Every week,聽91大神 seeks to understand how people move the Naira in and out of their lives. Some stories will be struggle-ish, others will be bougie. All the time, it鈥檒l be revealing.
What鈥檚 the oldest memory of money you remember?
My oldest memory is never having enough of it. My parents were civil servants in one of those useless states that owe salaries. I grew up hearing 鈥渢hey鈥檝e not paid us鈥 so much that I grew up making sure I didn鈥檛 want to have to wait for that. My parents were laid-back, that鈥檚 why they stuck to the civil service. My mum had siblings in the US that I believe she should have joined. But she never did.
My uncles were always bailing her out. The good thing my father did was that he had a house before he married. So we never got to the point where we had no roof, or we didn鈥檛 have clothes or food. This was possible because we lived in one of the cheaper states.
We were neat and tidy, but we were poor. I feel like I鈥檝e always had to budget.
My mum had things she could go do in the US.
What was it?
She was a teacher. Special needs. Her brothers used to ask her to come over, but she used to say she couldn鈥檛 leave her children. I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 just her selflessness or just our culture. And it鈥檚 not like my father was a philanderer.
I feel like this might have pushed you to go look for money yourself.
All I really did was face my books. I was preparing myself for a good job, that鈥檚 all I cared about. The first money I earned was during NYSC. I served in Yobe State in 2010.
Interesting.
That was where my awareness of every aspect of my life started. Allowee was 鈧9,500.My dad paid my rent which was 鈧40,000. I was basically on my own and wasn鈥檛 about to bother him again.
I wriggled my way into teaching at the school of nursing. Let me explain how allowee worked then. Doctors were elite, so they got paid 鈧22,000. Paramedics and nurses get paid 鈧11,000. Everyone else 鈥 engineers to whatever 鈥 you get paid 鈧3,000. But there was a twist to ours.
What was it?
You don鈥檛 get your state allowance until you鈥檙e about to pass out. So to make money, I started teaching kids. I already knew French at the time, so I started teaching in one school, from JSS 1 to 3, with all their many classes per year. All of that, for 鈧5,000 a month, hahaha.
Wow.
See. There was also another man who had clients from outside the state but couldn鈥檛 speak English well, so he paid me about 鈧5,000 per month too. That was how I survived NYSC for a year. At the end of it all, I was still able to save about 鈧50k.
When I finished NYSC, I went back home to the South. I had this uncle 鈥 that type that always sends you money when you call.
The best kind.
Yes. One day, I went to see him, and I think he was really really busy at the time 鈥 he was a local politician. I waited in his house for three days, and I couldn鈥檛 get to see him. When I finally could, he got a phone call, and had to dismiss me like 鈥淚鈥檒l talk to you later鈥.
It wasn鈥檛 his fault 鈥 he was actually busy 鈥 but that dismissal pained me.
I鈥檓 a born again Christian, and so I told God that I wasn鈥檛 going to chase anybody for work. I got a call the next day, the person had a Hausa accent, and told me he was calling about a CV I submitted.
Where?
It was an NGO in Yobe, and he was calling about an open position. I actually remembered his voice, because he was the one I gave my CV to.
When I told my parents, they didn鈥檛 agree o.
鈥淎h, Yobe State?! It鈥檚 bad enough that we allowed you to finish your service there. Now you want to go back?鈥
Also, it was Yobe in 2011.
Yes. Boko Haram. It was mostly a rumour in Yobe State. But I didn鈥檛 have any alternatives. Let me tell you something about that time again.
I鈥檓 listening.
When my dad had grown in the Civil Service, he suddenly resigned. Now, many of his former colleagues at the time had children my age who were going Abroad for Masters. But I couldn鈥檛. My parents couldn鈥檛 even pay for my Nigerian Masters鈥 at the time.
鈥淚鈥檓 an adult now, and I鈥檓 going to pick up this job.鈥 That鈥檚 what I told them, and I packed my bags and went back to Yobe State. It was a good job and I loved it. My salary was 鈧165k.
Nice. So when did you leave?
I returned to Yobe in July 2011, then left in January 2012. Boko Haram. They鈥檇 gotten into Yobe.聽
I didn鈥檛 even leave of my own will, my family actually lured me out with one of her US brothers about an NGO. When I got back, they didn鈥檛 let me return.聽
But bombs were literally going off in Yobe.
Yes, but I really loved the job. It was a global NGO, and I had colleagues from all over the world, with interesting perspectives. Anyway, I came back and found out the U.S. NGO was a lie. Another uncle told me he was doing me a favour, so he gave me a Civil Service job.
How much did that pay?
鈧35k. Level 6. INEC. The only good thing about the job was that I lived with my uncle, so I didn鈥檛 have that many expenses, but still. It鈥檚 like I was running from poverty and it was chasing me, hahaha. Do you know the worst part?
What?
I had no one to complain to. Everyone thought I was balling. 鈥淎h ahn, Oga鈥檚 daughter.鈥 I was so lonely. That鈥檚 how I started calling God again o. I wanted to go back to the North, because that鈥檚 where all the NGOs were. An offer came calling eventually. January 2014.
Ah nice! Where?
Sokoto. Of course, my parents didn鈥檛 want me to go. This time, my elder brother backed me. And that鈥檚 how I ended up in Sokoto.
How much did it pay?
鈧150k. Programme Officer. I was so desperate that I didn鈥檛 even negotiate. When I got there, I found out that people were getting paid more. I didn鈥檛 stay long though, funding ran out. The only funding the organisation had meant that I had to move to Borno. But here鈥檚 the thing, I was already thinking of settling down at the time, and I knew I didn鈥檛 want to settle down in the North.聽
How old were you?
28 or 29. So, I turned my sights to Lagos, I ended up staying first with an uncle and his wife.
Ah, the Lagos part.
Hahaha. Interestingly, I saw another opportunity, but this time in Zamfara. But they told me I was too much of an Ajebo to take the job.
My uncle helped me find an opportunity in Lagos, and that one paid 鈧112k. I was 30.聽
How did that make you feel?
Let鈥檚 not even talk about how I鈥檇 look at myself and be like 鈥淥h God, I鈥檓 not where I鈥檓 supposed to be.鈥 There鈥檚 something demonic about Lagos danfos. One day, I was struggling for danfo and my skirt split into two. Another time, danfo scratched my skin. I felt sick one time and went to the hospital, they told me it was stress.
Lagos was making you sick.
I was losing on every front and always tired. I wasn鈥檛 making enough money. Then I started thinking about going back to the North like, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 suffer in the north na. It was just loneliness. What is this now?鈥
At this point, my parents were retired, so I had to send money home. As a matter of fact, the money I saved from the North was what supported my income for the first year. I鈥檓 not easily pressured by other people鈥檚 progress, but I鈥檇 look at my cousins and everyone advancing, and feel stuck. I couldn鈥檛 even hang out without over-budgeting and overcalculating in my head.
One day, I just woke up and sent in my resignation.
How long were you there for?
18 months. December 2016. The money wasn鈥檛 a lot, and when you鈥檝e worked in a place with structure, a one-man business is going to be a struggle. It was also around this period that I started my Masters’. So most of my savings went into that.
I got another job, this time in HR.
How much?
鈧150k. At this point, I was already asking myself if they鈥檝e sworn for me with 100-and-something. I was there for only six months. It got really really toxic. They were picking on one person in the office. The pay structure wasn鈥檛 clear. Six months into the job, I set an email regarding a company policy at the end of work on Friday. When I opened my email on Monday, I was fired.
What?!
They then called me into the office asking if I wanted to change it into a resignation. I told them no. A lawyer friend told me that they were asking me because I could sue them for unlawful dismissal.
So I went looking for lawyers. How much were those ones asking for? 鈧400k. On top how much? That鈥檚 how that one ended. There鈥檚 a part I missed.
Which part?
The one where my baby girl life started. I met this friend who told me about Upwork. She knew I liked teaching from way back, and so I signed up. I put a couple of skills there, and nobody was calling me. Do you know the one people were calling me for? My native language. That鈥檚 how I started getting gigs o. In fact, the very first language teaching gig I got was while I was still at the toxic place. It paid 鈧16k. I was 31 going 32 at the time.
Smooth.
But this was even a physical class. I was asked to come and teach thrice a week. Home tutoring. Two months later, it was the child of a very rich man. This person paid me 526k to learn a language I鈥檇 been speaking for free. Ha.
Haa. How long was it for?
Three months, but this person actually wanted to pay for six months! So by the time they kicked me out of the useless job, I had some stability. Imagine me, working as HR for a staff of 250, for hundred-and-something a month. All the stress.
Interacting with my student and her friends, I realised that there was a need. And so I doubled down.
My first online client was from New York. I was charging $10/hour.
Turn the volume up!
I started full time in April 2018. Haha! I got a lot of requests from people 鈥淚鈥檇 like to learn my partner鈥檚 language,鈥 鈥淚 want to speak to my grandmother.鈥 Even white people. All kinds of requests. Then I kept posting across social. I realised that it was a way to build trust. I used to go to people鈥檚 houses, and when I realised that it was better online, I stopped offline.
Next, I started writing study materials. But 2018 was just the starting year, I was just building a clientele.
How much did language fetch you that year?
About 鈧3 million. I could have made more, but I was still going to school on the weekends, and most people wanted classes on the weekends. But by 2019, I鈥檇 finished my Masters鈥. The thing with this is that people need to, first of all, know that you know what you鈥檙e saying. Then I鈥檇 make videos and you鈥檇 hear that I knew what I was teaching. Then you need to show up consistently.
So when I finally started my online course on one of these platforms, people were waiting. Referrals came from satisfied clients. Someone said she saw my advert in her church Whatsapp group in the US. People abroad are my major clients. They鈥檙e the ones who can back up their desire with money.
How much did you generate in 2019?
About 鈧8 million. Now, I鈥檓 trying to reduce personal online classes and focus on growing my courses, because I need to free up personal time.
Although, I still accepted to teach a class before Corona though, children this time. One hour a week for one term pays me 鈧30k per child. At 10 kids, that was 鈧300k. The thing about kids is that when they鈥檙e interested, their parents are interested. And more kids become interested.
My target this year is 鈧20 million, but I鈥檝e been studying for a course, and haven鈥檛 put in enough effort to advertise.
And how much have you made so far?
鈧6 million. I still want to surpass my target. Passive income drives me crazy. Like, I鈥檓 just sitting down and an alert enters. Mad o!
Mad o! Tell me about your best month.
鈧1.7 million. April 2020, at the peak of the pandemic hysteria. People were at home. This money was made in dollars sha, but that鈥檚 what it is in naira.
I feel like you don鈥檛 think about money monthly, as you used to.
I think about money daily, hahaha. Before today ends, someone might pay for my course.
I imagine you have a monthly budget?
Yes. I鈥檒l share my most expensive month with you.聽
What鈥檚 the highest you鈥檝e spent on yourself at a go?
A holiday in January. That cost 鈧800k.聽
What鈥檚 something you wish you could get better at?
Marketing.
How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1 to 10?
On a scale of one to ten, I鈥檒l put myself at 6. And what will give me a 10? If I can hit that 20 million target, but from passive income only.
Do you ever imagine how life would have turned out if you didn鈥檛 stumble on that first gig?
Oh my God. I dunno o. Jesus Christ. Do you know I鈥檝e never thought about this? I dunno, but I鈥檓 a Christian, and I believe God put me here because he wanted me to excel here. If I didn鈥檛 end up here, maybe I鈥檇 have ended up somewhere else. You know, I feel like I could have grown in HR too, because I was really trying, networking.
The only problem is that my village people were pegging me at 100-and-something-thousand until I discovered the power of language.聽
