had to start supporting them with my allowance.

Your allowance?

Right after our wedding, my husband started giving me a personal allowance of 鈧�50,000 every month. Because we lived together and he took care of all household needs, I didn’t have urgent expenses. I began sending 鈧�10,000 home to my mum each month and used the rest for airtime, data, and casual personal spending.

Around four months later, in 2022, the NYSC call-up came. I was posted to the same state I lived in the North, while my husband鈥檚 job was in a different state. Rather than staying alone in our house there, I moved into my parents’ home during my service year.

That was when the financial weight truly landed on my shoulders.

How so?

My monthly income was the 鈧�33,000 NYSC allowance plus the 鈧�50,000 from my husband.

If they paid my dad’s pension on the first of the month, by the seventh he would say he didn’t have money again. So I鈥檇 have to take money out of my own for food. Basically, I was feeding the house throughout my service year.

Around the same time, another nightmare started with one of my younger brothers.

Tell me about it

He got entangled in heavy drug use, and he started having these episodes where he would just lose his mind. I still don’t understand what he was doing, but he completely messed up his head.

Whenever he had an episode, he would run around the house where we were all living,  chasing everyone with knives. I was heavily pregnant at the time. During these episodes, I would beg our parents to push him out the gate and lock it, but they refused because of shame. They didn’t want the neighbours to know our brother was running mad. So, we were forced to lock ourselves inside with him, literally endangering our lives.

The breaking point came when he took an axe and chopped down the bedroom door where my siblings and I had barricaded ourselves. We had to scream through the window for help. If he had broken through seconds earlier, he would have hacked someone to death.

OMG. Did your family consider treatment?

After that axe incident, I had to put my foot down and insist we send him to rehab. 

My dad said, 鈥淟et’s try traditional medicine.鈥� We went, spent money on medicine, and it didn’t work. When we brought up rehab again, my dad said he couldn鈥檛 even afford to feed the house, so how could he send somebody to rehab?

My mum eventually pleaded with one of my dad’s friends, who offered to cover half the cost. The facility gave us a substantial discount, bringing the total to about 鈧�250,000 per month. He was supposed to stay there for three months. My mum raised 鈧�125,000 for the first month, and I had to pack my NYSC allawee, the allowance from my husband, and take a loan from someone to complete the money and take him to rehab.

In the first month, he was remorseful and promised he would get clean. In the second month, my dad brought half, and I brought the other half. My dad’s pension was around 鈧�280,000, so imagine him taking 鈧�125,000 out of it. Me, on the other hand, was collecting loans left, right, and centre.

Where were you getting the loans from?

I never, ever take loans from loan apps. I have genuine, reliable friends who lend me soft loans with zero interest. I made sure to pay them back within a month or two, even if it meant coming up with excuses to ask my husband for extra cash.

God, I was lying to my husband. I didn鈥檛 want to tell him about my family鈥檚 problems 鈥� it鈥檚 a pride thing 鈥� so I often had to lie to get more money. I also had my baby while still serving, and my husband increased my allowance to 鈧�80,000, so that helped.

My brother spent three months in rehab, gained weight, and looked human again. He promised he was completely clean. But a few months after coming home, he relapsed and went right back to the drugs. 

By then, my service year was over, and I had spent every single kobo I made that year on my family and his rehabilitation. I had nothing left to send him there again, so he just continued having his episodes.

Sigh. Did you return to live with your husband after NYSC?

Yes. This was now 2023. There was no more NYSC allawee, so my only income was the 鈧�80,000 from my husband. Still, I had to regularly send virtually all the money back home because problems kept arising.

Siblings needed money for school, and the house needed support for food. I stopped buying things for myself because I saved every penny I had, knowing a problem would arise.

Then, in 2024, my sister was withdrawn from university at the 300-level.

Why was she withdrawn?

Academic issues. She came home to join my brother, who had dropped out in 2021 and had just been sitting at home doing nothing.

I became so worried about the two of them. My dad said he was done with them; he was tired and wasn’t going to pay their school bills anymore. I had to find a way to put them back in school because I couldn’t just have them sitting there. So, in early 2025, I got them into an open university programme.

How did you fund it?

I told my dad I would pay one person鈥檚 fees, and he would pay the other’s. He agreed. Around this time, my husband had increased my allowance to 鈧�120,000 due to inflation. However, I was now living on my own with my son because my husband worked in another state. 

As a result, I had more household expenses to manage, in addition to my family’s expectations. Sometimes I鈥檇 take a loan of up to 鈧�200,000, send it home and pay it back little by little. My siblings鈥� education was an extra burden, but I just wanted them to get a degree and at least have a fighting chance.

They got admission, and I paid their acceptance fees, but when it came time for actual registration, my dad flatly declared he didn鈥檛 have the money and wasn鈥檛 paying anything. And this registration was nearly 鈧�200,000 per person, about 鈧�400,000 in total. 

I fell into a deep depression. I had 鈧�150,000 saved, so I had to take a 鈧�250,000 loan from a friend to make up the 鈧�400,000. I became so desperate that, in September 2025, I took up a teaching job at a private school for 鈧�60k a month. I got that job specifically to put all the money toward my siblings’ school fees and paying off the loan.

Did your husband know you were funding your siblings鈥� education alone?

When I started, I told him my dad and I agreed to split it. He said, “Oh, okay, cool.” He didn’t offer to contribute, and I understood. He shouldn鈥檛 be carrying my family鈥檚 responsibilities.

The school fees are paid per semester, twice a year. After the initial 鈧�400k for the first semester, the second semester cost 鈧�140,000 each. I tried to beg my dad again, but he refused, and I had to pay it. I also still had to give them about 鈧�20k each for transport support for exams.

After I paid the second-semester fees, I opened up to my husband about how my dad went back on his word, and he was like, “I know.”

I said, “How did you know?”

He said he knew something was going on because I was so frustrated, depressed, and angry all the time, but he allowed it because I didn’t say anything.

Hmmm

I was angry at him, but the anger was unfounded. It’s not his responsibility. I was just upset that he knew and let me be that frustrated, crying every day, thinking about how to get the money.

To be fair, he had increased my allowance to 鈧�150,000 at some point. It would have been reasonable enough for my son and me. Yet, because of my obligations to my family, I鈥檓 starving myself. I buy a crate of eggs just so my son can eat one every day, while I eat nothing.

In all of this, my family is not grateful. 

As in, they don鈥檛 appreciate the financial help?

They feel like I should be doing it, that I should take responsibility for the family. Everyone thinks I鈥檝e got it easy because I鈥檓 married. Even the two siblings I鈥檓 sponsoring completely messed up their results. One had a GPA of 0-point-something, and the other had a 1-point-something. 

With all the sacrifices I’m making, it’s not yielding any results. I feel like I’m just wasting money, but I can’t stop. I have to try at least to set them up for success.

Are you still teaching at that private school?

No, I left there after three terms. I landed a civil service job in August and officially assumed duty this month, October. The salary is around 鈧�150,000, though I haven鈥檛 received my first salary yet.

What are the plans for that salary when it lands?

It is already gone, basically.

My brother said there’s this fast-tracking thing they do at Open University where he can take an extra semester during the break. He wants me to pay for it so he can do three semesters in a year. That extra semester is going to cost like 鈧�150k.

Plus, I also have debt I haven’t finished paying for their last school fees. I鈥檓 owing my friend 鈧�200k. So my salary already cannot even cover both.

However, someone recently introduced me to a remote data annotation opportunity. We should have the onboarding call soon. They mentioned that I could earn between 鈧�50,000 and 鈧�70,000 a month, depending on how good I am at it. 

If that pulls through, alongside my 鈧�150,000 civil service salary and the 鈧�150,000 monthly allowance from my husband, I might finally have room to breathe.

What do your current typical monthly expenses look like?

Right now, I only have my allowance, so it鈥檚:

Whenever I have to pay my siblings’ school fees, I end up in debt. I take loans and pay them off small small. Then maybe after two weeks, I can tell my husband I don’t have money and get like 鈧�20k or 鈧�30k from him again.

Do you have any savings?

I do not have any type of savings. I’m just in debt.

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and I can’t sleep. The debts are soft loans from friends, so nobody is on my neck, but I hate holding people’s money.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

It is absolutely terrible. I’m so scared of spending money on anything for myself.

I see my siblings buying things. My sister just recently bought a pair of shoes for 鈧�20k, and I’m thinking, the same person I’m trying to scrape money for to go to school is the one buying shoes? She can buy aso-ebi of 鈧�50k, but I can鈥檛 do the same because there are bigger problems at home.

My siblings are buying phones and taking care of themselves, but I can’t. I’m so scared of spending my own money on something that’s not for my family.

Why do you feel you have to be the one to carry everyone?

Right from when I was in primary school, my mum always made sure that, as the first daughter, I knew that I was responsible for my siblings. I can’t shake this feeling of being everybody’s caretaker. If I don’t do it, who’s going to do it? There鈥檚 no one.

Honestly, I want to shake it off, but I also don’t want to, because if I don’t do it, everything is just going to be horrible for everyone. The only way I can fight it is to make more money. If I have enough money to go round, then I can do things for myself.

Is your brother who struggled with addiction still dealing with it?

I don鈥檛 believe he is completely clean, but thank God he hasn鈥檛 had any violent psychotic episodes recently. He got a job last year and earns about 鈧�100,000 a month.

The best part is that he no longer asks me for money. He spends his earnings entirely on himself, and nobody at home dares to ask him for a dime. All I can pray for is that he doesn’t have any more episodes and that they can just live in peace.

At what point do you think your family will be settled enough for you to worry less?

When everyone is done with school. Our last-born is still in junior secondary school. Once my siblings are done with school and have jobs of their own, I will have so much peace.

Is there an ideal amount you think you should be earning monthly?

Honestly, I just want a job that pays 鈧�500k – 鈧�1m per month. It probably wouldn’t solve all the problems at home, but it would solve the bigger problems of making sure there’s food and that everyone is in school.

Do you have any money regrets?

Sometimes I regret getting married. If I hadn鈥檛, I would have had more opportunities to hustle.

I love my husband and my son, but there are things I can’t do because I’m married and have a family to think about. If I wasn’t married, I feel like I would have been able to grow more and make more money.

What is something you want right now but cannot afford?

I want to go for Umrah. It would cost me at least 鈧�4 million. I can’t think of any way to finance it right now, so I’m just praying that I’ll be able to afford it in the future.

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?

1. I am not happy with my finances at all. I can’t afford the things I want. I legit can’t do anything for myself. Everything I have goes into family problems. I鈥檓 just not happy.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

When I was six or seven years old, I honestly thought money was something that grew in my father鈥檚 home office. 

He had a small safe under the desk where he kept cash for emergencies, mostly for when our domestic workers needed to get things for the house. I was a clingy child, so I was always with my father and would watch him take money out of the safe. 

No matter how many times he took money out of there, it never ran out. Like, there was always money in the safe. He must鈥檝e been topping up the cash at some point, but I never saw it happen, so I really believed the money just grew there magically.

Skrim. When did you realise that wasn鈥檛 how it worked?

There wasn鈥檛 a particular moment where it clicked, but in secondary school, I began to notice that my family had more money than other people. 

One time in JSS 2, a classmate told me she wanted to get good results in mathematics so her parents would get her a Hannah Montana gift set from the US. The way she said it made it seem like only good grades would make her parents spend that much money on what they considered toys. I remember thinking, 鈥淲hy do you have to wait for months to see your grades before getting something you want?鈥� 

I experienced something like that a few more times. Friends would talk about wanting something, but not getting it immediately because their parents thought it was unnecessary or expensive. That was the opposite of my situation at home. I just needed to say I wanted new clothes or accessories, and I got them.

For context, I attended a private school with rich kids, so it鈥檚 not like anyone was struggling, but those small details told me my family was probably richer than others.

What did your parents do for money?

My mum was a full-time housewife, and my dad was a high-ranking government official. Now that I鈥檓 older, I know that my mum not working wasn鈥檛 because my dad could provide all she needed; it was because he didn鈥檛 want her to work.

My dad was like a god in our house. Whatever he said was final, and no one did anything without his permission. I grew up extremely sheltered and fully dependent on him. He preferred that we (me, my mum and my siblings) come to him to explain what we needed; then he鈥檇 have a domestic worker buy it for us, rather than give us the money. As a child, I loved that daddy could get me whatever I needed, but now I know it was a form of control. He wanted you to have no doubts about who literally had your life in his hands. We also never left the house or interacted with anyone outside school.

As I grew older, I noticed that anytime my dad was angry with me for not doing what he asked, or not doing it well enough, he withheld money. I can鈥檛 forget how I had to wear an old dress for my secondary school valedictory service in 2016 because my dad refused to give me money for a new one. My offence? I saw him watching a football match and jokingly said I was tired of supporting his team and wanted the other team to win. He didn鈥檛 talk to me for two weeks.

That鈥檚 wild

I didn鈥檛 get as much 鈥減unishment鈥� as my mum and siblings because I was sort of the golden child. I was reserved and always tried my best to please him, so my own punishments were few. 

My brother was a real problem child and had it worse. There was one year when our domestic help had to take him to school daily in danfo buses because my dad had angrily banned him from being dropped off at school by car. I鈥檓 not sure what kind of privileges he withdrew from my mum whenever she offended him, but I always knew she was in his bad books whenever he ignored her greetings. 

During periods like that, my mum would sometimes get me to ask my dad for things she needed, while pretending I was the one who needed them. If we didn鈥檛 do it like that, he would never answer her.

Anyway, my golden child privilege expired in 2017.

What happened?

I was a very naive 17-year-old in my first year at private uni, and I fell in love with a final-year student. He was my very first romantic interest, and I fell hard. Within four months of being in school, I found out I was pregnant.

I didn鈥檛 even realise it in time because my periods were often irregular. I was already about two months along when I started feeling sick and went to the uni clinic to complain. That鈥檚 when they found out I was pregnant. I was so terrified. They had to expel me because of their policy, but my dad got them to keep it quiet because of his reputation.  

How did your parents react to the news?

They flew down to my school to pick me up and said nothing to me throughout the journey home. My dad just looked really angry, while my mum kept crying and shaking her head.

The moment we got home around 9 p.m., my dad faced me and said I had disgraced him and brought shame to the family. Then he said I had to leave his house that night. He actually said, 鈥淥ver my dead body will you and this bastard child sleep in this house this night.鈥�

Oh my God. What did you do?

I went out and stood by the gate for about an hour before my mum called and said she had arranged a ride for me. She paid for a hotel room, and I spent the night there. The plan was that I鈥檇 return home the following day so we could both beg my dad for forgiveness. She reasoned that he would have calmed down by morning.

He didn鈥檛 calm down o. He didn鈥檛 even allow me to enter the house. By then, my mum had also rallied his siblings to beg, but he ignored everyone. To paint a picture of how far we took this begging matter, all three of my dad鈥檚 younger siblings, me and my mum were all kneeling on the floor by the inner gate (out of our neighbours鈥� view), crying and begging my dad to forgive me. This whole display went on for four hours, but my dad didn鈥檛 shake. He said I was dead to him and he never wanted to see me again.

He also forbade my siblings from speaking to me and told my mum that if she kept trying to beg him or kept in touch with me, he would send her out too. By this time, it was clear my dad wouldn鈥檛 change his mind, so I left with my aunt. Later that week, I also had to leave her house because he was pressuring her to cut me off. She had no choice but to send me away because she, like his other siblings, also depended on him for financial support.

We surveyed 5,000 workers across Nigeria鈥檚 formal and informal sectors to examine what Nigerians earn, where the money goes, and whether hard work actually translates to financial security. This is what we found. Download the 糖心原创 State of Income Report.

Sigh. So, where did you go?

My mum arranged for me to go live with her distant relative in another state, much farther away from where we lived. 

That was one of the toughest periods in my life. It felt like my entire life had ended. My mum鈥檚 relative lived in a small town where they only got electricity for 30 minutes every three days. I went from having my own air-conditioned bedroom and en-suite bathroom to sharing a small room in a face-me-I-face-you with my relative and her two daughters. The 鈥渂athroom鈥� was a dirty structure made of rusted roofing material, located outside the main house. 

It was the first time I had ever seen a pit toilet, and initially, I was so scared of falling while using it that I鈥檇 hold my stool for days to limit how often I had to go there. There was also no running water. We had to fetch water from a well down the street.

I cried every night for the first six months. I was pregnant, abandoned by the father of my child 鈥� who disappeared the moment he found out I was pregnant 鈥� and disowned by my dad. I went from being a rich kid with a bright future to a pregnant dropout living in a town I had never heard of before.

I鈥檓 sorry you went through that

Thank you. I have to say, though, adapting to my circumstances was the hardest part. My mum鈥檚 relative was very nice to me. She treated me like one of her own daughters and never shamed me once. She would even be the one asking me if I had pregnancy cravings, encouraging me to tell her so she could cook what I wanted to eat.

My mum couldn’t visit because of my dad, but every month, she would secretly send 鈧�30,000 to 鈧�50,000 to her relative’s bank account for my antenatal care and baby needs. When I gave birth to my daughter in early 2018, my mum secretly sent 鈧�150,000 for hospital bills and baby clothes. 

To this day, I鈥檓 not sure where she got all that money because I know my dad never gave her cash. I鈥檝e asked her several times, but instead of answering, she starts feeling guilty, saying she should have done even more for me. Without my mum and her relative (whom I call Aunty), my daughter and I wouldn’t have survived. I would have definitely suffered depression and considered suicide if not for them.

I鈥檓 glad you had that support. Did you continue staying with your mum鈥檚 relative after giving birth?

Yes. I had nowhere else to go. However, when my baby was about six months old, I realised I couldn’t keep relying on my mum’s secret handouts forever. Aunty ran a small provisions shop, and next to her shop was a beauty salon.

I started hanging out at the salon, watching the girls do hair and nails. I took a particular interest in nails, but I thought it wouldn鈥檛 hurt to learn as much as I could. I told the salon owner I wanted to learn, and she agreed to take me on as an apprentice for 鈧�35,000, which Aunty paid. For a year, I walked to the salon every day with my baby on my back to learn hairdressing, manicures and pedicures, regular nail polish, and how to work with press-on nails.

What was that like? Trying to learn a skill with a baby?

It was surprisingly quite easy. My daughter is just as reserved as I am and was such a happy baby. Once I fed her, she was content to stay on my back and quietly watch everyone. If I ever got too busy, I could just drop her at Aunty鈥檚 shop.

Towards the end of 2020, I started making money with my skills. I would charge at least 鈧�1500 to do hair for people in the neighbourhood and 鈧�500 – 鈧�1k to paint their nails. I also befriended a neighbour who was studying at the university in the next town, and she often referred me to her friends. 

I鈥檇 carry my baby on my back and travel to the university almost every weekend to do hair and nails for clients. In a good month, I was making up to 鈧�20k. I was also saving like mad. There was actually nothing even to spend on, so saving was easy.

In early 2022, I decided to upgrade my skills. Ladies were now doing acrylic nails and gel polish, and I was tired of telling people I didn鈥檛 know how to do it when they asked. 

So, what did you do?

I paid a nail tech 鈧�30,000 for a three-week training on acrylics, gel polish, and nail art. Next, I bought a basic starter kit: a small UV lamp, acrylic powders, liquids, and a few gel polishes. I think the whole thing cost me about 鈧�40,000.

Then I started telling everyone I was doing acrylic nails now. I charged really poorly in those early days, like 鈧�4k – 鈧�5k per set. Most of the time, I wasn鈥檛 making a profit after covering material costs, but I just wanted to practice and become really good. I was also still making little money here and there from hairdressing.

Later that year, I withdrew 鈧�82k from my savings to buy an Android phone. Did I mention my dad took my phone and laptop when he disowned me in 2017?

He did?

Oh yeah. He took everything. I didn鈥檛 even get to pack my clothes. Anyway, I had been managing a small torchlight phone all those years, but I now needed a smartphone to post my work on social media.

I created an Instagram page and started posting pictures of my work there. I also did the same on WhatsApp, and gradually, I began to get both hair and nail clients from social media too. Most of my clients were in the university area, but it didn鈥檛 make sense to spend 鈧�8k on transport fare to and from my town to the university multiple times a week. 

So, I created a schedule. I would travel to the uni campus every Thursday, squat with a friend in the student hostel, and either service clients there or go to their homes. I鈥檇 stay there from Thursday to Sunday, then return home on Monday. Sometimes, I took on neighbourhood clients between Monday and Thursday when I had to travel to the school area again. I was literally working non-stop. Whenever I travelled like that, I left my daughter with Aunty.

What was your income like at this time?

By 2023, I was earning at least 鈧�70,000 monthly. I could save about half of that and use the rest to contribute to food expenses at Aunty鈥檚 house. 

That same year, my savings hit 鈧�500,000, and I rented a mini-flat close to the university since that was where most of my clients stayed. Renting that apartment was the proudest moment of my life. For months, the only property I had was a mattress, but I felt like I had made it. I mean, I was sleeping under a roof I paid for with money I earned with my own hands. It was so surreal. 

My mum also came to visit me secretly for the first time in almost seven years, and we both cried on that mattress. It really felt like after the struggle of the past couple of years, I was finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

Love it for you! What鈥檚 your income like these days?

I鈥檝e mostly abandoned hairdressing these days because of back pain, so I鈥檓 primarily a nail tech. Currently, I make between 鈧�300,000 and 鈧�600,000 monthly.

I moved into a spacious 鈧�600k/year room-and-parlour apartment last year and transformed the parlour into a mini-studio so I can take walk-in clients. A lot of my clients come from Instagram and TikTok. Sometimes, when posts about my designs go viral, or during peak festive seasons like December or Valentine鈥檚, I can make up to 鈧�800,000 in a single month. 

I work crazily hard. Most days, I鈥檓 working from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. I鈥檓 pushing this hard because I know where I鈥檓 coming from and where I鈥檓 going. I need to create a comfortable life for my daughter and make sure she never goes through what I did.

Also, I restarted my undergraduate programme last year.

That鈥檚 exciting. How did that happen?

I just kept feeling like university was something I still needed to do. I always got that feeling whenever I saw uni students graduating every year. So, I just decided to do it. I might not need the degree, but what if a job opportunity comes tomorrow? I also didn鈥檛 want to rely only on my work as a nail tech. What if people woke up tomorrow and said they don鈥檛 want to do acrylic nails again?

So, I鈥檓 currently a student at the Open University. I鈥檝e completed my first year; three more to go. Tuition costs me about 鈧�60k – 鈧�70k per semester. I study at night after my daughter goes to sleep and after I finish with nail clients.

Another thing I should mention: I got into virtual assistance early this year.

Another skill? Tell me about it

I discovered it while researching online learning. I joined a tech community that offered scholarships for a three-month virtual assistant training. 

After the training, one of the community leaders connected me with a client who needed someone to manage email outreach and calendar scheduling for their agency. It’s not a full-time job, but every two to three months, the client engages my services and pays me 鈧�100,000 for the month.

Not bad. What do your typical monthly expenses look like?

My mum and aunt are my heroes. I try to send them money every month just to show appreciation for everything they did for me.

Speaking of which, have you spoken to your father since 2017?

No. Not a single word from him or my siblings. He hasn’t reached out to me, and I haven’t reached out to him. My mum tells me that sometimes he says things like, 鈥淚 know you鈥檙e still keeping in touch with your child. Just don鈥檛 let me catch you.鈥�

Hmm. Do you think you will ever forgive him if he asks?

I will never forgive him. I was 17 years old, a child who made a mistake. My life could have easily gone left. I could have ended up on the streets, in prostitution, or dead from depression. He threw me away like trash because of his ego and his “reputation.” He abandoned me at the exact moment I needed a father the most. I survived and thrived because of God and my mother鈥檚 family, not him.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I鈥檇 say security. Growing up, money was just this thing my dad controlled, and because he did, he used it as a tool to strip away my independence the moment I made a mistake.

Living with my aunt and learning a skill taught me the real value of money. For me today, money is my freedom and my shield. I love knowing that every single kobo paying for my apartment, my daughter鈥檚 school, my degree, and even my generator fuel came from my own hard work. Nobody can ever hold money over my head or use it to dictate my choices again.

Because of that, I am incredibly optimistic about my future. When I look back at where I was at 17 and see where I am today at 26, I feel unstoppable. I know that whatever life throws at me next, I have the skills and the drive to handle it and keep growing.

Inject it. How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?

8.5. The remaining 1.5 is just for when I finally get my degree and open a luxury nail and beauty lounge. But mentally, emotionally, and financially, I am at peace. I built my life from zero, and nobody can ever take that away from me.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

At the end of my second term in JSS 1, every other student received their report card except me. I didn鈥檛 get it because I hadn鈥檛 completed my school fees payment. That was the first time I experienced that, and it made me realise the importance of money.

Do you know what led to the school fees delay?

My dad used to supervise construction sites, but the client jobs suddenly stopped coming in. So, my parents started relying heavily on the income from my mum鈥檚 sewing business. My dad began helping out in her shop, but customers often owed money, so we struggled.

Half-payment of school fees became a regular thing. I often couldn鈥檛 collect my report card or participate in prize-giving days because we always owed something.

How did the financial situation impact your daily life at home?

Before things got bad, my siblings and I usually had snacks at home to eat between meals, but that gradually stopped. My parents started buying provisions in bits and pieces, instead of in bulk. We couldn’t go on school excursions because there was no extra money.

We still had food and necessities, but those little extra things had to stop. The saving grace was rent. We lived in my aunt鈥檚 house, so we didn’t pay rent, and my mum didn’t pay rent on her shop either. But the fees just kept piling up. Even after I graduated secondary school, my dad was still paying off school fees debt.

When was the first time you did something to earn money?

That was in primary school. We were given a practical project to make shoes using cartons. I made mine really well, so two or three classmates asked me to make theirs too. They paid me 鈧�50 each. It was tiny money, but it felt huge back then.

Later, in JSS 3, my dad used to give us small pocket money; sometimes 鈧�20 or 鈧�100. A few classmates and I started pooling our money together to save. If you didn’t withdraw early, you鈥檇 get a little extra change at the end of the term. I also started helping classmates buy textbooks from a bookshop in my neighbourhood, charging 鈧�200 or 鈧�300 as bike fare. I mostly spent the money on snacks.

In SS 1 and SS 2, I read and summarised literature books for classmates who didn’t want to do it themselves. They鈥檇 pay 鈧�200 or 鈧�500 per book. It wasn’t regular income, just free money once in a while.

What happened after secondary school?

I graduated in 2017 and was admitted to the university in 2018 to study Microbiology.

I couldn鈥檛 really make money at uni because my parents wanted me to focus on my studies. I tried ushering at some point, but my parents found out and stopped me. Besides, I couldn’t really do side gigs because I stayed in the hostel from Monday to Friday, and was mandated to come home every weekend.

I was getting pocket money, though, about 鈧�5,000 per month throughout my entire four years in school.

Was 鈧�5k enough to survive on?

In the 100 and 200 levels, it was manageable. I鈥檇 pack foodstuffs and soup from home to school. The only things I paid for in school were pure water and transportation. My parents paid for handouts and course materials separately.

By the 300 level, 鈧�5k was no longer working. Bank charges alone would take it down to 鈧�4k-something, and trying to stretch 鈧�1,000 a week became impossible. By the time the final year rolled around and I had no money for sign-out clothes, it really hit me that I had wasted time by not finding a way to make extra money in school.

How did you handle the final year expenses then?

When we were doing our final year project, my project group sent me to buy lab materials from a specific market. When I got back, other students wanted the same materials, so they sent me with transport money and extra for my trouble.

I also helped group members type up and print their reports after IT and seminars. Altogether, I made just under 鈧�20k. It was enough to cover my final-year outfit and shoes.

We surveyed 5,000 workers across Nigeria鈥檚 formal and informal sectors to examine what Nigerians earn, where the money goes, and whether hard work actually translates to financial security. This is what we found. Download the 糖心原创 State of Income Report.

What came next after uni?

I signed out in 2021, but didn’t go for NYSC until early 2023. First, there was an ASUU strike. Then, after the strike, my HOD 鈥� who was supposed to approve our results 鈥� went abroad on sabbatical. Nothing could be processed until she returned.

That forced break between 2021 and 2023 made me start thinking seriously about how to make money.

Did you find a way?

Yes. A friend from university linked me up with a guy who needed people to upload WAEC and NECO past questions and answers from 2006 to 2021 on a website. My brother and I took up the gig. For major subjects like Maths and English, he paid 鈧�15,000. Other subjects were 鈧�5,000 to 鈧�10,000.

Working together on phones and laptops, my brother and I could finish a major subject in two to three days. Over three to four months, we made over 鈧�100k from that gig before the project ended.

Where did that money go?

We split the earnings equally after deducting data costs. But I lost a chunk of my share to a scam. 

Someone messaged me claiming my final-year results were out and that I had failed two tough courses, demanding 鈧�15k each to edit them in the system. Panicking about having an extra year, I negotiated down to 鈧�18k for both and sent the money. The guy immediately blocked me. I cried so much because I was saving up to replace my prescription glasses.

Later, when my HOD returned, I also used about 鈧�30,000 from the gig earnings to print and bind five copies of my final year project hardcovers.

Around late 2022, tired of waiting at home, I began applying for receptionist jobs. One application landed me in one of those fake network marketing presentations. They kept the other applicants and me there for like four hours. I even lost part of my transport money that day.

I eventually got a job teaching at my former primary school in my neighbourhood. I taught the Primary 4 class on every single subject. When I asked how much my salary would be, they just told me to hold on. At the end of the month, the headmistress handed me 鈧�6,500.

For the whole month?

Yes! I was so angry, but because of the familiar relationship with the school owner, I couldn’t confront them. The next month, they paid a bit more. I can鈥檛 remember exactly how much, but it wasn’t up to 鈧�15,000. I quit before the term ended, using my NYSC clearance process as an excuse to escape.

I finally started my service year in February 2023. The school I served at didn鈥檛 pay a salary, so I lived on the 鈧�33,000 federal government allawee and an extra 鈧�4,800 from the state government. 

Thankfully, I served in the North, and life was quite manageable. I rented a single room for 鈧�25,000 a year, and my PPA was walking distance, so zero transport cost.

Food was cheap, too. I鈥檇 buy 鈧�16,000 worth of food, gas, and provisions that would last the whole month. Out of my 鈧�37,800 monthly stipend, I saved 鈧�10,000. By the time service ended in March 2024, I had saved enough to replace my faulty phone.

What was the plan after NYSC?

I returned to my parents鈥� home. Before leaving the North, I had joined a women-only community on WhatsApp that essentially made me comfortable with the fact that I could dream and want things. 

Through the community, I got introduced to another creative writing group. There, someone posted a gig looking for beta readers for an essay competition. I applied and got paid 鈧�120,000 to review 60 essays. I used part of it to buy a secondhand laptop for 鈧�100,000 to start writing professionally.

What kind of writing were you doing?

I tried technical writing, but it didn’t stick, so I moved to ghostwriting. I was doing 鈧�1-per-word jobs, earning between 鈧�5,000 and 鈧�50,000 a month, depending on the work. At some point, I raised my rate to 鈧�2 per word, but the cash flow wasn’t consistent.

In June 2024, my dad sent me a link for a bank鈥檚 graduate trainee programme. I initially didn鈥檛 apply because I thought, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 a microbiology graduate going to do at a bank?鈥� But on the day the application was to close, I decided to apply anyway.

In August, I got the invitation to write the assessments. I wrote and passed all three stages of the assessments, then did the executive interview and medicals. At the end of September, I got an email saying I鈥檇 been selected for training school, and in November, we resumed.

What was the pay like?

We were paid 鈧�100,000 monthly as trainees from November 2024 to March 2025. Making 鈧�100k felt amazing. It was the most money I had ever earned at the time, but the excitement wore off quickly.

By December, I already felt like I was in the wrong place and in the wrong industry. I was unhappy, but I couldn鈥檛 leave because every new trainee was required to spend at least one year in the bank or pay 鈧�1 million.

In March 2025, we were fully absorbed as staff, and my salary jumped to 鈧�464,000 monthly. However, I was assigned to marketing, which is the shortest end of the stick in Nigerian banking.

You don鈥檛 get to choose?

Nope. They placed us at random, and because I didn’t have any internal connections, I ended up in branch marketing. Bank marketing means dealing with crazy, impossible targets, from deposit and loan targets to account-opening targets.

For the first few months, I was crying in the office restroom every single day. The pressure is insane, and the goalposts constantly move. It doesn鈥檛 help that my manager is always shouting. Last month, they held us by the neck for loans. This month, management gave our branch a target to source 鈧�19 billion in customer deposits by the end of the year. Like how?

Phew. How have you been coping?

I鈥檓 actually planning my escape. Since training school, I knew that banking was not my path. So the moment my salary increased to 鈧�464,000, I started saving like crazy.

Living with my parents saves me from paying rent, so I consistently save 鈧�200,000 to 鈧�250,000 every month. My goal is to build an escape fund so I can resign by, at most, March 2027.

How much do you have so far, and how much are you targeting?

Right now, I have about 鈧�4 million saved up. Of that amount, I鈥檝e already set aside about 鈧�400,000 to cover all four semesters of my online Master鈥檚 in Public Health. I enrolled in the master鈥檚 programme a few months ago, and I鈥檓 still in my first semester. 

I paid almost 鈧�200,000 this semester, but the cost will reduce over the remaining semesters as my course load decreases. So, the 鈧�400,000 fund will sort that. The rest of the money is strictly my escape cushion. My target is to hit 鈧�5 million by March.

Is the master鈥檚 programme pivotal to your plan to leave the bank?

Yes. I want to transition into development and non-profit roles and work with organisations such as the WHO or ECOWAS. All the vacancies I鈥檝e seen require a master鈥檚 degree, so that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 doing this. 

You鈥檒l be resigning without another source of income. How long do you think this 鈧�5 million will last you?

I don’t spend wildly, and I live with my parents, so that 鈧�5 million should comfortably give me six months to figure things out. But the goal is not to touch that money at all during that time.

I plan to aggressively apply for jobs in development or writing before I resign. I already started job hunting, but I paused when nothing was coming, and focused on my exams. Even if nothing clicks before I resign, I鈥檒l still leave the bank. I don鈥檛 have a future here, and I don鈥檛 want to waste my time further. 

I also still do some freelance writing and pitch to foreign magazines whenever I have the time. Even with my hectic bank schedule, I鈥檝e managed to make $100 from pitches over the last three months. Once I leave the bank, my brain will actually function again, and I鈥檒l have the mental bandwidth to pitch regularly, hunt for technical writing gigs, and set up Upwork properly with a mentor who offered to guide me.

The goal is to keep pitching and find a role in public health, development, or international writing within that six-month window. If nothing clicks after that window, I might then have no choice but to dip into the savings. But something must work out. I鈥檓 practically driving on delusion, but I have no other choice but to believe it鈥檒l all work out.

Does your family support your decision to quit?

Yes. My parents never even liked the job in the first place because of the negative stereotypes around female bank marketers supposedly selling their bodies. My siblings agree that my peace of mind matters more. Interestingly, my dad is retiring next year, so I need to find something stable soon. 

Have you considered the possibility of not finding another job that pays as much as you earn now?

Oh yes. I know it鈥檚 hard to earn this much as an entry-level professional outside the bank. I know colleagues who have switched banks and now earn close to 鈧�1 million. But at the end of the day, peace of mind is the priority. I can鈥檛 deal with the targets. I鈥檝e always had anxiety and can lose my shit if I stay here.

Rooting for you. Let鈥檚 break down your typical monthly expenses

How would you describe your relationship with money?

It鈥檚 toxic, to be honest. My sister says I save money like something terrible is going to happen tomorrow. I overthink every single purchase and constantly feel the need to justify spending money rather than putting it into my savings.

The only exception now is food. I got severely sick around March/April this year because I wasn’t eating well. After recovering, I stopped playing with my stomach. If I’m at work, I order proper meals without feeling guilty.

Is there anything you want right now that you can’t afford?

A car and a new house for my family. Navigating my city without a car from Monday to Friday is exhausting. But a decent small car costs around 鈧�10 million now. The bank can only offer me a 鈧�4 million loan spread over three years, but I refuse to take it. I have a genuine fear of debt. I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing I owe a bank.

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1 to 10?

4. On paper, it looks like I鈥檓 earning a lot of money, but with inflation, it doesn’t stretch that far. More importantly, the idea that I鈥檓 saving heavily just to escape my job gives me a constant headache. 

I want to earn 鈧�500k to 鈧�600k+ in an industry I actually love, where I can work with peace of mind, comfortably support my family, buy a car, and take a vacation outside Nigeria without anxiety.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

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What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

I remember being around seven or eight years old, watching my mother meticulously count naira notes into small nylon bags. She ran a small bukka, and my elder sister and I would go straight there after school to help her. 

Then, after closing up for the day, we would sit with her on a wooden bench to sort the cash. Sometimes, my mum gave us 鈧�20 or 鈧�50 each as a reward for working hard.

What was money like at home?

Money wasn’t abundant in our house, but we always had food because of my mum鈥檚 business. My father was a bricklayer who worked on building sites. He didn鈥檛 make much money, but he tried his best. While we didn鈥檛 get things like new clothes or shoes, I don鈥檛 think my sister and I were ever sent out of school for non-payment of fees. 

My dad strongly believed in not doing more than his ability. If he knew he couldn鈥檛 comfortably pay for something, he wouldn鈥檛 even start it. I remember wanting to go to a private secondary school that my neighbourhood friend attended. My dad said, 鈥淚f I pay for this term, where will I see money for next term?鈥�

Also, my dad was proud in that he never begged for financial assistance or expected others to help him. He always said, 鈥淚f you don’t sweat for your money, it won’t last.鈥� 

I used to think that didn鈥檛 make sense. Why not take free money if you can? Must you suffer for money? Now that I think about it, considering how my life has gone, he was probably right.

Let鈥檚 start from the beginning. When was the first time you worked to earn your own money?

That was in 2013, right after I finished my OND in Hospitality Management. I got a job as a waiter/receptionist at a hotel in Ibadan, earning 鈧�18,000 a month. 

I used my first salary to buy my friend鈥檚 old Tecno phone. I was supposed to pay him 鈧�25,000, but I never paid him the balance. I spent three years at that hotel, and my salary only increased once, to 鈧�22,000. In 2017, I decided to relocate to Lagos to look for bigger opportunities.

Did you find these opportunities?

Yes. I moved in with a friend in Ikorodu, and with his contacts, I got a job as a front desk officer at a hotel in Ikeja. I initially thought my new salary of 鈧�45,000/month was an upgrade. But after paying transport costs, contributing to household expenses, and buying a few clothes to look presentable, I was living from hand to mouth.

By 2019, I had moved up to supervisor, and my salary had risen to 鈧�65,000. That was also around the time I discovered sports betting.

How did you get into gambling?

It started as normal gisting during weekend football matches. The other guys I worked with at the hotel would always talk about codes and sure odds. It never really interested me until one night when one guy won 鈧�75,000 on a 鈧�500 stake. I thought, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the harm in trying?鈥�

I started playing with 鈧�200 or 鈧�500 here and there. I mostly lost, but I won between 鈧�5,000 and 鈧�15,000 a few times, and it felt like free money. Slowly, it became a regular habit. My 鈧�65k salary wasn鈥檛 big money, and I was spending almost everything trying to survive. Betting gave me hope that I could win extra cash someday and make my life easier for a while.

Did this hope ever come true?

The life of a gambler is funny because I never really made any significant money from that 2019 to 2024, but I kept gambling almost every week. It was just loss upon loss, with small wins of about 鈧�15,000, or at most 鈧�40,000, here and there. 

Anytime I wanted to stop, I would think, 鈥淲hat if today is the day I win big?鈥� If I calculate it, I was spending at least 鈧�15,000 on sports betting every month. Of course, that meant my already small salary was no longer enough to manage, and around 2021, I started regularly taking loans to supplement it.

Loan apps?

It was a mix of loan apps and small small loans from work colleagues. I always tried to avoid loan apps as much as possible because of the interest rates. 

I promptly repaid the loans I took from colleagues because they saw me every day, and I couldn鈥檛 escape them. The apps were a different matter. I hardly paid them back. At one point, I was changing SIM cards every two months because loan apps kept disturbing me with calls. 

In 2023, I moved to another hotel as a manager, and my salary increased to 鈧�80,000. The new job came with accommodation, so the money I spent on transportation reduced. I also started seriously dating a colleague. She was one of the kitchen staff, and I really liked her. This decision would come back to bite me later.

In mid-2024, gambling finally paid me big.

Tell me about it

It was a huge stroke of luck. I got very sure odds from a punter and bet 鈧�20,000 on a multiple-game ticket of about 20 games with crazy odds. I had played similar multiple bets like that before, even with 鈥渧ery sure odds鈥�, but one or two games always cut the ticket. 

But that day, I just had a feeling something good would happen. And I was right. By the end of the night, I had won a little over 鈧�20 million.

What goes through a man’s mind when he wins 鈧�20 million just like that?

Omo. I think I ran mad for a minute. I screamed so loud that some hotel guests on the floor above my room woke up. I couldn’t breathe. I checked the screen like ten times. I withdrew 鈧�500k first just to test if it was real. When the bank alert dropped, I just started crying. I felt like God had finally answered my prayers.

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What did you do with the money?

The very next morning, I called my girlfriend. She was about three months pregnant at the time, and that period had been really tough for us. Her family was putting pressure on us to marry, saying it was against their tradition to have a child outside wedlock. 

I had been trying to push back and get her to abort since I didn鈥檛 have money, but once I won that money, I decided our story had changed. I told her God had blessed us and that our wedding was finally happening. She was happy too, and we started planning immediately.

To show how stupid I was, I didn鈥檛 think of a business I could do with the money, or even investments. Instead, my priorities were: the wedding, securing a house, and settling down.

How much went into the wedding?

In total, I spent about 鈧�3 million on the traditional and white wedding. I wanted to impress her family and show them that their daughter was marrying a real man. I also bought a used Toyota car for 鈧�3.3 million and rented a one-room apartment for 鈧�800k.

During the wedding preparations, my wife introduced me to a man who looked to be in his early 40s. She called him 鈥渟mall daddy,鈥� and said he was her cousin from her mother’s side. Apparently, he had been the one taking care of her since her dad lost his job.

Small Daddy was a real estate developer and seemed extremely knowledgeable about property. Remember, one of my plans for the money I won was to secure a house. He convinced me to buy a plot of land and build a house in Ogun State. 

He sha packaged it and said 鈧�12 million would get me the land, secure all the documents and complete like 40% of the building. Then I could give him money in instalments over the next couple of months to complete the building.

Did you agree to this?

Yes. My wife strongly vouched for him, and I felt it was better to work with a relative. At least, if anything went wrong, I could get the family involved.

So, towards the end of 2024, I gave him 鈧�12 million in three instalments to buy the land and start building. In January 2025, I started asking to visit the site. Up until then, Small Daddy had been sending pictures and videos of the supposed construction. Every time I tried to visit the site, my wife would give an excuse. It was either that he was out of town inspecting another project, or someone was sick.

One Saturday morning, I told my wife I was going to the site, whether Small Daddy was around or not. I traced the site address he had written on the receipts he gave me. You won鈥檛 believe what I saw when I got there.

What did you see?

Absolutely nothing. Just bush and some farm land where the villagers were farming cassava. By now, neither my wife nor Small Daddy was picking up my calls. Confused, I showed the villagers the land receipts, but they said the names on them were unfamiliar and that they didn鈥檛 know of any land that had been recently sold.

To cut a long story short, I returned home and didn鈥檛 meet my wife and our one-month-old child. She had packed every single thing in the house, down to the last spoon. I had only left the house for like four hours o.

Ah. Do you know where she went?

Till today, I haven鈥檛 used my eyes to see her. She just dropped the child off with her parents and disappeared. Our neighbour said he saw her packing that day and that Small Daddy had come to pick her up with a truck. When the neighbour asked what was happening, she said we were moving to our new house.

Her family still claims they don鈥檛 know where she is, but I think they鈥檙e lying. It was also from making enquiries about her whereabouts that I learned Small Daddy wasn鈥檛 even her relative. He was her long-time boyfriend from her university days. They must have planned the entire thing together the moment she told him I won 鈧�20 million. That鈥檚 how they ran away with my money.

Damn. How did you process that level of betrayal?

I fell sick and couldn鈥檛 sleep for days. I would just sit on the floor of my room staring at the ceiling. I鈥檓 not sure how I managed to go to work during that period. Anytime I thought about the fact that I won 鈧�20 million and lost it all within seven months, my head would just start paining me. It鈥檚 by God鈥檚 grace that I didn鈥檛 run mad. It still feels like a dream.

Some people suggested using the police to track them, but I had already spent the whole 鈧�20 million and didn鈥檛 want to waste money I didn鈥檛 have on police. I believe I鈥檒l catch her one day, sha. Our child is still with my wife鈥檚 family, and I have people who will notify me if they see my wife around the area.

What鈥檚 your income like these days?

I鈥檓 still working as a hotel manager, earning 鈧�85,000/month. I had to return to living in the hotel sometime last year because I couldn鈥檛 afford rent again. 

My car has been at a mechanic鈥檚 garage for months. The engine has problems, and I鈥檝e been constantly fixing it. The only solution now is to buy another one, and that will cost about 鈧�800k – 鈧�1.2 million, which I don鈥檛 have. I鈥檓 not sure why I bought a car in the first place. Maybe I felt every millionaire needed to have a car. Plus, the money felt like it would never finish then. See me now, I鈥檓 worse off than when I won it. There鈥檚 absolutely nothing to prove that kind of money passed through my account. 

Funny enough, I didn鈥檛 even tell my parents about it. They know I won some money, but I didn鈥檛 tell them the full amount. They assumed that was what I used to fund my wedding. They know my wife left me for another man, but don鈥檛 know she took my money. Imagine if my dad knew how much was involved. He would insult me so much.

But I still believe I can make it again. I鈥檓 still betting, and I just need another big win.

You鈥檙e still gambling?

I don鈥檛 have a choice. The hope that things can change any day is what is keeping me going. I haven鈥檛 won anything since I started betting again, but it can happen. If I make another big win, I won鈥檛 tell anybody. I鈥檒l just make my moves in silence.

I鈥檓 also trying to be reasonable. I try to bet only 鈧�10,000 a month, so it won鈥檛 pain me too much if I don鈥檛 win anything. I also started a 鈧�10,000 monthly ajo contribution this year. I鈥檒l collect mine in December and think of a business I can start.

Let鈥檚 break down your typical monthly expenses

I get small tips occasionally from guests checking in, which adds maybe 鈧�10,000 to 鈧�15,000 extra to my pocket monthly.

I still take loans from colleagues and loan apps from time to time, so that鈥檚 what the loan repayments are for. Currently, I owe about 鈧�55k in total: 鈧�10k to a colleague and the remaining from a loan app.

Is there an ideal amount of money you think you should be earning?

I believe I could do a lot if I were earning 鈧�200k/month. I would be able to save and think about what I can do with my life to earn extra money. Right now, it just feels like I鈥檓 stuck with no clear direction. 

I still believe very much that my luck can shine and I can win big again, but I don鈥檛 know exactly when that will happen. So, for the meantime, I鈥檓 just waiting and hoping.

Do you ever feel like the gambling itself is keeping you trapped?

Sometimes, when I lose a ticket, I blame myself and wish I had never even started betting in the first place. Maybe if I had not won that 鈧�20 million, I鈥檇 have abandoned betting at some point since I wasn鈥檛 getting anything from it. But that money showed me what was possible. I鈥檓 not sure I can just stop totally. I鈥檒l just be thinking, 鈥淲hat if?鈥� 

Hmmm. How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?

2. That鈥檚 because I鈥檓 alive and still have a job that provides me with accommodation. But I鈥檓 nowhere near happy with where I am in life right now.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

Up until 2011, money was just a thing that existed to buy whatever we wanted. My siblings and I grew up sheltered. Nobody counted the spoons of milk in your tea. We took family trips; our first international trip was in 2009, followed by another in 2011. Even when we didn’t travel, my parents would buy things from the US and the UK and bring them down.

My dad bought two brand-new cars around that period, one for my mum and a bigger one for the family. We moved from a two-bedroom flat to our own three-bedroom bungalow with a compound. 

Then, around 2011 or 2012, everything started going downhill.

What happened?

I was 13 and in secondary school. Suddenly, I noticed our school fees started being delayed. I went from never knowing people could be sent out of school for fees to almost missing the final grace periods before midterms. 

My dad knew the principal, so he鈥檇 tell my siblings and me to “Go and meet the principal, I鈥檝e already spoken to him.” I remember the principal used to have this exasperated expression on his face like, “These people have come again.”

When I graduated from secondary school in 2014 at 16, my dad had to pull my two younger sisters out of the school and put them in a more affordable one. That was when I realised we seemed to be having a problem with money in the family.

Did you ever find out what caused the sudden shift?

As I got older, I learned that my dad was a civil servant in a paramilitary agency. Around 2009, he had been posted to a state where the governor was really into what they were doing, so they were getting grants and funding from international organisations. Money was flowing. In fact, my mum said he used to leave 鈧�10k in his pockets and send the clothes to the dry cleaner. Imagine 鈧�10k in 2009. 

My mum begged him to invest in a particular piece of property back then, but he felt like, “God has favoured us, the money will keep coming in.” Then, around 2011, he was framed at work and put under investigation. 

He was at home for two years while that process was going on. My mum tried her hand at several small businesses during this period. By the time my dad was cleared and resumed work, he had accumulated so much debt that our family never recovered.

How did that experience shape your view on money?

I developed this thing where I did not like talking about money. Even to this day, I do not like hearing about financial troubles. I don’t like that statement, “I don’t have money.” 

Going from getting things I didn’t even ask for to asking for things I actually need, only to hear “no money,鈥� did something to my head. I鈥檇 rather not ask for anything if I know there’s a chance you won’t give to me.

It also gave me this philosophy: at some point in every person’s life, they will “touch money.” For somebody, it might be 鈧�20 million; for another, it鈥檚 鈧�200 million. What you do at that moment determines your financial future forever.

When was the first time you earned your own money?

In university. I got into a federal university in November 2015 after waiting a year because my parents couldn’t afford the private university I was initially admitted to. Throughout my four years, my monthly allowance was 鈧�15k. For the life of me, I don’t know how I managed to survive on that.

I did not like calling home for money because I didn’t know what I would hear. So I just made do. I wasn’t an extravagant person. I wore old clothes, walked everywhere, and managed until the next allowance came in.

However, by late 2019, in my final year, the 鈧�15k allowance was now too little for my final-year expenses. I had been writing and editing for free for my school鈥檚 press association and department blogs, and a friend pointed out that I could actually earn from that.

She connected me with a guy who outsourced content writing gigs he got on Upwork and Fiverr. I wrote about 20 articles over three months; random things like recipes for cooking an octopus. In January 2020, he paid me a lump sum of 鈧�100k.

How did that feel?

I was so happy. The only money hitting my account before then was 鈧�15k, or maybe 鈧�5k if I asked my cousins. The only other time a high amount hit my account was when my dad sent money for school fees. Seeing 鈧�100k that was my own was such a good feeling. I put it straight into Piggyvest.

Throughout 2020, during COVID, I was at home writing and getting paid 鈧�30k, 鈧�40k here and there. My mum was so proud seeing me make money online instead of just scrolling on my phone.

By the time I had to go for the NYSC orientation camp in 2021, I had over 鈧�200k in my savings. That helped me not to worry too much when my dad gave me only 鈧�10k for camp. Also, I met someone in camp who regularly bought me food and other things I needed.

But by the last week of camp, I started doing Father Christmas. I randomly bought things for people and only realised after we left that I had spent about 鈧�70k in one week. I felt bad about that, so I decided to lock 鈧�120k in an agro-partnership investment that someone advertised on WhatsApp. I was supposed to get back 鈧�200k (a 鈧�80k profit) in a year.

That 鈥渟upposed to鈥� sounds ominous

I didn鈥檛 get my money o. I was supposed to get it in February or March 2022, and I kept counting down to when I鈥檇 receive it. The day came, and I waited. Nothing came. I went online and started hearing that the company had gone down. 

Later, they sent an email saying they suffered crop loss. I was devastated. I sent an email asking them to forget about the profit and just give me my capital back, but I didn鈥檛 hear back from them.聽

Anyway, back to my service year. I was posted to a medical lab for my Primary Place of Assignment (PPA). NYSC paid 鈧�33k/month, and my PPA paid 鈧�16k. I served in my home state, so I lived with my parents and commuted to work. Transport to my PPA was just about 鈧�700 daily.

The writing gigs dried up around this time because the guy stopped writing and became a tech content creator reviewing phone gadgets. But I did a few small gigs on the side. By the time I finished NYSC in 2022, I had saved 鈧�160k. I used about 鈧�120k of it to buy a laptop so I could practice data analysis.

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How did data analysis enter the picture?

Someone had organised a 3-week youth empowerment training in my CDS group during NYSC, where I learned data analysis.

After NYSC, I spent about six months sending applications for anything and everything while living on a 鈧�10k-a-month data stipend from dad. I didn鈥檛 like having to depend on my dad for data. I would have been in a better financial state if not for the failed investment, but there I was, asking for data money. 

Thankfully, in September 2022, I finally got a job with a bank. The job was in Lagos, so I had to relocate and live with a family friend there.

What was the pay like?

I was on a 鈧�60k/month intern salary for the first three months, then it got bumped to 鈧�100k. Around this period, I entered into a different kind of financial trouble with loan sharks.

How did that happen?

Funny story. I needed to buy work clothes since I worked in a bank and had to dress the part. I had a budget of 鈧�15k, and the family friend I lived with offered to take me to Yaba Market. However, instead of taking me to the roadside vendors, she took me inside the plaza. People started throwing clothes at me to try on. Before I knew it, the bill was 鈧�45k.

I was too shy to say I couldn’t afford it or that my budget was 鈧�15k, because she had taken time out of her day to bring me there. So I kept quiet. She paid the 鈧�45k, I gave her my 鈧�15k, and promised to send the remaining 鈧�30k at the end of the month. This happened when I was still earning 鈧�60k/month.

Meaning you owed half your salary

Exactly. When the salary came, I sent her 鈧�30k. Because I had sent half of my salary, I was now consistently in a half-salary deficit. My other expenses, like transportation and buying food at the office, were high. So, to survive on the remaining half salary, I took a 鈧�30k loan from a loan app.

When my next 鈧�60k salary came, I paid back about 鈧�36k with interest. Obviously, the remaining money wasn’t enough, so I took another loan. Even when my salary increased to 鈧�100k, I was still stuck in the cycle. I eventually had to borrow 鈧�60k from a friend to pay off the loan in full, then repaid my friend 鈧�20k per month for three months. It took seven solid months to clean up a mistake that started with 鈧�30k worth of clothes.

That was a wild ride

It was. In May 2023, the bank made me a full staff member, and my salary increased to 鈧�236k/month.

By this time, the family friend I was staying with was already asking when I was leaving. I had already spent nine months there, instead of the agreed six. I had to start house hunting. I really had no financial intelligence or literacy because tell me why I screamed whenever agents showed me apartments costing 鈧�350k – 鈧�400k/year. That price point was perfectly fine for my income since it was even less than my three-month salary, but I didn鈥檛 know that.

My dad eventually mentioned my housing stress to a friend, and the man got me an apartment in Lekki Phase 1 for 鈧�850k/year and paid the rent. That was my second biggest money mistake after the loan issue.

Why do you say so?

Lekki Phase 1 increased my cost of living. There were no small kiosks, and I had to buy from supermarkets all the time. Even though I earned 鈧�236k, I couldn’t save. I鈥檇 put 鈧�100k in Piggyvest, and before the month ended, I鈥檇 take it out again.

After staying just one year, I had an issue with my landlady and had to pack out with no notice in April 2024. 

Where did you move to?

I found another apartment in Lekki for 鈧�1.4 million. I only had 鈧�500k saved, so I borrowed 鈧�400k from my mum and the remaining 鈧�500k from friends.

Around this time, my salary was increased slightly to 鈧�265k/month, but I spent the first four months paying off my friends. The only person I couldn’t pay off was my mother. Just as I finished paying my friends back by January 2025, my company stopped a salary deduction policy they used to take from entry-level staff. Suddenly, my salary went from 鈧�265k to 鈧�460k/month.

Finally, some room to breathe!

You鈥檇 think so, right? But instead of saving, I went on a massive spending spree.

I realised I had been wearing worn-out, torn shoes and the same old clothes for years because I didn鈥檛 have money. I must have spent a little over 鈧�1.2 million on clothes and shoes in the first half of 2025 alone. Buying those things was my way of cheering myself up for all the stress I鈥檇 endured in Lagos.

Then, around June 2025, another problem came. We heard that our building was in court and that we were illegal occupants who needed to evacuate. Apparently, the caretaker had gotten the notice since March/April and hadn鈥檛 said anything. For the third time, I had to move out again hurriedly.

Again?!

I was devastated. I kept wondering if someone had decided somewhere that I had to be giving all my money to landlords and agents every single year.

My rent was due in August 2025, and I only had 鈧�700k saved. All the apartments I saw were charging around 鈧�2 million. I made another questionable decision. I took out a 鈧�1 million employee loan from the bank so I鈥檇 have at least 鈧�1.7 million.

Eventually, through a friend鈥檚 church group chat, I luckily found a self-contained apartment for a little over 鈧�1 million without going through agents. If I had known I鈥檇 get a place for that price, I wouldn’t have taken the loan. I could have waited for my August salary, and my savings would have hit 鈧�900k. I would have only needed about 鈧�100k more.

So, what did you do with the extra cash?

I put 鈧�700k back into the loan immediately, but I still had to pay the interest, which was accruing daily. In October and November, when work paid appraisal bonuses and 13th month, I borrowed 鈧�100k each from three colleagues interest-free, cleared the bank loan, and then paid my colleagues back over two months. By December 2025, I had finished paying everybody and was completely debt-free.

I entered January 2026 with 鈧�300k cash in my account; the first time in four years I entered a new year without debt.

Love it for you. What does your monthly income look like these days?

I got promoted in March 2026, and my salary is now 鈧�747k/month.

Also, back in November 2024 鈥� after a frustrating role change at work where my manager moved me out of my preferred data analysis track 鈥� I decided to enrol in an MSc Master’s programme at a federal university. I paid the 鈧�30k application fee with money borrowed from my sister, paid my 鈧�2m worth of tuition and other expenses in instalments, and, as we speak, my postgraduate fees are 100% paid. I鈥檓 finishing the degree later this year.

What kind of life does your income afford you?

I’m comfortable. I’ve actually never really been a big spender; I鈥檝e just not been a good manager of money.

My biggest expense is food because I can order it on a whim. It is usually my most impulsive expense, and then occasionally clothes and stuff like that. Temu had me in a chokehold for a while, but I’ve cured my Temu addiction. I don’t do that anymore.

Let’s break down these expenses for a typical month

Beyond the black tax budget, my dad still calls for one-off requests, and he never calls for small money. It is usually around 鈧�100k. At the end of July, he asked for 鈧�180k, and I gave it to him.

What does your savings portfolio look like right now?

It鈥檚 about 鈧�1.3 million in Piggyvest, but most of it will go toward my 鈧�750k rent renewal due in September. I also have 鈧�200k locked in stocks.

It feels embarrassing compared to my current income, but I remind myself that I paid for an entire Master’s degree, bought a laptop, survived loan sharks, and moved houses three times entirely on my own.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I鈥檝e stopped letting other people鈥檚 choices dictate my finances. No one can make money decisions for me anymore. I鈥檝e been down that road 鈥� taking 鈧�45k worth of clothes out of shyness and moving to Lekki because someone else paid the rent. I was making decisions based on other people, but I was the one paying the price.

Recently, I saw a mini-flat in my preferred area with a total package of 鈧�3.2 million (鈧�2.4 million rent). Old me would have collected a 鈧�2 million loan to take it. But I had a long back-and-forth with ChatGPT asking if it was a good financial decision. I eventually decided it was better to stay where I can afford.

My father made financial mistakes, but he already had children, school fees, and rent to pay, so he couldn’t bounce back. I made my mistakes early in my career, literally my first three years. I’ve paid the price, I’ve learned, and it’s only going to get better from here.

Is there an ideal amount of money that you think you should be earning right now?

I don鈥檛 have a specific amount in mind, but I鈥檇 like to have more than one source of income. Because I’m still building my safety net, if anything were to happen to my job today, I would be in serious soup. I have no safety net at home.

So I want to have more diversified sources of income. That’s my next goal. After this degree, I plan to focus on building more income streams. I also want to become more disciplined in how I manage my money. I’m good at creating budgets; I want to become as good at sticking to them and having multiple income streams, so I won’t fear losing my job and going under like my dad.

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?

6.5. I have been through financial ups and downs, mostly caused by myself, and I have somehow been able to survive. Each month is better than the one before. I’m still carrying the wounds of previous bad decisions, but I’m getting better. If those first three years of my career were the price I needed to pay to have a better 20-something years ahead, then so be it.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

Around the time I was in primary four, my mother ran a big restaurant in the North, right opposite major banks and close to a government house.

I used to go into the banks to deliver lunchboxes to customers and collect money. I was so tiny that I had to tap the top of the counter so the bankers would know I had arrived. My mum also had a deep freezer. I would take sachets of water, put them in a cooler and sell outside the shop for 鈧�5 per sachet. The whole bag cost 鈧�15, so whatever profit I made was mine to keep for snacks.

My dad ran a large building material business. That was where I learned sales. I was always so shocked by his pricing strategy.

How so?

My dad could tell a customer that he bought a sheet of zinc for 鈧�100 and was selling it to them at 鈧�110. But then, I鈥檇 look at his records and see he actually bought that zinc for 鈧�50.

I asked him about it one time, “Is it that you are lying to these people?”

He responded, “You wouldn’t call it a lie. It’s more like business now. It’s sales.”

He explained that if you tell customers you bought it for 鈧�50 and want to sell it for 鈧�100 or 鈧�150, they won’t buy. But if you tell them you bought it for 鈧�100 and are selling for 鈧�150, when they bargain down to 鈧�120 or 鈧�130, you’re not at a loss.

So, on my dad鈥檚 side, it was more about actually learning how to do business than about touching the money. But on my mum鈥檚 side, I saw the money and touched it.

What did all of this mean for your family financially? 

We were an okay family. I鈥檓 the last of five children, and my mum made sure I went to a private primary school. In fact, I was the only one of my siblings to attend a private primary school because my mum was so intentional about my education. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment, and my mum was such a fashionista that if her children came out, you would know they were out. Money wasn’t really a problem for us growing up.

Then, around 2010 or 2011, my dad鈥檚 business suffered a major crash. We became a one-income household, with my mum鈥檚 restaurant business holding everything together while paying off the outstanding bills of the failed business.

My dad left for the East in 2012, and my mum stayed behind briefly because her business was doing well. By then, she had expanded into commercial catering and consulting for restaurants. Two of my brothers were still in school, so my mum had one of my sisters stay behind with them. 

But my dad kept pushing for the family to join him, so my elder sister and I went to the East that same year. I was 12 years old and supposed to make the transition from JSS3 to SS1.

What was that move like for you and your sister?

Jesus Christ. It was a completely new world. 

My dad was crashing with his younger sister, who had a chin-chin production company. They would make us wake up at 5:00 a.m. to start mixing flour by hand. Then we鈥檇 start frying over clay ovens, and we wouldn’t eat breakfast until noon. Sometimes, it was the chin-chin we made that we ate.

When it rained, the town was so bad that the water reached our knees; we were literally swimming. My sister got a job that paid her 鈧�5,000, but her first salary went straight into buying drugs because she got sick. I wasn鈥檛 even going to school. My mum usually sent us money, but since my sister and I couldn鈥檛 cook for just the two of us because of the other people in the house, we mostly ate street food and snacks, which wasn鈥檛 healthy. 

This went on for about six months until my mum eventually sent money for us to rent a one-bedroom flat. She also had to leave her business in the north to come take care of us because my sister and I were dying and looking malnourished.

What did your mum’s moving to the East mean for her finances?

We lived in a very rural area in the East, where no one was eating at restaurants. She tried making soup for people to buy, tried going into red oil, and tried importing melon, but nothing worked. Still, she used her last card to put me in the best school she could find.

In 2018, when I was 17, I wrote JAMB and scored 290. My mum wanted me to attend a private university or study abroad. She even tried setting up a Coca-Cola wholesale partnership to finance my schooling, but in July 2018, she suddenly passed away.

I’m so sorry

Her death was a massive shock. 

My siblings were living in different places, trying to survive, and it was just my dad and me left at home. I couldn’t even take my post-UTME because we were burying her, so my JAMB score became useless.

I had to find a job teaching nursery school, earning 鈧�6,000 a month, so I could buy a JAMB form for 2019. But I would go to school to teach and just start crying. I didn’t even know I was grieving; I just kept going till I couldn’t take it anymore.

I stopped going to work and bed-rotted for about three to four months, and the 2019 JAMB form passed. I didn’t even know that time had passed. I stopped going to church, stopped talking to my dad, and cut myself off from my siblings. My dad kept calling them to come and carry me before I died, but my sister couldn’t because she was in school trying to see herself through.

How long were you in that state?

Almost the whole of 2019. 

In September, my brother came home and suggested I learn digital marketing. So, I went on Facebook and said I was learning digital marketing, even though I didn’t even know what it was. I wrote in a notebook with a blue pen whatever free courses my brother sent me that I understood, and with a red pen whatever I didn’t understand, to research later at cybercaf茅s. 

I also went back to teaching, now making 鈧�7,500 monthly.

How did learning digital marketing go?

Interesting story.

In January 2020, a lady posted on Facebook asking what people wanted to achieve, and I commented that I wanted to learn digital marketing. A man replied, telling me to add graphic design and that my life would change in five years. He offered to sponsor my learning.

I thought he was a scammer or wanted to use me for rituals, so I kept ignoring him, but he kept reaching out. He eventually connected me with his assistant, a woman, because he felt I鈥檇 trust a woman more. This man eventually paid 鈧�500,000 so I could learn digital marketing and graphic design at an institute for one year. He also sent me monthly stipends for transport. I couldn鈥檛 believe it.

By late 2020, I got my first social media management gig. It was free, but she gave me 鈧�5,000 monthly for data, and my sister sent me an Infinix phone. In January 2021, another influencer hired me for 鈧�30,000 per month, but she fired me after one month because her sales had decreased. She said my work was just to put picture, copy caption and paste.

I accepted in good faith because I knew I was not yet a good social media manager. So, I used my salary to buy data, paid 鈧�2,000 for a course, and dedicated three months to learning properly. I also stopped teaching at this time.

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What happened after those three months of learning?

My next client paid me 鈧�50,000/month to manage her clothing brand on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This time, I was like, 鈥淚f I don鈥檛 do a good job here, then this social media is not for me.鈥� Thankfully, I did a great job. We constantly sold out the clothes, and her followers grew. 

Around that time, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a pretty woman selling good Ankara dresses for 鈧�2,500. Remembering my dad’s business lessons, I told her, “Give me these clothes. I’ll take your pictures and post them for 鈧�5,000. Any amount I sell is not your business.”

I started posting her pictures, and it was an immediate hit. I also got some Facebook influencers to post the dresses. At some point, I was shipping packages to Lagos, Abuja, Kano, London, and Canada, moving over 300 pieces a month. That鈥檚 鈧�2,500 in profit across 300 places.

Mad o

I was such a big girl, until everything crashed within five months.

I got the lady who produced the dresses to sell them to me for between 鈧�1,500 and 鈧�2,000, and ran a discount sale where people could buy three dresses for 鈧�7,500. People went wild, buying multiple pieces to resell. 

I sold over 1,000 pieces in one week, bringing in over 鈧�2.7 million in revenue. My profit was supposed to be 鈧�1 million, while the remaining 鈧�1.7 million was for the production lady, who lived in Bayelsa. I first sent her a 鈧�750k deposit, plus another 鈧�250k a few days later. I鈥檝e never seen the lady before, but that鈥檚 how we ran the business. 

Once I got orders, I paid her a deposit, and then the balance after she delivered. It had gone smoothly several times up until that point. I even rented a shop for 鈧�180k and spent another 鈧�350k setting it up because I imagined I鈥檇 need a store to handle all the orders.

Unfortunately for me, this Bayelsa woman disappeared after receiving the deposit. She stopped answering my calls.

Ah. What did you do?

If I had known how crazy things would get, I would have been honest with the customers immediately after the woman disappeared. Maybe they would have helped me find her. But I was 21 and terrified. 

I started by telling people orders were delayed due to the volume. Later, I said it was because the store wasn鈥檛 ready. I was hoping to find another tailor to make the dresses. Many people couldn鈥檛 wait, so I used the profit to start processing refunds.

I eventually found a tailor, but she insisted on sewing at 鈧�5,000 per dress, far higher than my other arrangement. She also insisted on getting paid in full. I needed about 200 dresses, which would cost me 鈧�1 million. By this time, I had used all the money I had on refunds. So, I cleared out my 鈧�250k savings, borrowed 鈧�300k from a friend and 鈧�150k from my siblings. Then I borrowed 鈧�50k here and there from different people just to complete the money and pay the tailor. 

But my problems didn鈥檛 end there.

What happened?

The tailor delivered rags. They were so poor quality, I couldn’t even give them to a mad person to wear.

I got dragged on Facebook for two weeks straight by customers and even people who used to admire me. It was a terrible season. I started borrowing what I could to refund people again. At one point, I was over 鈧�1 million in debt. I was depressed all over again, and my dad started calling my siblings. This was towards the end of 2021.

How were you able to settle the debt?

In January 2022, my sister convinced me to follow her to the North, where she lived. There, I started juggling multiple social media management gigs at once, including a Canadian client paying me $100 monthly. The dollar was 鈧�500 at the time. Every amount I earned went towards settling debts.

The hardest debt was the 鈧�300k loan. The girl put a bounty on my head, posted me on Facebook, and insulted my sister whenever she called. She also charged 鈧�10k/month in interest on the loan, and by the time I was able to pay her off in mid-2022, the debt had risen to 鈧�410,000. My sister and her colleague contributed and helped me clear the debt.

Phew. You were finally debt-free

Finally! It took me about a year to settle everything.

In August, I pitched to a tech community to manage their social media, and they sponsored my trip to Lagos for an event where I was a speaker. When I got to Lagos, I stayed with family, freelancing and volunteering for the community.

In May 2023, I got a job as Head of Marketing at an edtech startup, earning 鈧�250,000 monthly. But surviving in Lagos was hard. I was waking up at 4:00 a.m. and coming back at 11:00 p.m. because of traffic, literally eating dinner on the road. 

Three months into the job, I decided to resign, but I needed to save at least 鈧�1 million before doing so. Thankfully, I鈥檇 already started saving most of my salary since my second month there. My siblings also gave me money sometimes. By October, I reached my 鈧�1 million goal and resigned.

What was the plan?

To freelance. I slept at home for one month first. Then, I bought a phone for 鈧�500k and a laptop for 鈧�250k and started hunting for gigs.

I got a consistent 鈧�100k/month gig almost immediately. By January 2024, I decided 鈧�100k wasn鈥檛 cutting it and started looking for more clients. Some came, but income wasn鈥檛 consistent. By June, I decided to return to Facebook and carry it on my head. I started posting regularly again, and clients began to come in.

In November 2024, a client paid me 鈧�50k for a content calendar 鈥� I didn鈥檛 even know it was possible to get paid for that. I had told her 鈧�25k, but she insisted I undercharged myself and doubled my ask. I made another calendar for her the following month. Also in December, I launched a simple 鈧�2,000 PDF digital product teaching people how to use social media for business, and I made 鈧�34k that month.

In January 2025, that content calendar client paid me 鈧�700k for a three-month brand management contract and referred her friend, who paid another 鈧�700k. Another pharmacist client paid me 鈧�900k for a six-month contract for her brand and 鈧�300k for her personal LinkedIn brand. 

By this time, I couldn鈥檛 handle all the pages myself, so I started hiring people. In February 2025, we did 鈧�1.250 million in a single month, and we have grown even more since then.

Energy! What does your income look like these days?

I currently run three setups. I have my personal work, where I manage social media for retainer clients and brands. Then I have two businesses. One provides services like page revamps, customisation, and video editing. The other provides digital products, e-books, classes, and clarity sessions.

My personal income, after paying my team of graphic designers, social media managers, and my finance manager, averages 鈧�1.5 million monthly. In good months, it goes up to 鈧�2 million or more.

What kind of life does your income afford you now?

Anything I want. I have a housekeeper, and I’m always ordering food. I make sure I am okay, doing the things that give me joy. I go to the cinema at least twice a week because I like it a lot. I take skincare very seriously, so I get my facials, pedicures, manicures, and nails done regularly.

My sister says I’m the best gifter because I love gifting the people I love. I use the pro version of every subscription. It鈥檚 very freeing.

Love it for you. Can you do a breakdown of your typical monthly expenses?

This was what August looked like:

How do you approach saving and financial goals?

I live below my means. I don’t play with upskilling. It has brought me where I am today. I don’t want to be just a social media manager anymore. I want to go deep into product and brand storytelling, tech storytelling, and tech UGC.

One of my big goals is to study abroad in France. The university I want costs 拢9,000 per year, and I plan to go by 2028. I also want to save 鈧�50 million in liquid cash before I leave Nigeria. I鈥檓 currently at 40% of that goal. Living in the East with my dad 鈥� I left Lagos sometime last year to have more time for myself 鈥� keeps me grounded and my overhead low. 

Also, I don鈥檛 have the time now, but by January, I hope to visit two countries per month until I leave Nigeria.

I think your journey so far has been impressive. Do you ever think about it?

Oh yes, and it feels surreal and unbelievable. People pay me to tell them how I got jobs or became successful, and I tell them you have to do the work; it doesn’t happen by chance.

I鈥檝e built a team where I can decide not to work for a week, and everything runs smoothly. I don’t feel like I’ve “arrived” yet. I still want to make 鈧�5 million monthly in profit, but I can pat myself on the back. 

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1 to 10?

6. I鈥檓 grateful for how far I鈥檝e come, but I can’t just fly to Kenya, stay in a very nice hotel for one week, and come back as if nothing happened. I want to be a digital nomad, so the remaining 4 points will come when I start travelling.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

Money was important to me since primary school because of snacks. I could get tired of school food and want to get meat pie outside. I remember a lady who sold meat pies for 鈧�50 back then, and they had actual, huge chunks of meat inside.

My parents gave us snack money, but sometimes I saved mine for two or three days just to buy that meat pie, or to get ice cream after school. The ice cream guys on bicycles had Jamil Yoghurt or Fan Milk for around 鈧�30, while the cheaper ones, basically ice block and colour, were 鈧�10 or 鈧�20.

How much would your parents give you?

I can鈥檛 remember the exact figure; maybe 鈧�20 or 鈧�30. My older sisters got more because they were in higher classes. But we always had lunch boxes from home too, so we weren’t lacking.

What was growing up like financially?

I鈥檓 the fifth of six children. My dad worked at an oil company, so things were good. One thing he never compromised on was school fees. He made sure everyone鈥檚 fees were paid promptly, so no one was ever chased out of school. My mum worked in community health.

I wouldn’t say I was born with a silver spoon, but we had the necessities: shelter, food, and clothes. Getting new Christmas clothes every year was a big deal, and we always had that.

When was the first time you did something to earn money?

In secondary school, I was heavily into video games, mostly fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Dragon Ball. People at the game centre would bet on my games, and if I won, I鈥檇 get a percentage of the win. I also entered small gaming tournaments. Winning could fetch up to 鈧�1,000, which was a lot of money when one hour of gameplay cost just 鈧�50.

I finished secondary school in 2009 and stayed home for two years while trying to get uni admission. During that time, I did basic computer training and learned safety procedures under a safety officer. My boss was an HSE officer who trained people for rig work and worked with companies like Shell.

I worked with him informally, learning CPR and how different fire extinguishers worked. I鈥檇 go to schools and hotels, market fire extinguisher refills, and collect the cans. My boss got his cut, and the profit margin was mine.

What was the pay like?

I earned around 鈧�50k monthly. It was big money for someone who had just finished secondary school. The transport fare to the office was like 鈧�50, and I could even walk there if I wanted. Since I didn’t have real responsibilities, I spent most of the money on clothes, gadgets, and video games.

I left in 2011 after I was admitted to the university and moved to another state. 

Did you make money while in university?

It wasn’t steady because I’ve never been much of a business person, but I did side hustles when opportunities came up. I used to buy graphic tees and resell them to guys. When Dashiki shirts started trending, I bought them for cheap from a seller around school and took them back home to Port Harcourt on order.

I also bought charm bracelets from Amazon, swapped updated video games for a fee, and sold downloaded PC games to guys in the hostel from time to time.

That said, I didn鈥檛 really need cash at uni because my dad was transferred to the same state where I schooled, and his house was close to campus. I lived with him, and he gave me 鈧�2,000 a day for transport, plus pocket money on the side. Since I ate at home and didn’t have off-campus rent, I practically had zero expenses.

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What happened after graduation?

I graduated in July 2015 and went for NYSC in Abuja. My Place of Primary Assignment (PPA) was at a government agency. They paid a stipend of 鈧�5,000 in addition to the 鈧�19,800 federal allowance. My job involved compiling data on national issues from all 36 states and summarising it into reports sent directly to the President.

I stayed close to the office so I could walk to work, which saved transport costs. Abuja was great; good roads, nice parks, and accessible malls.

Did you stay back in Abuja after service?

No, the agency complained about a lack of funds, so they couldn’t retain us. In 2017, I returned to Port Harcourt and went back to the safety firm where I had worked after secondary school. My salary was raised to 鈧�100k/month, along with a promised office phone and laptop that I never received.

I stayed for about five months, worked briefly at a fuel station my sister managed, and then spent the rest of 2018 preparing for my master’s degree.

How did you fund your master’s degree?

My dad deeply valued education. When I expressed interest in a master’s, he backed it and released the funds before he passed away in 2018. I also secured a 50% scholarship. In January 2019, I left Nigeria for Cyprus.

I鈥檓 sorry about your dad. 

Thank you. It鈥檚 life. It happened.

How did you handle your finances while abroad?

Shortly after arriving in Cyprus, friends introduced me to cryptocurrency. I bought one Ethereum coin for 鈧�80,000 (around $170鈥�$200 at the time).

When COVID hit in early 2020, the entire market crashed, and my Ethereum dipped to $114. Friends told me to sell, but I decided to hold. By 2021, when the crypto market boomed, my single Ethereum token rose to $4,000. When it started fluctuating between $3,800 and $4,000, I converted it to USDT to lock in the profit.

But you weren鈥檛 spending the crypto, right?

I wasn鈥檛. To make extra money, I did some odd jobs. I worked on a bee farm where the owner paid 300 TL (Turkish Lira) a day, fed us well, and gave us fresh honey. Normal odd jobs paid around 60 – 80 TL per day for hard labour. I also did farm clearing, moved restaurant equipment, and chopped firewood for an elderly neighbour who paid 50 TL for 20 minutes of work.

I wasn’t purely surviving on odd jobs, though. Before leaving Nigeria, my family made a joint investment of 鈧�10 million into a bitumen company (everyone contributed equal shares of about 鈧�2 million; my contribution came from what my dad left me). My share returned $300 monthly. But during COVID, financial policies shifted, the dollar skyrocketed, and the investment payouts froze.

Thankfully, things weren鈥檛 really expensive in Cyprus. The TL equivalent of 鈧�10k could last me for a week. I also had some money left over from my dad鈥檚 master鈥檚 funds. I completed the degree in 2021.

What came next?

I tried to move to Australia on a work visa. An agent asked us to come to Nigeria for biometrics, so my roommate and I flew to Lagos and paid over 鈧�300k. Then the agent started giving endless excuses, and by then, our Cyprus student visas had expired, so we couldn’t go back. 

Phew. So, what did you do?

In 2022, after a few months of staying at home doing nothing, I withdrew 鈧�1.550 million from my crypto profits (almost the entire amount) and bought a car to run an e-hailing cab service.

Initially, I made over 鈧�20k daily after covering fuel. Over time, I built a network of private offline clients. I picked up remote call-centre workers between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., did airport drops for 鈧�20k, and handled inter-state trips.

By 2023, fuel and maintenance prices had skyrocketed. Engine oil went from 鈧�6,000 to 鈧�14,000. Nigerian roads cause heavy wear and tear, and I was constantly fixing something. I decided it didn鈥檛 make financial sense to drive full-time regularly. So, I cut back my hours and focused more on private clients. My daily income dropped to around 鈧�15k, but I was still making good money and was very comfortable.

How long did you run this e-hailing business?

Until February 2025, when my car was stolen.

I had parked near a church to answer a phone call about a driving gig. I left the car parked behind some school buses and went inside to wait for my friends. When we came out, the car was gone. My tracking subscription had expired, so I couldn’t trace it.

Oh my. I imagine you must have felt terrible

I did. That car was my business and my main source of income, so losing it just like that was a huge blow. But I still joined my friends for karaoke that same Sunday evening. 

Skrim. Was the plan to sing your pain away?

Well, the car was gone, and we already had plans to go out that day. Sundays were my only time off and my only opportunity to hang out with my friends. That day just turned out to be an unfortunate Sunday.

So, yes, we still went out. They were all trying to console me, but I just figured the car was gone. Later, my friend, who worked at the church, reported what had happened to the church management. They involved the police, but nothing came of it. A few weeks later, around the end of March, the head pastor gave me 鈧�1 million as support. 

I spent most of that money trying to fix a family Sienna car to see if I could work with it, but it鈥檚 currently parked at a mechanic shop with gearbox issues.

What did you do after?

Around the time my car was stolen, my uncle called me about a potential government job in another state, so I spent five months living with my sister there. The job eventually didn’t work out, so I returned to Port Harcourt in August 2025.

Back home, I focused on building a faceless YouTube gaming channel. I鈥檝e always been something of a gamer, and I figured I could try to make money from it.

How did that go?

It took me a while to hit 1,000 subscribers, but when I did and qualified for monetisation two months ago, I faced multiple ID verification issues. I eventually linked a friend’s AdSense account to get approved.

Just recently, the post office called me to pick up my physical Google AdSense code. But the exact day I brought the code home, my laptop battery died. The battery model isn’t available in Nigeria, so the code remains unread, and my $62 channel earnings are stuck until I get a working PC.

Sigh. How do you make money now?

I assist my sister by marketing her organic cosmetics and supplements on social media for a commission, earning around 鈧�10k or more per month. I also clip music on another YouTube channel of mine, which earns about $60- $80 (approx. 鈧�90k) monthly after taxes, alongside occasional side gigs. For instance, I recently helped administer online exams for an institution. I just do whatever brings money. 

I鈥檝e been applying for various opportunities, but jobs in Nigeria are time-consuming and pay poorly. Recently, I applied for remote call-centre expert roles with foreign companies, but I didn’t get the job because they wanted someone with an upbeat American accent and tone, which I don’t have. With many remote jobs, once you state you are Nigerian, it becomes much harder to get hired, even if you’re qualified.

I鈥檓 also looking into AI video making and animation. People recommend AI, but no one talks about the expensive subscription plans. If your prompts fail, your money goes down the drain. Still, I want to learn it because I can already generate AI voices and images, and I want to master video creation next.

Currently, my monthly income sits around 鈧�100k.

What kind of life does that afford you?

Life? Ah. I鈥檝e become an introvert by force. Living in Port Harcourt is expensive now. We are on Band A electricity, where 鈧�1,000 only gives 4 units of power. So, in a week, electricity can cost around 鈧�15k. That鈥檚 like 鈧�60k per month just for power.

Wild. Do you live alone?

I live with a friend, and we share the expenses, but he contributes more than I do. If I were to break down my share of the monthly expenses, it would be:

Power: 鈧�30,000 (my share)

Internet: 鈧�10,000 (my share of a three-way MTN Fibre split with our neighbour)

Food: Varies, but takes up the bulk of the remaining funds. My flatmate contributes more to the food.

Our rent jumped from 鈧�800,000 to 鈧�2.2 million last year, so my share is now 鈧�1.1 million.

Mad. I thought they only did that in Lagos. Do you have a safety net?

It鈥檚 down to about 鈧�2 million. Half of that is from cryptocurrency I鈥檝e invested in over the years, and the other half is savings from what I earned driving cabs. With my laptop broken and rent coming soon, this cushion is going to go down again, which is really worrying. I鈥檓 just trying to get back on my feet. 

How would you describe your relationship with money?

It鈥檚 toxic. When I have money, unexpected issues pop up, or I spend on wants because I can afford them. But my current financial state has forced me to prioritise needs over luxury.

Do you have any money regrets?

I don’t like to live my life in regrets. Whatever is in the past is past, and unless I own a time machine, I can’t go back to change it. What if going back in time to change something caused me to die, and I wouldn’t be here to give you this story? As long as I’m here right now, I still have a story to write. Whatever will be, will be.

Is there an ideal amount you think you should be earning?

鈧�1 million a month. It鈥檚 a realistic target if my hard work pays off.

What is one thing you want right now but can’t afford?

A high-performance laptop for video editing and AI content creation, like an HP Onyx, which will cost around 鈧�750k, or an Alienware, around 鈧�1 million.

Have you ever considered where you鈥檇 have been today if your car hadn鈥檛 been stolen?

I鈥檇 probably still be driving private clients at night and focused on growing my YouTube during the day. At least, I鈥檇 be earning enough from driving to sponsor YouTube content creation.

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?

2. Going from having $4,000 in crypto and an active daily cash flow to where I am today is a massive drop.

Losing my car set me back significantly, but I haven’t gone all the way back to level zero. It鈥檚 like playing a game where your data gets corrupted; instead of dropping from level seven to level zero, an auto-save brings you back to level four. It鈥檚 just a setback, and if I get the right equipment and opportunities, I know how to get back up there.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What is your earliest memory of money?

I knew money was very integral as early as Primary 2. My parents were always involved in different ajo contributions to pay school fees and sort out any substantial expenses. I remember often wondering why life was always this stressful. It wasn’t that the contributions were difficult for them to run, but everybody in the house knew about it. We attended schools above my parents’ pay grade, so they were always gathering money from one ajo to another.

That shaped my orientation: you need money to enjoy the good things in life. From the days when all I had was 鈧�5, I just always kept money in different parts of the house.

Why were you stashing money as a child?

I just wanted to keep money like my parents. My mum would literally tie money into the edge of her scarf and tell me to go and give the woman organising the ajo. The woman would untie it and send the empty scarf back with me.

I didn’t have any substantial need, so I鈥檇 just keep mine in a drawer. At the end of the day, I鈥檇 give it to my elder sister or just look at my mum and dash her. That exact money habit followed me right into adulthood. Up until now, I still keep my money in different places. I don’t ever want to be caught unfresh or stranded.

What was growing up like financially?

We were pretty comfortable. My mum had a store where she sold foodstuffs and provisions, and my dad was a mechanic. Apart from that, my dad had his hands in a lot of things. He had a pig farm, poultry, reared and sold cows, and sold cars.

So, it wasn鈥檛 like we were struggling. I鈥檇 say the ajo contributions helped because they always planned them carefully. My elder sister attended a secondary school that was more expensive than my primary school, so they always scheduled their payout for when she needed to pay fees. 

We ate three square meals comfortably, wore good clothes, and paid our school fees on time. My dad has always had a car. I could go home and say I need to pay for something in school without worrying about whether they could pay for it.

When was the first time you worked to earn money?

After secondary school in 2015. While waiting for admission, I worked in my mum’s friend’s store. She sold drinks wholesale and retail. It was a very stressful job. Sometimes we closed as late as 9 p.m., and I was earning either 鈧�6,000 or 鈧�10,000 a month. I can鈥檛 remember for sure.

Do you remember what you spent your salary on?

I just kept it in a part of my wardrobe because I didn’t have a bank account. Whenever anybody in the house needed quick cash, they came to me. When my eldest sister was going for NYSC, she just said, 鈥淧lease borrow me money.” I had close to 鈧�20k at the time and gave her the whole thing. 

I worked at the store for a year and don鈥檛 think I ever spent my salary on myself. I was just the quick fix for everybody. Nobody returned it, and I didn’t ask either. I was just giving them.

What came after that?

In 2016, I got into the polytechnic for my OND. I was getting a 鈧�10,000 monthly allowance from my dad. Since the polytechnic was in the same city where we lived, my mum would pack stew, fish, and foodstuffs from home, so I was able to live on 鈧�10,000.

In 2018, I moved into the university. A friend introduced me to a baker who did surprise packages. We didn’t have dispatch riders in my city then, so that was my job: delivering boxes of doughnuts or cakes. She paid me between 鈧�800 and 鈧�1,500 per job plus transport, and sometimes, the people I delivered to would tip me extra. I did that for eight months until she relocated. 

After that, I mostly focused on school. At some point the following year, my allowance increased to 鈧�13k. My elder sister also started sending me 鈧�5,000 once every two months. I鈥檝e never been a big spender, so I was comfortable living on my allowance alone.

In 300 level, I stayed off-campus and worked as a kitchen assistant for a caterer. The gigs weren鈥檛 regular and only came when she had big orders or events which she couldn鈥檛 handle on her own. I usually worked for her once or twice a month, and she paid me 鈧�3,000 to 鈧�4,000 per gig. 

In addition to the payment, she gave me meals and extra foodstuffs left over from the event. I worked with her on and off throughout my time in uni, and even till now, whenever I have the time.

When did you graduate from uni?

I graduated in 2023. My NYSC Place of Primary Assignment (PPA) was at a private school in Lagos. They paid me an extra 鈧�25k/month on top of the 鈧�33k government allawee.

While I was still in uni, I discovered savings apps and often saved any extra money there. I continued this during my service year and also joined a 鈧�10,000 monthly ajo contribution (we were four in the group). But family emergencies, specifically my immediate younger sister, took most of my money that year. 

Thieves robbed my younger sister and took her phone and other belongings. The experience left her suicidal. So, when it was my turn to collect my 鈧�40k ajo payout, I sent it all to her. I told her 鈧�15k was a gift and 鈧�25k was a loan to return when she was balanced. Till tomorrow, she hasn’t returned my money, and I haven鈥檛 pursued it. Besides that, I was regularly sending her 鈧�4,000 to 鈧�5,000 monthly because she was an undergrad and often needed money. 

So, yeah, I didn鈥檛 really do anything for myself with the money I earned during my service year. Not that I would have wanted to. I believe family is family, so I should be able to support when needed.

Interesting. What did life look like after service?

I moved back home to my city and got a teaching job at a private school in September 2024. My starting salary was 鈧�75k/month. I was also earning an extra 鈧�20k – 鈧�25k per month from private lessons. 

Since I lived at home and my dad often dropped me off at work, I wasn’t spending much. I dropped 鈧�15k at home for upkeep, paid my tithe, and saved the rest. I wasn鈥檛 even saving as much as I was supposed to because I often spent more than 鈧�15k on my family. 

My mum could just be like, 鈥淥h, please borrow me this amount,鈥� and I鈥檇 give her without asking or expecting to get it back. I really hate asking people for money back 鈥� not sure why 鈥� so that usually just went like that.

In November, my youngest sister (I have two younger siblings) was admitted to a state university, and my parents needed close to 鈧�500k to cover the fees. My dad鈥檚 finances were bad at the time, and he was overthinking how to raise the money. 

I had an investment in his farm; a small pig I bought that grew really big. I wanted to sell the pig to buy a laptop, but instead I sold it for 鈧�170k and gave the money to my dad. I also emptied my savings and gave him the money so my sister could go to school.

Phew. That鈥檚 a considerable sacrifice

And it didn鈥檛 stop there. In May this year, my mum called me to say that strange people were calling her phone, saying a whole lot of nonsense about paying back money. I traced the requests to a particular bank app. I downloaded the app and saw an overdue loan of 鈧�373k. My immediate younger sister had been using my mum’s account to take loans, and it was accruing daily interest. 

Oh wow. And your mum didn鈥檛 know?

She had no idea. She wouldn鈥檛 have even borrowed from a loan app because she鈥檚 an executive in a cooperative. My sister had taken the loan with her account, then transferred the money to her account without anyone鈥檚 knowledge.

My mum was so upset. She just kept crying and couldn鈥檛 sleep. The loan guys kept calling, and the interest increased daily. I had to do something. I raised 鈧�173k from all my bank accounts, but because I was determined not to touch my core savings, I told my mum we should take a 鈧�200k loan in my name from her cooperative to clear the balance. 

To be honest, I was so angry. I had never taken a loan in my life. I don’t even know how to spend money on myself, but family emergencies always manage to sweep away whatever I gather.

Where was your sister in all this?

My parents called her home to talk about it. When she came, I was shouting, calling her wicked, but my parents were only concerned with making peace. They kept telling me to “Calm down, we don’t want to make her feel bad, so she doesn’t start overthinking.”

I had discovered the debt on a Tuesday. I started repaying the following day, and on Friday, we took the cooperative money and cleared most of it. There was still a little money left on the debt, which I planned to pay on Monday after collecting my lesson money. My sister came home that Friday evening and left on Monday morning. Before leaving, she had downloaded another app on my mum’s account, taken another 鈧�60k loan (to repay 鈧�80k), and transferred the 鈧�60k to herself.

You say?

See. When I caught it in the transaction history, I was mad. Mad is an understatement. I started screaming, and she was lying and denying it. She left that day, and by the next day, nobody could reach her. 

My parents got scared and started pointing accusing fingers at me, saying things like, “How much is the money sef? Now we can’t reach her!” I became the person at fault because I shouted at her. We eventually got in touch with her, but I know she did that on purpose. 

Did she ever acknowledge what she did?

I can鈥檛 even ask her because my parents don鈥檛 want me to pressure her. They kept saying, 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry. She鈥檒l pay.鈥� The only thing I could do was insist on not paying the second loan.

She came back home in July carrying a new fashion bag, wearing new slippers, and holding a new laptop. I asked her where she got the money for a laptop, and she said she bought it on credit.

I went to my mum to ask her to confirm how she planned to repay me for the cooperative loan, and she got defensive. She said, “Is it because the girl got a new laptop?” 

Hmmm. How did that make you feel?

It made me realise I was just a fool. I鈥檝e been working for two years. I teach, conduct private lessons and still do kitchen assistant gigs from time to time. I don’t eat out much, I’m on a one-meal-a-day diet, and apart from buying a phone and a laptop for work, I have nothing to show for my labour. I took a 鈧�200k loan that I am single-handedly repaying with interest, and the person who took it is walking free.

I really feel stupid. Maybe it鈥檚 because I don鈥檛 know how to spend my own money. At the end of the day, someone will always come up with one need, and I鈥檒l be dropping money. Maybe I鈥檓 actually stupid. But one thing I’ve come to realise is I really can鈥檛 say no to family when it comes to money. I just can鈥檛 do it.

Let鈥檚 talk about your current income

My main teaching salary is now 鈧�122k/month. Private lessons bring in around 鈧�50k monthly, and the kitchen assistant gigs bring in about 鈧�15k to 鈧�20k per job. So, in a good month, I make around 鈧�180k to 鈧�200k in total.

Here is where the money goes every month:

My investments are mostly company shares. My entire savings and investment portfolio across my bank accounts, savings, and shares is worth about 鈧�300,000 right now.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

Fragile. I totally understand the workings of money; I know how to save, I know about investments, shares, everything. Getting to do those things is not my problem. My problem is saying no to people when it comes to money.

I know that I鈥檓 being used and cheated. I know that the way I stick my neck out for people, nobody will do that for me. My elder siblings don’t care; they literally told me it’s not my business and asked why I put my head there. But it still doesn’t stop me from doing it. I am the only one the younger ones come to, and again, I just cannot say no.

Why do you think it’s so hard for you to say no?

Because if I tell someone no, I鈥檒l worry about the outcome of my “no.” If my sister asks for 鈧�10k and I say I don’t have it, the next thing is I’ll be worrying: “Is this person eating? What will this person eat?”

Even if I have 鈧�100k I鈥檝e saved small small to spend on myself, a family emergency can take it away, and I won’t even get it back. I really don’t know how people manage to say no to family requests.

Is there any chance this will change?

I don’t know when I’ll get to a point where I don’t care about anybody again. I know that what will eventually put me in a position to say no will be something very small and insignificant to people, but that will be the height of it all for me because I am not comfortable with it. I am not. I am still drowning in debt from a loan that had no business with me.

My goal right now is to move out of the house by the middle of next year. I feel like if I am not close to them, I’ll feel detached from this saviour complex. To get an apartment in my city and furnish it, I need at least 鈧�800,000. If I can get a job paying 鈧�500,000, I can address black tax without feeling stuck and eventually move out of my city entirely.

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1 to 10?

6. No matter how hard it gets, I work hard, and I can always afford whatever I want if I really set my mind to save for it.

It’s not a 10 because I am not happy about my inability to say no. I鈥檓 not happy that I can’t say no to things I should, and that I’m constantly setting myself up while others walk free.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

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What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

It was in primary six. I passed the entrance exam for King鈥檚 College, but I couldn鈥檛 go because of money. My best friend didn鈥檛 pass, but his parents paid his way through. Meanwhile, my parents had to put me in a cheaper day school.

I鈥檓 the first of five children. My dad was going through a rough patch with his business at the time 鈥� he imported female shoes in Balogun Market, Lagos 鈥� and they told me they couldn’t justify paying expensive boarding fees for one child while others were behind me.

That was when I realised money was very important.

What was the financial situation at home like growing up?

I鈥檇 say middle class, but my mum was a primary school teacher, and my dad鈥檚 business often experienced rough patches. 

When I was in primary six, my school organised a 鈧�35k excursion to Ghana. I was so excited to travel outside the country, but my parents couldn’t afford it. To save money, my siblings and I went to the private school where my mum taught because staff children received substantial fee discounts. My mum started working at the school before I was even born, and I schooled there from creche all the way through their secondary school.

My dad鈥檚 business eventually went bankrupt in 2016 due to shifts in import and border policies. My mum had to shoulder the responsibilities for a long time while my dad kept borrowing from others to support us. He eventually had to get into farming. 

Things were really tough for us.

When was the first time you did something to earn money?

In 2019, when I got into the university. My school fees were 鈧�70k, but paying them was a massive struggle for my parents. They even had to borrow half of it for my first year. Seeing them struggle made me realise I was 18 and needed to take care of myself.

My parents didn’t want to hear that I was doing any work in school; they were resilient and wanted to provide everything. But I did it quietly. I joined a book club where I reviewed books, earning between 鈧�2,500 and 鈧�5,000 per blog post. I also started running errands for senior students, writing their lecture notes, term papers, and printing assignments. The highest I made was around 鈧�10k per paper or note.

These hustles didn鈥檛 consistently bring in money. Students could go broke and decide to do their assignments themselves. And after writing a few reviews, the book club owner began suggesting it was a voluntary role with no specific payment.  

Were you getting pocket money from home?

Yes, but it wasn鈥檛 regular. My parents sent between 鈧�10k and 鈧�15k weekly, or if I needed textbooks. I inflated textbook prices a few times so I could have a little extra to survive. If it cost 鈧�4,000, I鈥檇 tell them 鈧�10k. 

My financial situation made me very frugal. Everything I did in uni was delayed gratification. I declined invitations to eateries or parties with friends because I knew I couldn’t afford to spend unnecessarily. Sometimes, I even cooked up lies to get out of events. For instance, if it were a night event, I鈥檇 say I get cold easily and couldn鈥檛 stay out.

When COVID hit in 2020, my parents didn’t want me to return to Lagos because of the high cost of transportation, so I went to stay with my uncle, who lived in the same state as my university. The ASUU strike followed after the lockdown, so I ended up staying at my uncle鈥檚 from April 2020 till January 2021.

For a while, I was comfortable staying home all day watching Big Brother Naija, but by August, I realised I couldn’t keep doing that.

So, what did you do?

My uncle was a manager at a large bakery. I asked to work there too, but he said I couldn鈥檛 keep up with the large-scale production. Instead, he helped me get a job at a smaller bakery.

I worked in the store, removing fresh bread from the oven pans, letting it air out, packaging it, and tying it. My salary was 鈧�15k per month.

Since I lived with my uncle, who fed me, I saved almost all of my salary. I鈥檇 just buy biscuits for his kids or recharge cable TV for the house to show I was earning something. I also randomly got credit alerts from relatives and family friends back in Lagos who were concerned that I couldn鈥檛 return home for the lockdown. My uncle also often dashed me the change whenever he sent me on errands. I saved all those, too.

By the time school resumed in 2021, I had saved over 鈧�150k. The bakery even paid me double my last salary because they appreciated my work. From that money, I paid 鈧�70k for a single off-campus room and bought basic furniture: a mattress, a fan, a table, a chair, and hangers.

How did you make money when you went back to school?

Towards the end of 200 level, I started positioning myself in student politics. I got close to a senior who was the departmental president, helping him as a campaign manager and mobilising people. When big figures and celebrities came for convocation, being close to student politicians meant making small change here and there.

This senior also connected me to his friends, and I鈥檇 run errands for them to the VC’s office, get documents, write their assignments, and take carryover tests for them since I was offering those courses. The lowest I received from them was 鈧�7k, but mostly 鈧�10k upwards.

By 300-level, I became secretary-general of my department. When my senior mentor graduated and joined politics as an SA to the governor, he made me his virtual assistant (VA). He鈥檇 pay me 鈧�15k to 鈧�20k every other week, plus data allowances, to write his speeches and press releases and manage his schedule.

In my final year, I contested and became departmental president, overseeing 1,500 students. Between departmental dues, corporate event sponsorships, and political activities, I was averaging about 鈧�50k per week, around 鈧�150k to 鈧�200k per month.

By the time I graduated in March 2024, I had saved almost 鈧�500k.

What came after uni?

While I was waiting for NYSC clearance, my VA boss increased my pay to 鈧�40k per month. In some months, he paid me 鈧�60k. I also joined a media house as a student intern writer, earning 鈧�20k monthly.

I returned home to Lagos in June 2024 and immediately took a job as an administrator at a private school owned by a church member. I was paid 鈧�50k monthly, which was revised to 鈧�70k in September. Plus, the students鈥� parents would give me tips of up to 鈧�30k monthly because I was friendly at the front desk.

My internship at the media house ended in October, leaving me with only the VA and administrator jobs. I left the school in April 2025 when I left for NYSC. After the orientation camp, I got posted to a media company in Lagos as a reporter.

What was the pay like?

The media company paid 鈧�20k/month, but as a reporter, I was often sent to cover events and usually made anywhere from 鈧�25k to 鈧�50k per event. In a good month, the events could push my salary up to 鈧�100k. I was also receiving 鈧�77k/month allawee from the government. 

Around the same time, my VA boss left the governor’s office and founded his own tech startup, so he increased my pay to 鈧�100k per month, bringing my total income from all three sources to about 鈧�277k. 

I was also still saving religiously. I diversified into mutual funds and stocks to earn better returns on my savings. In 2025, my total savings reached 鈧�1 million for the first time.

Whoops! Did you have a plan for it?

Sort of. While in the NYSC camp, a real estate firm advertised land investments to corps members. I consulted my dad, took a leap of faith and signed up for a 150 sq. metre agro-residential plot in Ogun State, costing 鈧�737,500. It had a flexible 24-month payment plan, but I aggressively channelled every extra income I got into it and finished paying it off in full this August.

The plan is to farm on it. My dad has more farming knowledge, so after the firm allocates my plot to me in September, we鈥檒l do a bit of subsistence farming to get food for the house before eventually building on it.

What鈥檚 your current monthly income?

I finished serving in March 2026. The media company put an embargo on retaining corps members years ago, but I got retained as a full-time journalist in April 2026, earning 鈧�250k/month.

In addition to my 9-to-5, I have the 鈧�100k VA role and a writing/SEO publishing side hustle with a colleague who has a blog. That one brings me an extra 鈧�100k/month. I also get invited to events in my main role as a journalist, and that brings me at least 鈧�50k extra. 

So altogether, my average monthly income is 鈧�500k.

Your monthly expenses? 

I live with my parents in Lagos, but I support the home. Here鈥檚 the breakdown:

What do your savings and investment portfolios look like right now?

I have three. First, there鈥檚 the emergency savings account, which I try not to touch. It鈥檚 currently approximately 鈧�750k. I had more than this, but I dipped into it in July to support my parents with 鈧�1 million when we changed apartments.

Secondly, I have my regular savings, currently 鈧�500k. I keep it in my mutual funds account. 

Then, I have my stock market investments, currently worth 鈧�200k, which mostly consist of Nigerian equities. I suppose I can also count the land in Ogun State as part of my real estate portfolio.

Of course. How would you describe your relationship with money?

I鈥檓 very frugal. My siblings and friends call me stingy, but someone who has passed through the childhood I did would understand. So, when people call me stingy, I accept it with my full chest. Yes, I’m stingy. At least that made me my first million.

I don’t spend on frivolities. In fact, I hate it. I live in Lagos, but I don’t go to the cinema. I wait for movies to be out for download. I don’t buy clothes anyhow; I have one main colour, black, because if you wear black, you can wear it multiple times without people noticing. I鈥檇 rather spend on my personal development than on buying new shoes. That doesn鈥檛 stop me from looking smart.

If someone asks for money for non-essentials, I won’t give it. I don鈥檛 give in to begging or any emotional tricks. My parents know me. Once I鈥檝e supported the home with my 鈧�150k monthly budget, they know nothing can take money out of my pocket again. But when it’s an emergency, like when my dad was ill some time ago, or having to give them 鈧�1 million for rent, I step up.

Does your approach to money affect your relationship with people?

I don’t have many friends. I keep a very small, close circle.

I don’t have a girlfriend because having one means spending money, no matter how you look at it. My only relationship in university ended partly because the girl was too materialistic. Being the kind of person I am, I was not going to throw money around anyhow. So we had to break up. I told myself it was better to save the money than spend it on a girl, especially when I wasn’t ready to get married.

I鈥檓 seeing someone right now, but we are not official yet because I want to know where it’s headed and whether it’ll lead to marriage.

My friends know me. I refuse to go to places where I foresee having to spend money. But since NYSC, I鈥檝e started coming out more often. As a journalist, my work is outside 24/7, so I鈥檝e started scheduling meetups and doing one or two things I couldn鈥檛 do due to a lack of funds while in school.

Is there an ideal amount of money you think you should be earning monthly?

Of course. I鈥檓 looking forward to earning at least 鈧�2 million monthly.

I want to settle down at a young age, so I’m planning towards that. Earning at that level will give me the cushion to build a family, level up my investments, and sustain the life I’m building without constantly worrying about financial setbacks.

Is there anything you want right now but can鈥檛 afford?

A car. 

My dad and friends spoke against it, seeing it as a liability, but I don’t see it that way because I can use it for e-hailing cabs on the side or carry paying passengers when going to the Island to cover fuel costs and add to my income. A small used Toyota Corolla costs around 鈧�5.5 million to 鈧�6 million.

How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1 to 10?

8. Coming from a family where it was difficult to pay my 鈧�70k school fees, to becoming a landowner at 25, working three jobs, saving millions, and supporting my parents with rent; I鈥檓 proud of how far I鈥檝e come. 

But there鈥檚 still room for improvement. I know I can achieve more.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.