We explore the common stereotypes around certain jobs and celebrate the hard work people put in to win their daily bread. These are our favourite replies.

Banker

People think [Nigerian] bankers are broke, but we aren鈥檛. You earn fairly well if you鈥檙e not a contract staff. A week in my life involves meetings for our digital products, business and marketing meetings, reviewing designs, sending out briefs and endless marketing strategy documents. The first thing I do during salary week is settle my PiggyVest and splurge on my mum.

Pastor

People expect me to be an assistant God who鈥檚 always available and perfect. They can鈥檛 deal with the fact that Pastor can’t always come to name their child, visit them at the hospital, pick up their calls at odd times, heal them of sicknesses, meet all the financial needs they discussed with him, etc. They also find it awkward that Pastor can get angry, tempted and broke. 

There was a time my wife had a miscarriage and needed to be admitted for days in the hospital. Members still called me for prayers and assistance. All I got was, 鈥淗eeya. Sorry, sir. It is well.鈥� Nobody thinks pastors need prayer, encouragement or financial support. 

A typical week involves meetings, prayers and services. On Sundays, I fast and host Sunday service in church. I rest on Mondays and enjoy quality family time. For the rest of the week, I visit members and prepare my sermons.

Human resources manager (HR)

People often think HR鈥檚 primary job is to hire and fire people, so if you want to get a job in a company, just send them your CV and the job is yours. They also believe HRs are superhuman and emotionless people. But since  we鈥檙e exposed to many issues that require us to keep secrets, we can break down just like others employees.

Also, we don鈥檛 hire and fire. We guide hiring managers through the process of identifying the best candidates and support them along the way. HR has no authority to hire or fire anyone; that鈥檚 usually a joint conversation between two or more parties.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

People simply don鈥檛 understand that we never have time.

Tech Journalist

People always think the media should be a PR extension of the tech ecosystem. But the ecosystem is still nascent and the media is expected to be its cheerleader, so I understand. A typical week in my life involves way too many calls and meetings, chasing deadlines and pursuing people who鈥檇 rather not talk to me.

Salesperson

People just think salespeople are naturally extroverted. Outside of work, I鈥檓 an introvert. I don鈥檛 like being in positions where I need to ask people for things. But because I鈥檓 a salesperson, I have to create a separate character while at work, be friendly and light rooms up. All the while, I really just want to make money, go home and take off my mask.

I鈥檓 a team leader, so a typical week in my life is defined by planning, management meetings and team check-ins. I also spend a lot of time pitching to clients, chasing after people who鈥檙e ignoring me or owing me. I鈥檓 usually drained by Wednesday because I鈥檓 always working extra hours.

Graphic artist

One thing people don’t understand or appreciate about my job is the extensive research that goes into creating a logo or drawing an illustration. Most people think it’s just to “press computer” or it takes less than a day to complete, but nothing could be further from the truth. To work on a design project, I often have to spend hours researching and gathering source materials. Sometimes, I pay for information if Google or Wikipedia doesn’t have enough. I also travel a lot, especially if I need to experience an environment, culture or architecture. One time, I went to Timbuktu while I was drawing backgrounds for an animated project.

People greatly underrate the amount of work a single design or illustration can take. And a few people believe I need money to start a project just because I鈥檓 designing on my laptop. A typical week in my life has me working three days of intense focused work then lazying around playing video games, watching anime and just chilling. This life na one.

Data analyst

You鈥檇 think my days involve sitting in front of multiple screens, analysing and visualising large data sets or doing some complicated maths shit. Sike. About 45% of my working hours go to mundane stuff like attending meetings. Some days are exciting; many, not so much.

People also underestimate the amount of time analysts spend doing research, especially in Nigeria because most times, na you go find the data you wan analyse. You鈥檒l also need to know how to write and speak well because we do a lot of communication.

People think I鈥檓 a baller, but in my first data analyst role, I was being paid 鈧︹��60k. This was around 2019. My last salary was around 鈧︹��750k (I鈥檓 in between jobs now). So the idea that we get paid loads of money is not entirely true. You can land a good gig from the first go or you can progress through roles to get to one.

Public health worker

Many people expect because I work in a non-governmental organisation, I touch people鈥檚 lives and change the world. The truth is a huge part of community development is drudgery, boring repetitive administrative tasks. People over-glamourise the work. Leading policy formulation and getting the Nigerian government to enact helpful policies reads well on paper. In reality, it just means dealing with politicians and government officials who don鈥檛 give a shit.

There鈥檚 also the idea that we have plenty money. Na lie. Because it鈥檚 an extremely specialised field, you must鈥檝e worked for many years and gotten advanced degrees before you start to touch money. Will I confess this on LinkedIn? No. A typical week in my life involves planning and a shitload of meetings with government officials while keeping my temper in check.

Computer Village vendor

People think we make huge amounts off each gadget sale, so we have a lot of money to throw about. Shey you dey whyne me? I won’t blame them sha. It’s the people who are 鈥渃arting鈥� I blame. Carting is when Yahoo boys get iPhones through their 鈥渃lients鈥�, and since they鈥檙e only after money, sell them to gadget vendors at a low cost. The vendors then sell to buyers at market rates, so you can imagine the profit.

I heard that a Computer Village vendor was killed at a party early this year [2022] because he was carting. The market is filled with fraudsters. Sellers don plenty pass buyers. 

A week in my life involves selling gadgets, tracking orders, surviving the chaos of Computer Village and praying to God to avoid problem customers. 

Thrift vendor

People assume thrift clothes are bad quality. But I鈥檝e managed to change my customers鈥� perceptions. They can be clean and classy, as some of the clothes come with tags while some are in branded packaging.

A typical week in my life goes like this:

Mondays: I travel from Abeokuta to Lagos to stock up on new arrivals. Then, I go to the park to dispatch previous orders nationwide. 

Tuesday: I sort the clothes I’ll sell for the week and iron them.

Wednesdays: I take photos of new arrivals, attach their prices and post them on my social media pages. This process takes about six to eight hours.

Thursdays: I send out new orders for deliveries. Later, I iron the clothes I’ll post on Friday. 

Friday: I snap the remaining clothes, attach their sizes and post them on my page.

Saturday: I take inventory, balance my books and sort out new orders ahead of Monday.

Sunday: I post more new arrivals. In the evenings, I rest or go out to catch my breath.

Creative strategist

“Ah, so you design and make videos. Like, the ‘creative’ things”. In reality, my role covers everything from market intelligence and research to program design, stakeholder engagement and more. When I try to explain stakeholder engagement, people reduce it to “public relations” or “Na just PR na”. I facepalm every time.

I work from home except on Tuesdays, so a typical week in my life is simple. Monday to Friday: work, work, work. Saturdays: movies, washing, cooking, and  sometimes, more work. Sundays: church, cooking and work.About a year ago, weekends were my opportunity to take photos for fun and edit them for fun. But I’ve found going out more tedious than usual. But what I never skip is listening to music at night. I’m an audiophile, so listening to good music on good devices matters.

Fine artist has always excelled in art, but several years ago, when she got her first commission of 鈧�25k, she didn鈥檛 realise her life was about to change. In 2022, she鈥檚 illustrated for international brands and publishing houses and sold a tonne of remarkable art. She tells 91大神 how she navigates work-life balance as a freelance fine artist, her frustrations dealing with clients and how she鈥檚 focused on building friendships. This is her life in one week.

MONDAY

I used to sleep around 3 a.m. 鈥� which is normal for artists because we鈥檙e all messed up 鈥� but I don鈥檛 want again. These days, I try to sleep between 12 and 1 a.m. I believe in gradual changes as it鈥檚 more realistic to go from sleeping by 3 a.m. to 1 a.m. than 10 p.m. I usually wake up around 9 a.m, but today, I woke up at 6:30 for some reason, and it was hell.

I like to respond to my inquiries and emails on Sunday nights so I won鈥檛 be under too much pressure on Monday. I also schedule emails for different times of the day depending on the time zone of the recipient. First, I write a to-do list, eat breakfast and get to work. I just started eating breakfast two months ago because I鈥檓 trying to build lean muscle and maintain healthy habits.

I like to eat overnight oats, which is funny because I used to hate [cooked] oatmeal until I discovered the beauty of overnight oats. I make it by soaking rolled oats in oat milk with chia seeds, Greek yoghurt, grapes & peanut butter and storing it in the fridge overnight. So in the morning, I just wake up and eat. Sometimes, I eat it with fried eggs. 

I work from home as an artist, so it can be difficult to get into work mode. I like to act like I鈥檓 going to work. When I鈥檓 done with breakfast, I freshen up, dress up formally and head to my home art studio for the rest of the day. By midday, I鈥檓 fully in work mode, and I work until 5 p.m., only pausing to stand up every hour when prompted by my Apple Watch. While working, I love listening to podcasts like The Archetypes by Meghan Markle and No Stupid Questions by Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth.

By 5 p.m., I get out of my work chair and change into gym clothes. I recently bought a treadmill I put in my studio because I neither have the strength for Lagos gyms nor a car to make daily trips. I also don鈥檛 like going out. I used to work morning till night without standing up. But that鈥檚 unhealthy, and I recently decided to become more physically active, I bought the treadmill and some dumbbells to work out in the evenings. I also do yoga until 7:45 p.m. 

Afterwards, my Mondays can go either of two ways. I either eat dinner, read articles or a book, scroll through Twitter and TikTok and watch a movie, or I go to Obi鈥檚 House at Hard Rock Cafe 鈥� but this is once in a blue moon. Tonight, I鈥檓 staying in my house. Before I go to bed, I love those quiet moments when I just apply skincare products to my face.

TUESDAY

It鈥檚 funny how people only notice you when you鈥檙e out there and seem to be doing well. Sometimes, I get so caught up in trying to move forward I forget how far I鈥檝e moved from the early days of my career. But today, I woke up thankful. And while eating my overnight oats 鈥� I can鈥檛 get enough of it 鈥� I took a few moments to meditate on my journey. 

In 2016, when I was in Unilag, someone reached out and asked me to supply prints of my artwork to a guest house. When the money entered my account 鈥� 鈧�500k 鈥� I was just looking at the alert like, I鈥檝e used talent to escape the trenches o! Which is funny because my first commission was so random. I had a mentor 鈥� a pastor who used to encourage me. He commissioned me to paint his wife and paid me 鈧�25k. 

My first book cover was also a commission from a friend. She paid 鈧�30k for the illustration, and I was more than happy to work on it because I loved everything about her poetry collection, from vision to execution. I kept creating and putting out my work and not long after, I got a gig that paid 拢500. Just imagine the gap. And then, the gigs just kept coming鈥�.

As I finished my oats and prepared for the day, I knew I was going to absolutely slay it.听

WEDNESDAY

As a freelance fine artist, the nature of my job lacks structure, so I have to consciously decide to stick to a routine every day of the week, and a to-do list is my greatest tool. Knowing what to do before I start each day has helped my artistic process a lot because I track my activities and progress on projects for the day.

As a full-time fine artist, I draw what I like and sell them. Sometimes, people want me to draw things for them, and for a fee, I do. I get book cover commissions from either a self-published author or publishing house. When a house reaches out to me to design a book cover, it could be because the author saw my work somewhere and liked it. Like when I designed the cover of Nicola Yoon鈥檚 book Instructions for Dancing, one of Penguin鈥檚 creative directors reached out to me and said Nicola Yoon saw my work on Instagram 鈥� it鈥檚 always Instagram 鈥� and thought I鈥檇 be a great fit. Of course, I was interested. There鈥檚 usually a process that makes collaborating easy: a creative director reaches out, I do my work and get paid. 

But with independent authors, there鈥檚 a lot of back-and-forths because I ask a lot of questions, and sometimes, they don鈥檛 really know what they want, so I have to guide them through. I鈥檓 the illustrator as well as the consultant. I can ask for a non-disclosure agreement to protect their work if they feel reluctant to tell me certain details of their story.

I used to have a fixed price list, but not anymore, because I often sold myself short, especially when the projects evolved or derailed. Right now, I have a base fee and add extra depending on the complexity of the project. Painting someone鈥檚 head will be different from painting someone鈥檚 hand, for example; the same goes for half-body vs full-body portraits.

When I do personal art, I start with an idea, roll it around in my head for a while before I start painting. Which reminds me, the last time I did something personal was in July [2022]. I worked really hard between 2020 and 2022, putting out a a lot of work and building my reputation 鈥� and that鈥檚 why I can afford my lifestyle today. I still have ideas, but it鈥檚 been hard to find space to create personal work. Funny, I never struggle with commsioned work.

I鈥檓 thinking this as I step out of my studio at 5 p.m. today. I make a note to paint something personal soon.

THURSDAY

Today was just annoying; payment wahala here and there. The biggest headache I have these days is accepting payments. Most of my clients are outside the country so anytime I need to receive a payment, I always have to manoeuvre one issue or the other as a Nigerian living and working in Nigeria.

I鈥檝e put my name out there to the point that people now trust me. All you need to do is Google my name and see I鈥檓 legit. But it wasn鈥檛 always the case. When I was still coming up around 2019/2020, it used to frustrate me that some international clients would just air me after seeing I鈥檓 Nigerian. 

There was a time one of these traditional banks that recently went digital kept restricting my account until I threatened to sue. I was getting paid, but I couldn鈥檛 get my money. It鈥檚 not like the money was plenty o 鈥� didn鈥檛 even have the money to sue 鈥� but I couldn鈥檛 take it anymore. 

I鈥檓 also struggling with inflation, and it鈥檚 affected the kind of projects I take on. My foreign clientele typically commissions digital art and book covers while most of my Nigerian clients prefer portraits. But right now, I don鈥檛 take as many portrait commissions or get as many requests as I used to because my base price is in dollars. With the way the naira is moving nowadays, I can鈥檛 charge Nigerians in Nigeria. It鈥檚 ridiculous to convert what was, say, 鈧�100k at the beginning of 2022 to more than double that. 

It鈥檚 such a struggle, and I鈥檓 tired mehn. When does one get a break?

FRIDAY

A younger artist reached out to me today, complaining that they did work for someone, and the client refused to pay. I discussed with the person on how they could prevent it from happening again.

I鈥檝e worked with too many problematic clients than I鈥檇 like, but because I鈥檝e had a few years of experience, I can spot them from a mile away and run for my life. They always have a crazy long list of things they want done 鈥� things that鈥檒l normally cost an arm and a leg 鈥� but never have the budget for it. 

No matter how big you are, you can鈥檛 escape problematic clients. These days, what I do is if there鈥檚 something they want and their budget doesn鈥檛 match it, instead of chasing them away, I try to compromise to find middle ground. For example, if you really want a full-body portrait of five people, and you only have enough to cover a full-body portrait of three, I can suggest a half-body portrait of five people instead. But the problematic ones don鈥檛 even want to make concessions; all they do is stress me out, so I just run away.

A few years ago, there was this lady who reached out to me for a painting. I was still charging around $500 and above at the time. We moved to the consultation stage, but after hearing all the details she wanted, I was like, ehn? This thing you want 鈥� with the whole world including heaven 鈥� is how much it would cost. Omo, this woman started ranting. What really annoyed me was when she said I鈥檇 wasted her time. I had to clear her 鈥� respectfully 鈥� on the spot.

Clients are always right o, but they should also respect people who work with or for them. She wasted my time too when she was describing heaven and earth. People need to understand that they鈥檙e paying for a service and we鈥檙e doing it in return for the payment. Our work as artists is to bring your vision to life, so you can鈥檛 disrespect us because you only want to pay a certain amount of money. I won鈥檛 accept disrespect just because I鈥檓 providing a service.

I鈥檝e had to evolve my process in a way that demands respect, so right from the beginning, you know you鈥檙e not dealing with an anyhow person: 

1. I ask a lot of questions and sign contracts from the get-go, so nobody will say something, and then later, say that鈥檚 not what they said, because I have the receipts. 
2. I don鈥檛 attend to inquiries over the phone. I prefer emails so there鈥檚 a trail of communication.
3. When people divert from the original agreement or add something or the other, I charge extra.

I always set boundaries from the beginning. I don鈥檛 work for people who refuse to respect these boundaries because my peace of mind is important to me. Once people realise that after two revisions, they have to pay extra fees, they sit up and tell me exactly what they want.

But you see clients who treat me well? First of all, they offer me good money and are polite. Sometimes, they鈥檙e even ashamed to offer the money. To me, it鈥檚 big money o; to them, it鈥檚 like, 鈥淵ou have all this talent, and I can鈥檛 afford you, but please, take this money. And I鈥檓 like, 鈥淵es ma鈥檃m.鈥� 

After I did the book cover for my friend鈥檚 poetry collection, I kept posting my work on social media, and the next people who reached out offered me 拢500 and were telling me they knew it was lower than what I usually charged. The way I screamed. Me that my previous job was 鈧�30k? Me that used to beg people to pay 鈧�50k, and they鈥檇 refuse? Me that didn鈥檛 even think I was good? That was my turning point.

SATURDAY

On weekends, I like to work out in the afternoons rather than in the evening. I also spend time watching and making TikToks of my art 鈥� and some fun dance routines too. Weekends are when I let my hair down and dance. But not at parties because, these days, if I do legwork in public, they鈥檒l say Renike is razz. I do my legwork in my house, please. Dancing makes me feel really active and happy. 

Weekends are also for hanging out with friends. I didn鈥檛 have a lot of friends growing up. I鈥檓 only starting to make them 鈥� especially female friends 鈥� in my adulthood. I love them so much and love hanging out with them. They make life worth living. When I鈥檓 sad, I know I have this group of people I can talk to, who won鈥檛 judge me. They listen to me, hype me up, dance with me, crack funny and dead jokes with me, etc.

I like to read books too. Today, I finished Colleen Hoover鈥檚 Verity, and I鈥檝e still not recovered. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I鈥檒l sleep like my life depends on it. When another Monday comes, I鈥檒l eat overnight oats, dress up and face the week.

The subject of this Week in the Life is , a brand designer. He designs across a broad spectrum: brand identity, perception, sales, marketing, communications etc. He tells about his design process, how he made his first million as a brand designer, his frustrations negotiating with clients and why he鈥檚 no longer choosing 鈥渧awulence鈥� on design Twitter.

MONDAY

I always wake up at 6 a.m. thinking we should scrap Mondays. So I don鈥檛 get out of bed until 9 a.m. During those three hours, I browse Twitter and think up ideas, to start the week. Sometimes, I tweet motivational stuff, the occasional 鈥渨e gonna make it #Wagmi鈥� 鈥� as if I have energy to start the week 鈥� right from my bed. The lies we tell鈥�

Anyway, by nine o鈥檆lock, I finally get out of bed and open my laptop. Mondays are for stand-up meetings and admin work 鈥� sending and responding to emails, receiving and analysing feedback, etc. I get the most rejection mails from organisations about my pitches on Mondays, and I don鈥檛 eat breakfast until 12. 

After work, I catch up on all the 鈥渧awulence鈥� on Twitter. There鈥檚 always someone being ratioed for a bad design opinion at the start of the week. If you鈥檙e looking for hot takes on +234 design Twitter, you鈥檒l find them on Monday. It鈥檚 like designers had too much time on their hands during the weekend and the gist spilt into the new week. 

TUESDAY

I know it鈥檚 just Tuesday, but please, the week has been crazy already. As a freelancer working from home, Tuesdays are usually my busiest days, when I actually open my design software and get to work. When I have deadlines, I beg MTN to have mercy on me.

I鈥檓 very busy these days, juggling several client projects. And as if that wasn鈥檛 enough, I carried myself to take on community work. That鈥檚 the curse of being a freelance designer 鈥� taking on more projects than you should. But I鈥檓 a bad guy, so I鈥檒l just wait until those deadlines are due then the panic monster will pressure me into slaying them. 

After seven gruelling hours at my work desk, I have new designs. They鈥檙e so beautiful 鈥� even though I know I鈥檓 going to hate them tomorrow. But it鈥檚 been a hard day鈥檚 work, and I鈥檓 satisfied. Work hasn鈥檛 ended though, only client work. 

Around 6 p.m., I turn my focus to a personal project. I鈥檓 trying to build 234 Brand Street, an like myself, and even though I don鈥檛 have a clear roadmap, this thing has me doing things out of my comfort zone. I鈥檓 editing videos, learning new software, making templates for a live event 鈥� mehn, it鈥檚 been crazy motivating and crazy stressful. Who send me work?

WEDNESDAY

Someone reached out to me on LinkedIn, and I was so excited because that would be my first client from the platform 鈥� I鈥檓 mostly active on Twitter. This person told me they needed a designer and promised so many high sounding jargon 鈥� except payment. What would I use a 鈥渇ounding designer鈥� title to do when it鈥檚 not coming with money? Is that how they say they鈥檒l pay in 鈥渆xposure鈥� these days?

Once I told him I wasn鈥檛 comfortable with the offer, he stopped responding. I was really disappointed because I felt like LinkedIn had better to offer.

People like this stress me out. But I鈥檝e made my peace that money conversations will often be weird. Just as I was rounding up work for today, someone emailed me from Behance to ask for my rates. When I asked for their budget, he asked what I wanted. He now said it was out of his budget. But didn鈥檛 he say he didn鈥檛 have a budget?

I finished the first iteration of a brand identity I鈥檇 been working on for the past week for a US-based client and sent the files over. I expect to get their feedback by next Monday. So it wasn鈥檛 an unproductive day.

After all the stress, I called my boys out to hang in the evening. As a remote freelancer, I try to invest as much time as I can in my social life. I felt like having cocktails, so we went for drinks until 11 p.m.

THURSDAY

The weekend is almost here so bored designers usually start dropping hot takes and fighting on Twitter today. I didn鈥檛 have urgent projects immediately pressing my neck, so I decided to indulge a bit by spending a little too much time on the app, calling out designers for their problematic takes. Thursdays are usually my freest days anyway.

The thing is I鈥檓 a very outspoken person, and I feel very privileged to be in the design industry. But in +234 design Twitter, some people want to feel more important than they really are. There鈥檚 this worrying trend of people trying to position themselves as better than others rather than solving problems for people who can pay for their services. 

The design community on Twitter used to be very different from what it is now. It was once a melting point of shared ideas and innovation, but these days, you鈥檒l just see someone who hasn鈥檛 done any notable work, but because they got into tech from a random gig and bought fancy gadgets, nobody will hear word again. 

One thing about me is I鈥檒l always call out bullshit when I see it. Sometimes, I keep quiet, expecting people to know better 鈥� don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the good things design money can get one, but it’s becoming a pattern to detect those who breed on vibes, controversy and empty show off 鈥� I鈥檝e saved some of their lit workspace pictures, though.

After today sha, I鈥檒l be keeping quiet. I don鈥檛 want to build a brand on 鈥渧awulence鈥�. I just hope younger, less experienced designers won鈥檛 fall for the empty hype of people who don’t really care about them as much as they see newbies as stepping stones to their own goals. 

FRIDAY

I鈥檓 always excited about the weekend. It gives me a sense of accomplishment, and I also get to do fun stuff. Earlier today, I completed a major design project, handed it over and got paid. The money was up there with the highest I鈥檝e charged this year, so I鈥檓 in high spirits.

I鈥檝e had a weird money journey, especially with charging clients. When I started out, I charged 鈧�5k for logos 鈥� and sometimes, I didn鈥檛 even get paid. But I鈥檝e come a long way. In December [2021], a friend asked me how much I charged for designs. At the time, I was charging 鈧�500k 鈥� 700k for a full brand package, which included logos, social media and marketing templates, merch and many more. When they told me I was too good to be charging that amount, I didn鈥檛 believe them

But later, I did research and saw designers charging $2k for brand identities I didn鈥檛 think were all that, so I decided to raise my rates. When a client reached out to me shortly after, I decided to ask for more money than I normally would. I pitched an idea, held my breath and asked for 鈧�1.7m. I didn鈥檛 know where I got the audacity from. The company accepted, and I wanted to run mad with excitement. That was my first million. Since then, I鈥檝e not looked back.

When I received my credit alert this evening, I knew it was time to have fun. I鈥檓 going to hit up my squad so we can decide if we鈥檙e going to a concert, bar or any fun event in Lagos. I try to go out every weekend, but this one will be special.

18-year-old Susan* is learning to sew to keep herself busy during the ASUU strike. But in Nigeria, apprentices are at the mercy of their bosses. And Susan鈥檚 typical week is full of more downs than ups. Find out why tailors lie and how she鈥檚 making the best of the ASUU strike in this week in her life.

MONDAY

I like Mondays because they鈥檙e the most chilled days of my week. People have collected their dresses during the weekend, and even though sometimes, we receive clothes on Monday, it鈥檚 not plenty like that. I was looking forward to a chill day as usual, but my day started badly when I was harassed by street boys.

My dad asked me to help him cash a cheque on my way to work. The bank isn鈥檛 far from my house, so I decided to trek. On my way, I saw some men loitering around and thought it was the regular street boys that鈥檒l leave you be as long as you mind your business. But these ones started catcalling me. It wasn鈥檛 my first time being catcalled 鈥� that one is normal in Lagos 鈥� but these guys were very aggressive to the point of touching me. I managed to break away.

I thought I鈥檇 be able to shake off the experience, but by the time I got to work, I was still shaken and I felt dirty. I hoped to just get through the day. 

Things were going fine until a woman brought in curtains and my madam assigned the work to me. I started on it, but there was a part that was very tricky. 

The thing about sewing is that it鈥檚 better to leave something alone than to redo it after making a mistake because mistakes only make the material worse. I鈥檓 still an apprentice so I decided to show my madam that part, but she was talking with the person that brought the curtain outside and I didn鈥檛 want to interrupt them. So I waited for her to be done with their conversation.听

But when madam stepped into the shop and saw me idle, she started shouting at me 鈥� she didn鈥檛 even give me space to explain myself. I was so embarrassed.

My day went from bad to worse. When I got home and showered, I couldn鈥檛 sleep. I was thinking about how if there was no strike and I was in school, something like this wouldn鈥檛 happen to me. It鈥檚 not like school isn鈥檛 easy but it鈥檚 just easier for me to blame it on ASUU.

TUESDAY

I鈥檝e not recovered from yesterday鈥檚 incident and I didn鈥檛 even sleep well. But work continues, abi? So I went to work. 

Tuesdays are only slightly busier at the shop sha, because that鈥檚 the time people come with their materials and take measurements and we start working. So since I didn鈥檛 have much to do today, I had a lot of time to think about my life.

Even though I like fashion, I didn鈥檛 plan to learn the trade this soon. I鈥檓 only doing it because ASUU has been striking for more than six months now, and we don鈥檛 even know when it鈥檒l end. 

I like fashion, but I wish I didn鈥檛 have to learn under these conditions. The former place I used to learn was worse than this. The complete trenches. I went there to learn fashion but would find myself in my madam鈥檚 house, washing her clothes, taking her children to school, cooking for her husband, and plenty more things. I stayed there for three months before I complained to my mum,, she pulled me out of there, but she鈥檇 already paid the apprenticeship fee.

This place I鈥檓 currently doing apprenticeship isn鈥檛 perfect, but it鈥檚 better. It鈥檚 closer to my hous,e and I don鈥檛 have to worry about the stress of entering danfo. But I鈥檓 tired, to be honest. I can鈥檛 wait for ASUU to call off strike. 

Everybody is like, don鈥檛 waste this time. Learn something new. But learning something new doesn鈥檛 change the fact that I鈥檓 stagnant. My mates in private universities are already in 400 level and me, I鈥檓 still in my second year. If there was no strike and this was just a normal holiday, I鈥檇 be more excited about learning a trade, But right now, I鈥檓 doing it because I don鈥檛 have a choice. I just have to do it, if not, I鈥檇 be idle. Maybe that鈥檚 what makes it feel less interesting.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is when the real work starts. The official closing time is 5 p.m, and on Monday and Tuesday, we close around that time. But from Wednesday onwards, it鈥檚 6:30 we leave because there鈥檚 always so much work. 

It鈥檚 not like I can鈥檛 leave at 5 o, I鈥檓 just not comfortable leaving unfinished work. But no matter what, I鈥檒l never stay beyond 6:30 because of security issues. 

Today, I learnt how to make peplums. My mum has a lot of peplum dresses and I鈥檝e always loved them. used to think they were difficult to make. But today, when madam tailor was showing me how to make it, it didn鈥檛 even take her more than two minutes. After cutting the material, you just need to put a stale on the peplum, sew round it, and then iron the cloth.

Image source:  

I made my first peplum, and it came out well. I was so happy because my week started so badly.

Every day I learn something new, and it makes my time here more bearable. By the time I got home, I had so much fun telling my parents and just knew I鈥檇 sleep well.

THURSDAY

Thursdays are extra busy because people want to get their dresses on Friday. Customers call non-stop to ask if their clothes are ready. It鈥檚 also when we lie the most because even if the clothes are not ready, we鈥檒l tell the customers we鈥檙e done. We do this just so they鈥檒l stop calling us every five minutes.

We鈥檙e all on edge on Thursdays because of the building tension that a customer can come at any time. It鈥檚 the day I make the most mistakes because I鈥檓 still learning to manage the pressure.

It鈥檚 also on Thursday that madam tailor shouts at her apprentices the most. I understand her concern, but sometimes, I think there are better ways to correct inexperienced apprentices sha.  It gets ugly when she starts laying her hands on people.

Like today, I was working on a child鈥檚 dress and was almost done 鈥� it was just remaining the hand. The problem is, I鈥檝e not really mastered how to cut the hands of dresses yet, so usually, when I get to the hands, I ask a more senior colleague to help me out. I don鈥檛 have a personal sewing machine at home, so I fear I鈥檓 not learning as fast as I should. The tailor doesn鈥檛 allow apprentices to bring their own stuff to sew at the shop. So, other apprentices who have machines usually go home to practice.

But today, everyone else that could help me was neck-deep in work. I could have waited o, but I was trying to be useful. I said to myself that since I鈥檝e seen people cut dress hands before, I could try it. I finished the dress and moved on to other tasks.

Around 6:15 p.m., when I was preparing to go home, I heard 鈥淜PAIII鈥� on my back. I was already so stressed from the hectic day, so it took me some moments to gather myself. Then the tailor showed me the dress and started shouting at me. She told me it wasn鈥檛 her fault I don鈥檛 have a machine at home and called me all sorts of names. She kept beating me with that her hand that鈥檚 very painful. Me that they don鈥檛 beat at home. 

Shey I鈥檇 have left the unfinished dress for someone else. Me that was trying to be useful. Ah, ASUU, see what you people have caused. Please free me, let me go back to school.

FRIDAY

When I woke up this morning, my ears were ringing. Then I realised I still have to go to work today after the nonsense that happened yesterday. 

I wanted to tell my parents, but no. It鈥檚 not the first time and my parents are very vocal people. What usually happens is, after my parents call the woman to complain, she鈥檒l apologise to them, promise to do better, and then turn around to badmouth me to other staff and apprentices in the shop. It鈥檚 funny because you鈥檇 expect them to empathise with me. Shey all of us are suffering the same thing? But no, they鈥檒l join to badmouth me. 

There鈥檚 a kind of stigma that comes with being the one who snitches to their parents 鈥� they stop assisting me or sharing knowledge. And me, I鈥檓 at a disadvantage because I don鈥檛 have a sewing machine. When I look at all the problems that come with reporting, I wonder: at what cost? I鈥檒l just bear it, learn my thing and go. 

The previous place I paid 鈧�70k for, the money entered bush. I don鈥檛 know how much my parents paid for this one I鈥檓 currently doing, but it鈥檚 probably even more expensive. And it’s not like my parents can terminate the contract and collect a refund. That鈥檚 why I endure.

Fridays are chaotic as hell. By the time we closed today, I鈥檇 put all the events of the week behind me but was too tired to trek home. So I took a danfo. I can鈥檛 wait for the weekend abeg. My family will be at home and now that the season has ended, we鈥檒l watch BBN recaps and highlights.

Nine hours every day, Uche Uka* sells food from behind a counter at a prominent fast food restaurant, while evading stern managers. While on duty, resting is against the restaurant’s rules. But after two years of thankless service for 鈧�40k a month, she wants better from life

MONDAY

Mondays are the slowest days at the fast food restaurant, maybe because many people cook during the weekend and still have food in their fridges. But I still end up tired.

The eatery I work at opens at 7 a.m. We don鈥檛 have cleaners and support staff, I have to arrive early to clean up the store, machines, utensils and surfaces, bring the food from the kitchen to the counter and prepare for when the store opens. It鈥檚 a cashier鈥檚 duty to make sure all the food and drinks are recorded and cross-checked with the cooks. So I resume at 6 a.m.

There are two other cashiers on my shift, and we do several jobs while the company only pays us for one. When we pleaded with management to hire cleaners, they asked us, 鈥淪o, who鈥檒l pay them?鈥� 

We used to open at 8 a.m., but the company decided to push it forward to cater to students and workers who stop by to pick up food on their way to school and work.

Morning shift is supposed to last from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 鈥� eight-and-a-half hours 鈥� but that rarely happens. I often leave at around 4:30 because I鈥檓 required to settle records after my shift. Depending on the manager, they can make me stay until six. I don鈥檛 have a choice. Every single tray of food I served has to be accounted for, along with every naira. If there鈥檚 any shortage, they鈥檒l deduct it from my 鈧�40k salary. 

Every day comes with its own wahala. Sometimes, a manager can wake up on the wrong side of their bed, come to work and transfer their frustration on us. Even more often, customers bring their own problems and cause a scene. 

Today, I left the restaurant at 4 p.m. and headed home. Even though Mondays are always slow, I鈥檇 been standing for over ten hours, so I鈥檓 tired. I鈥檓 always tired.

TUESDAY

Today didn鈥檛 go well at all. A pregnant woman came in and ordered takeaway basmati fried rice. A portion of the rice is two-and-half spoons and costs 鈥嬧偊700鈥�. I asked if she wanted a big-sized takeaway pack or a small one. She said, 鈥淏ig.鈥� When I handed her the food, she started complaining it was too small. 

She accused me of not putting enough rice, even though a portion would look smaller in the larger pack. When she accused me of trying to steal her food and pocket the money, I explained to her that it鈥檚 not cashiers who set the pricing or quantities. I asked if she wanted an extra portion and she insulted my father.

When she came in, I told her not to look at the board. She could tell me what she wanted, and I鈥檇 tell her the price. The restaurant usually updates the prices on the system, while the old price remains on the board. Maybe that鈥檚 why she called me a fraud. 

This woman brought out a calculator and refused to pay for the pack she asked for, which costs an extra 鈧�150. She kept yelling and threatened to complain about me to the branch manager. Then she called the head office to complain that I鈥檇 hacked the system to cheat her and pocket her money. Me, a cashier, hacking? See me see wahala.

I don鈥檛 understand it when people dump their frustrations on cashiers. I鈥檓 not happy at this job, but you don鈥檛 see me shouting at people.

The manager came in and dashed her a free meal just so she could leave. Then, he turned to me and started shouting that it was my fault. Thank God I had witnesses who called him out sha. A man even told him to update the board and stop letting problematic customers harass cashiers. But even though I didn鈥檛 do anything, I still had to apologise. Because when everybody leaves, it鈥檚 me the manager will deal with. 

The man who stood up for me tried to give me a tip for my troubles, but the manager intercepted it. Company policy is that no staff should handle cash or personal property during work hours. Usually, I have to hand over my personal belongings at the security desk and sign them in. When managers intercept tips like this, they promise to add it to our salary at the end of the month. But, for where? I know I鈥檓 never seeing that money.

I finally got home, called my brother and told him about my day. He told me it is well and cracked jokes that made me laugh. By the time I hung up and prepared for bed, I realised I wasn鈥檛 so angry anymore.

WEDNESDAY

I woke up to a call that I should come in for the evening shift. These duty managers keep changing things, and I never know until the last minute. I wish they would rotate it weekly so I鈥檒l know okay o, this week, I鈥檓 on morning shift, next week, I鈥檓 on evening shift. I鈥檝e begged them several times to tell me my shift ahead of time, but they just do anyhow they want. We, the junior staff, don鈥檛 have a choice. If you enter any manager鈥檚 wrong side, you鈥檒l see shege.

I don鈥檛 like evening shift because we have to stay back to do records  even though the store closes by 10 p.m, Sometimes, I get home as late as midnight. I鈥檝e been robbed before, and with the news of kidnapping these days, it鈥檚 very unsafe. One of my colleagues was stabbed recently. But who cares? They鈥檒l say the insecurity also affects managers.

The company now has a policy that workers must live a maximum of 15 minutes from the store. I wonder if they鈥檙e just mocking us because none of us can afford to live anywhere around the area.  Even my six months鈥� salary can鈥檛 rent a place there. When I moved to this city in 2020, I had to save for six months to get my current apartment in a villagey area about 30 minutes away. 

But can I complain? 

My 鈧�40k salary can only take me so far, but I try my best to be disciplined. My rent is 鈧�150k, and I make sure to save 鈧�20k every month for it. I get lunch at work, so I only have to bother about breakfast. Transport costs me about 鈧�400 daily 鈥� about 鈧�10k a month. I use the rest to buy provisions and toiletries. My brother lives in Lagos and supports me by paying my school fees once in a while 鈥� about 鈧�60鈥�70k for my online programme at the university where I鈥檓 studying economics. 

I ended up staying until 11 p.m. today before they said I could leave. Thank God I got home safely.

THURSDAY

I don鈥檛 know if everybody in this city got hungry and decided to eat fast food, but the eatery was filled to the brim, and the cashiers were so overwhelmed, one of us had to beg the manager around to help us. Jesus, the noise, fights and shouting? Two customers even got close to throwing blows because they couldn鈥檛 agree on who was next in line.

Rush-hour days like this have become very common. We鈥檝e been begging management to hire more people, but they said revenue isn鈥檛 enough. Every day I come to work, I stay on my feet for eight to ten hours, and my body begs for mercy. It鈥檚 against the rules to sit down. Once my shift starts, I must be on my feet until they let me go. If a manager catches you trying to rest even for one second, you don enter wahala be that.

All I was thinking about the whole day was how I don鈥檛 have to come to work on Saturday. I work Sunday to Sunday, but I have one day off during the week. The way I鈥檓 going to sleep?

FRIDAY

The night  blinked by so fast my head was turning when I woke up. My first thought was how I don鈥檛 want to be stuck here. I don鈥檛 want to wake up by 5 a.m. every day, rushing to a job that鈥檚 killing my joy. But I have to pay rent, buy food and pay my school fees. 

Even though I don鈥檛 like the job, it鈥檚 the only one I could find that I can work while schooling. Some jobs with better pay, once you tell them you鈥檙e in school, they鈥檒l say they don鈥檛 want your wahala. So I can鈥檛 complain too much.

I have two weeks of leave per year. My exams usually run for one week, and I have two of them each year. So I usually go on leave during exams. I鈥檓 in 200 level now and still have three years to go. 

Exams start in two weeks, and even though it鈥檚 an online program, I have to go to campus for revision classes until exams. It鈥檚 bothering me even more because I have to go to school today. Juggling school with this cashier work is hell. After serving people on my feet for nine hours non-stop, I鈥檒l jump into a cab and rush to school. I know I鈥檒l be too tired to even hear what the lecturer is saying, but at least, I鈥檒l get points for attendance, abi?

SATURDAY

As I am now, I鈥檓 living my life for someone else, because every day, I dress up to go and do work I don鈥檛 want to be doing. I like handling money, making sales and attending to people, but not under these conditions. It鈥檚 the reason I took this job and now, I鈥檝e been working as a cashier for two years, but nothing has improved, but I hope that鈥檒l change soon. 

I want to take back control of my life. I have an idea to start supplying zobo and tiger nut drinks to restaurants, but I don鈥檛 have capital. I don鈥檛 know how lucrative it鈥檒l be, but even if I get the same amount as my 鈧�40k salary in profit every month, I don鈥檛 mind. As long as I鈥檒l have a little more control of my life and no longer have to work at the eatery. 

From my calculations, it鈥檒l cost about 鈧�700k to start because, for fast-food restaurants to even consider you as a supplier, you have to be able to deliver in large quantities consistently. I hope I can get a loan for it. The prices of things I鈥檒l need to buy are going up every day, but God will help his child.

I held on to this hope as I locked my door and went to work. It鈥檚 the same hope on my mind when I get back home. 

Tomorrow is Sunday which happens to be my worst day of the week because it’s always our peak period for sales 鈥� family time out, dates, flexing, meals before and after church service, church food time with members 鈥� always a crowd.

Nobody wants to work on Sunday morning because of all that work. But last last, someone must have to do it either by choice or force.

Breaking free from all the stress is the only thing on my mind these days. But for now, I have to get some sleep and rest well ahead of work tomorrow.

For nine hours every day, 26-year-old Daisy* calls 180 loan defaulters to get them to pay up their debts. But when she鈥檚 overlooked for a promotion after two years, she starts doing the bare minimum while she figures out her next career move.

MONDAY

My typical day starts at 7 a.m., but I go back to sleep and wake up fully by eight most days. If I had to go to the office, I鈥檇 wake up at six and leave my house at seven. But thank God my company now lets people like me, who鈥檝e been on the job for a long time, work from home. 

I take my bath and do skin care 鈥� even though I work from home, it鈥檚 annoying that I have to use sunscreen, according to skincare experts. SMH. Then I hotspot my smartphone to my laptop and get ready to get through the day. My work is straightforward: I ask customers to pay up their gbese. I鈥檓 pretty much a call centre agent, so when a call comes to me, it鈥檚 because a customer has picked up and I鈥檓 an available agent. 

I interact with customers until 6 p.m. when I log off. 5 p.m. is the official closing time, but everyone is used to working until six because, targets. If I need to take breaks, they have to be for less than 30 minutes each. But I can鈥檛 complain. 

After work, I鈥檓 too tired to do anything, so I fry eggs, drink tea or order food. I don鈥檛 have time to cook a full meal because of my limited break time. I spend the rest of the night social media-ing, and catching up on texts and calls from friends, before going to bed around 11 p.m.

TUESDAY

At 8:50 a.m. when I sat at my desk to meditate before my first call today, I thought about how my target used to be 150 calls per day. It soon increased to 160. As the company continued to expand, they increased the loan collection targets till I was making 180 complete calls per day 鈥� a complete call means I dialled, the customer picked, and I introduced myself: 鈥淗i, my name is Daisy. I鈥檓 calling you from [insert company name闭.鈥�

The day flies by as I take call after call and try to keep my cool because I鈥檓 not a very patient person. Word on the gossip line is the company has struggled to raise funding recently. It seems the company鈥檚 runway is depleting, and so, there鈥檚 serious pressure to recover as much money from debtors as possible. 

My company used to outsource loan collections to an agency I worked for, but during COVID, they terminated the contract, and I got laid off. Then I applied to join the company鈥檚 in-house collections team and got in. At first, I was a high performer, hitting my targets and winning departmental awards. But after personnel changes and reviews, the workplace became toxic.

The turning point was when I got passed on for a promotion. As one of the founding members, I鈥檇 been recommended by a team lead and even worked in the marketing team temporarily. I was enjoying my new role upstairs, and for three weeks, I thrived. Then HR came from nowhere and said they weren鈥檛 aware of the arrangement, and they鈥檇 already hired two people for the role. They sent me back to the loan collection team. I was devastated. Since then, I鈥檝e been on autopilot. 

They made things worse by encouraging competition to the point of toxicity. People would come to work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. because the more calls you make, the higher your chances of recovering money. All this just so they could meet targets and get paltry bonuses. I did it for a while and would earn an extra 鈧�45k here or 鈧�60k there. But the payment didn鈥檛 match the effort.

That鈥檚 why they鈥檙e expanding the loan collection team from the current 65 people to 100 by the end of the year. So I expect the targets to keep increasing. Things are bad, and the economic downturn in the country means people aren鈥檛 making enough to pay back their loans. This makes the work much harder for us, and we鈥檙e scared of being laid off.

WEDNESDAY

Omo. Today, I lost my shit. I understand people are struggling, but please na. I already hate when they assign me late buckets 鈥� people more than one month overdue 鈥� but this guy who鈥檇 defaulted for 35 days and counting was still doing anyhow. I鈥檓 supposed to ask why they’re delaying payments, and then, figure out a way to get them to 鈥渄rop something鈥�. 

But this guy hadn鈥檛 shown any commitment, by making a part payment or even extending his loan. So I told him, 鈥淗ow much can we get from you today, Mister man?! Me too, I used to borrow money na. What鈥檚 all this?鈥�

I get the late bucket customers because I鈥檓 one of the more experienced people on the team, but nobody pays me for the extra stress. Loan defaulters can be so annoying. They feel like we debt collectors can鈥檛 do anything because the company鈥檚 penalties are lenient. We only charge them a tiny percentage in late payment fees for a week, and then, we attempt to auto-debit their accounts. But these sneaky people leave their accounts empty. 

What we do is flag them as credit defaulters, but most ordinary Nigerians don鈥檛 even care. Only those trying to leave the country or who need good credit scores to run businesses do. But those kinds of people rarely default on their loans. 

When I鈥檓 introducing myself to customers, I have to prepare myself because, depending on their mood, conversations can go south very quickly. Sometimes, it鈥檚 difficult to stick to the script. 

I鈥檓 not proud of going off on that guy today. But sometimes, when they start moving mad, I want to give it back to them hot-hot. Our calls are recorded, and my quality assurance ( will surely take a hit, but we move.

THURSDAY

Today, there鈥檚 gossip going around that the company鈥檚 trying to review the bonus structure again, but I don鈥檛 even care. The base pay for my role is 鈧�110k monthly. Just as recently as three months ago, people got up to an extra 鈧�80k if they met three key performance indices (KPIs): QA score, output and recovery. 

The old system was something like this: If my team calls 1m customers, we鈥檙e supposed to recover at least 70% of the debt. If I call 3k customers in a month and they were owing 鈧�3m, I must recover at least 70% of the money. If I hit my 70% target, and my team meets its 70%, it means I鈥檇 meet the recovery KPI.

I also need a QA score of 90%, which is measured by following the call script, being empathetic, maintaining a certain tone of voice and requesting complete or part payments. This has been my biggest issue as I usually score between 82% and 89%. I don鈥檛 care about customers鈥� reasons for defaulting payment. Just pay the money you owe.

Before my first short break at around 1:30 p.m., I called a debtor, and before I even finished introducing myself, she鈥檇 started shouting, 鈥淎hn ahn! I already told you people I don鈥檛 have any money. Please please please, you people should let me rest. Your colleague called me yesterday and the day before yesterday. Why will you be calling somebody every day?鈥�

Wait o, am I not supposed to ask them for the money they promised to pay? Shey she dey whyne me ni? Is she the only person who鈥檚 ever borrowed money? What kind of nonsense is this na? When I dropped the call, I knew I was going to score zero on QA, but God no go shame me. 

Some defaulters even lie that they鈥檝e paid and there must be something wrong with our app. Mad people.

All this stress and they鈥檙e still changing the rules. The most recent one was them introducing some kind of tier system for bonuses. Basically, even if you meet your 180 calls per day and score above 90% in QA, if you didn’t recover up to 70% of the top performer鈥檚 recovery in the team, your other two metrics have gone to waste. It鈥檚 things like these that cause unhealthy competition and working conditions.

We wouldn鈥檛 go for breaks just because we were trying to meet targets. Some people didn鈥檛 even have time to eat; they鈥檇 bring food to work and take it back home. Even me that likes to talk, my mouth was paining me.

I no longer give a fuck about the job. Imagine doing backbreaking work nine hours a day, for 鈧�110k a month with bonus wey no even sure. You recover millions for a company, but your money or career isn鈥檛 increasing or improving. 

I鈥檇 hoped I鈥檇 grow in the role and, in two years, become a team lead or get into project management or digital marketing or something. But I鈥檓 stuck in the same role, and there鈥檚 not much room to grow, so I have to start looking out for myself. 

These days, I鈥檓 just doing enough to not lose my job. I won鈥檛 do more than I鈥檓 paid for because fintech won鈥檛 kill me for my mother. All the OGs are already leaving the company. I鈥檓 just biding my time while I figure out my next move.

FRIDAY

I鈥檓 always grateful for Fridays because I鈥檓 a social butterfly. Work may weigh me down, but when I turn up? I turn up. As I turn on my laptop, all I鈥檓 looking forward to is close of work so I can go to and unwind. I鈥檓 tired. All my body needs right now is their Long Island. The thought of it is the only thing that鈥檒l get me through the day.

While I鈥檓 having lunch and taking a break from those annoying loan defaulters, I think about trying new things and keeping at them. In the recent past, I鈥檝e tried project management. I finished the course, but I got bored when it was time to apply my knowledge. I鈥檝e also tried data analysis, SQL and digital marketing, and now, I鈥檓 about to complete a course in virtual assistance. Maybe my experience in customer relations and communication would help me thrive in that role.

I often think I don鈥檛 have the grit to succeed, but maybe I鈥檓 just scared of starting over in an entry-level role. I don鈥檛 know again abeg. Too much thinking and too little time. I finish eating and get back to work.

My weekend afternoons are for the virtual assistant course I鈥檓 taking. Evenings are for 鈥渨e outside鈥�. When next Monday comes, I鈥檒l face it bravely.

After failing to get a job with his pharmacy degree, Nicholas* switched to content writing. Now on a 鈧�135k monthly salary, he鈥檚 tired of doing the same things every day to put food on the table. What鈥檚 an ideal future for him? To get crypto writing gigs that鈥檒l make him a millionaire.

MONDAY

Every day, I wake up between 6 and 7 a.m. to do the same things: devotion, and meditation, and then I resume work at 9 a.m. I work remotely, so I only have my bath after my team鈥檚 standup meeting around 10 a.m. Then I ask my assistant to run me through my to-do list, which typically doesn鈥檛 have much to excite me.

I鈥檓 the head of communications at a company that creates courses for professional development to help people get into crypto. My job is straightforward: I manage all public relations going out of the company, including and design. And even though the marketing team handles social media, all their content still has to go through me to ensure they match our brand tone and voice.

After work, I close my laptop and either pick up a book or watch TV and sleep. The next day, I do the same things all over again.

TUESDAY

In 2015, I graduated with a pharmacy degree, did my internship in 2017 and served the following year. But when I tried to get into the job market, I realised, omo, e be like this thing no too pure. From hospitals to institutions in Ebonyi and Abuja, where did I not apply to? My dad even sent my CVs up and down. After a few months, I told myself, 鈥淚t鈥檚 like I will use what I have to get what I want o.鈥� 

I used to write stories before I graduated, so I decided to try content writing in early 2019. I worked for someone in the United Kingdom for six months. It was hell. The man was supposed to pay me 鈧�80k, but I was doing everything in the company: manager work o, designer work o, even personal assistant. But he had the nerve to still delay my chicken change salary every month. 

Before my birthday in June, I begged this man to pay me my money on time. He said, 鈥淥kay, I鈥檒l look into it.鈥� Oya now, birthday came and passed, and man did me 鈥淎ired DFKM鈥� on top money I worked hard for. He paid me for June in July, and delayed my August and September salaries. By October, I couldn鈥檛 take these delays anymore, so I quit.

I was out of a job until the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, doing odd freelance jobs and collecting small small money. Then the CEO of my current company reached out to me to join his startup. I鈥檇 edited his pitch deck for free a while back, so when he reached out to me, it was to offer me the job.

I started in the company as a content writer, and after 10 months, I got promoted to head of communications. My job is pretty monotonous these days, but I prefer it to when I worked as a pharmacy intern. 

As I take my bath after morning stand-up today, I think how different my current life isfrom when I was practising pharmacy. Before, I鈥檇 have to be at work attending to patients from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. It was stressful as fuck, and I always returned home drained. Now, my schedule is flexible; I work from home, lead a team and delegate tasks.

When I get back to my work table, I dive into monotonous work for the next six hours: planning webinars, editing course content and looking for ways to improve the company鈥檚 processes for external communications 鈥� same old, same old.

WEDNESDAY

Omo, they鈥檙e dragging my boss today. The thing about startups is we make mistakes and learn as we go. In an ideal setting, the marketing team should involve me in their projects at the planning stage, But omo, these guys just created briefs, wrote up documents, got them approved by management and brought them to me to edit at the 11th hour. I was like, WTF? But management pressured me to just do it like that and keep it moving.

There was a backlash when the information went public, just as I鈥檇 warned. And as things heated up on the TL, I advised everyone to not respond to anything until we figured out damage control. But the CEO entered the dragging, and things got messy on Twitter, Facebook and in our Whatsapp community groups. I was so pissed because we could鈥檝e handled the situation better, but this man no dey hear word. Omo, they ratioed his life so much I had to involve the company lawyer.

It鈥檚 been a long day, and I just want to go to bed. But I check the time. It鈥檚 still 3 p.m. Why does time crawl when you鈥檙e not having fun?

I just mute my Twitter app and continue working on the document I鈥檝e been drafting for the past week. It contains the plan to help smoothen the flow of information across teams to prevent stuff like this from happening in future.

THURSDAY

After all the drama of yesterday, when I woke up this morning, my body kind of refused to get the memo that work continues, but sapa is always a good motivator.

During today鈥檚 standup meeting, I ran through my plan for improving communications, and it hit me that I don鈥檛 have regrets about switching from pharmacy to content and PR sha. I sabi work; it鈥檚 just I鈥檓 not where I want to be.

These days, my life is a blur. There鈥檚 no passion. When I wake up in the morning, there鈥檚 no ginger, nothing to look forward to. I鈥檓 tired of writing just to put food on the table and pay bills. Between 2017 and 2019, I used to write stories to submit to journals and magazines, and there was always something to look forward to. I miss the thrill of getting acceptance letters and the heartbreak of rejections, for example.

Now, I鈥檓 just tired of the monotony of corporate daily life. I鈥檓 doing the same things every day and not earning enough.

My company currently pays me 鈧�135k net, and I get an extra 鈧�100 鈥� 鈧�120k from freelance work. I want to earn millions, so I don鈥檛 have to take on so much work in my spare time to make up for my salary. I need to have time to create content I love.

I can鈥檛 wait for the weekend sha. I took this gig recently, writing about crypto stuff for a guy who pays me 鈧�8 per word. For him to be able to pay me that much, he probably earns close to a million naira monthly. He鈥檚 a middleman who gets contracts and outsources them to me, but I found someone who gets gigs from a direct source and has promised to link me up as long as I can build my portfolio and show workings. I plan to do just that, so help me God.

*Subject’s name has been changed to protect his identity

“A Week in the Life” is a weekly 91大神 series that explores the working-class struggles of Nigerians. It captures the very spirit of what it means to hustle in Nigeria and puts you in the shoes of the subject for a week.听

Today, a woman who sells loans to Nigerian police officers walks us through the chaos of dealing with aggressive officers, why she dislikes the job and her plans for the future.听

I have to be at work by 8 a.m., so I wake up at six. My my mum is already preparing breakfast, so I sweep the house, take my bath, eat breakfast and prepare for work. By 7:30 a.m., I leave the house.听

I work as a loan advisory officer at a company that offers loans to police officers, and my work involves convincing the officers to take the loans. It鈥檚 a weird job. Instead of outright pushing a product like the average salesperson, my work is more advisory. I show them why they need the loan and guide them through the process.

When I get to the office, it鈥檚 meetings, meetings and meetings. And then, I hit the road looking for policemen who need money.

The loan company works with the (IPPIS) to offer the loans. I joined the company as a customer service agent when I wanted to move up the career ladder from being a pre-school teacher. Then the company restructured and moved me to sales. I hate anything to do with sales targets because it comes with competition.

For instance, a police officer who鈥檇 taken his first loan through me relocates to another city. When they get there, they may want to take another loan. I have to be very careful to prevent my colleagues from reaching them before me because all the company cares about is us bringing in loan requests. If I let a police officer seek loans from another advisory officer, I鈥檝e lost. I have to be very jealous about my customers. 

Before, when a police officer tells me they want 鈧�100k, for example, I鈥檇 just process their loan request. But, omo, I have targets to meet o. Nowadays, I upsell to them. I鈥檒l ask, 鈥淎re you sure?鈥� and try to convince them to ask for more. I like this part sha, because I鈥檓 improving, and I know it鈥檚 a valuable skill I鈥檒l need when I decide to switch careers.

My life is also full of fear. Travelling outside my state so often just to convince police officers to take loans stresses me, especially with the country so insecure. I鈥檝e heard stories of robbers attacking police stations to destabilise them before going into town to rob. My daily fear is, what if I get caught up in a crossfire?

And I鈥檓 a young lady. Have you met Nigerian policemen? Imagine meeting them every single day. The average Nigerian policeman is aggressive so I get threats and visits to the police station often. The most recent instance was after one of them applied for a loan term of six months, and for some reason, IPPIS continued deducting from his account until the eighth month. He was refunded eventually, but he refused to let it go. He鈥檇 also asked me out earlier, and I鈥檇 refused, so maybe that鈥檚 what was paining him. He came to the office, rough-handled the customer service lady and carried us to the police station where he lied that I鈥檇 disrespected him and taken his money.听

After everything was resolved, I came to work the next day and nobody even looked at me. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 cut out for this kind of life, but I have to eat.

By 3 p.m., I鈥檝e visited five police stations and scored seven leads. The economy is hard and people need more money, but I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 a good thing. I鈥檓 really tired when I get back to the office. Little do I know I鈥檓 coming back to wahala. There鈥檚 this drunkard policeman who comes to disturb me every other month. Even though I鈥檝e explained how loans work to him, he still comes to complain when money is deducted from his salary. Why are police officers so dramatic?

The only thing that鈥檚 keeping me here is money. I鈥檓 currently still in school and I have to pay for it. ASUU strike is helping me because I don鈥檛 have to combine work and school for now. I can focus on work and learning digital skills. I look forward to a time when I no longer have to do loan officer work for Nigerian policemen every day. I鈥檝e started learning content marketing through online courses. I practise what I learn during the weekend, and I hope to start it as a career soon.

Omo, it鈥檚 been a long day, and I can鈥檛 stress myself thinking too much about these things. I just want to go back home and rest.

This week鈥檚 “A Week in the Life” subject is , a female painter thriving in a male-dominated industry. This means dealing with gender stereotypes and misbehaviour from male clients. One thing keeps her going though: her ambition to own a home in Lagos.

MONDAY

If I have to work on the island, I鈥檒l wake up around 4:30 a.m. to beat Monday morning traffic. If I鈥檓 working on the mainland, I can wake up a little later. But I never sleep past 6 a.m.

When I wake up also depends on whether I鈥檝e already inspected the space I鈥檓 supposed to paint. If I have, it鈥檚 ji, ma sun, because I鈥檒l have to leave at first light. But if I鈥檓 just going for inspection, I don鈥檛 have to rush so much. I鈥檒l sha still get my handbag ready, put in my scraper, measuring tools, pen and paper, along with all the other tools I鈥檒l need for the inspection.

All that doesn鈥檛 matter today because I don鈥檛 have any active jobs. So I鈥檒l step out of my house to scout new buildings in my vicinity, or the ones under renovation. I鈥檒l go with my brochures, colour palettes, pictures of designs and measuring tape. Depending on who I meet there 鈥� engineer, owner or site supervisor 鈥� I鈥檒l introduce myself and find out if they already have a painter.

Most of the time, they tell me they do, but it doesn鈥檛 stop me. I鈥檒l show them I can do designs most painters can鈥檛 because I鈥檓 not a regular painter, I鈥檓 a decorative painter. Last last, if I don鈥檛 get to work with them on a particular project, I鈥檒l try to build a relationship so they can keep me in mind for future jobs.

I didn鈥檛 get any jobs today, but we move. Tomorrow, I go again.

TUESDAY

People are always surprised when I walk into a site, introduce myself as a painter and pitch my services. Today, an engineer shouted, 鈥淵ou say you鈥檙e a painter? Are you sure you can climb ladder?鈥� I鈥檓 a woman in what people consider a male-dominated industry, so the disbelief isn鈥檛 surprising. 

Some don鈥檛 believe me even after I show them photos of my work, including photos of me at work. Most of the people I meet on building sites give me small jobs to test if I can actually do what I said I do. Some ask me if I鈥檓 the one who actually does the painting or if I want to collect the job to outsource it to men. When I finally get the jobs, the site supervisors will keep coming to make sure I鈥檓 doing as I said.

Thankfully, most of my jobs come from social media and referrals. Since I post about my work consistently, and I鈥檝e done work for many social media connections, my online audience trusts my work. At 10 a.m, while I was at a site close to my house, someone reached out to me on a Facebook mutual鈥檚 recommendation. 

Their compound wasn鈥檛 too far from where I was, so I quickly headed over there, inspected the apartment and negotiated payment. It’s a quick job that won’t take more than two days so I spent the rest of the day buying paints and prepping the building for tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY

I worked on the apartment all day and lost track of time. It was only until my boyfriend called that I realised it was already past six. When I was on the bus, I realised how tired I was. All that was on my mind was the kind of deep sleep I鈥檇 get when I got home.

My boyfriend gave me the massage of my life, and I slept off before I knew it.

THURSDAY

Pinterest got me into painting. And it was even by mistake. I鈥檝e always liked do-it-yourself (DIY) crafts. Two years ago, I was trying to decorate my house and needed to install wallpapers, so I went on Pinterest for inspiration. Before long, I started looking into wallpaper installation classes online. Soon after, I followed a guy on Instagram, who would eventually train me. 

But the turning point was seeing the painting design he did in his corridor. I fell in love with it. That鈥檚 when I knew I wanted to become a painter. Even though wallpaper installation was easier to learn, I quickly got bored.

Today, I went to finish up yesterday鈥檚 work and had to face the hardest thing about my job: painting ceilings. It鈥檚 not that I鈥檓 short o; it鈥檚 just everyone is taller than me. When I鈥檓 painting high points like ceilings, my neck and shoulders scream in pain. But I push through the pain because I chose this work, so how woman go do?

By 2 p.m., I was done and the owner of the apartment was happy. Job done; smiles guaranteed. On to the next one.

FRIDAY

When I first started painting, I met a lot of nonsense men. I quickly realised safety was 鈥� and may always be 鈥� an issue. Most men contact me to come and inspect their space, but when I get there, they鈥檒l be like, 鈥淚 been just wan see you鈥�. When it鈥檚 not madness.

I鈥檝e tried a few things to prevent situations like this. Sometimes, I ask for photos and videos of the place to be painted, so I can gauge how serious they are. But people don鈥檛 know how to take pictures or record videos well. Some are so bad I have to go and check out the place anyway.

There was a guy who reached out to me to check out his place. We fixed an appointment, and when I got there, he started telling me things like, 鈥淚 don finally see you for real life.鈥�. What鈥檚 my business? You called me for painting and you鈥檙e now telling me to sit down and talk and go out on a date. I just carried my bag and started going back home. 

Sometimes, men even ask for a date as a condition to hire me.

My own is let it end in talk sha. Let nobody come close to me or touch me. So I go with a colleague if I have a bad feeling about a potential client.

What really pains me is how people assume I get jobs automatically because I鈥檓 a woman. When in reality, people are always doubting me, especially when it comes to pricing. Very often, I hear things like, 鈥淣a because say you be woman, na hin you dey charge this much?鈥� Some people think they鈥檙e supporting me or doing me a favour.

Male painters don鈥檛 go through all these shalaye. They just negotiate, do the work and collect their money. When it鈥檚 my turn, people will be doing plenty permutations.

We move sha, because for me, every job is an advert. I want someone to walk into any room I painted and ask who painted it. I focus on doing excellent work, exceeding expectations and getting referrals. My online presence is helping me very well, and some repeat clients still call for me no matter where they are in Nigeria. 

To be honest, I鈥檝e been fortunate. When I was starting out, a Facebook friend hired me to repaint her apartment. While I was painting, she went live on Facebook and was broadcasting to her friends. Someone noticed I was standing on an inverted bucket to reach the ceiling and offered to buy me a ladder. I thought it was a joke, said thank you and kept it moving. Omo, after I finished, the person said he was serious o, that I should find out the price and let her know. He later sent me the 鈧�35k for the ladder. That was one of the most touching things anyone has ever done for me.

SATURDAY

Today, I locked down a contract for a building on the island from a referral, as usual. I start work next week and should be done in three to five days. It鈥檚 a big deal for me because it鈥檚 another chance to show that I sabi this work. I鈥檒l use this weekend to rest and recharge. Next week, I鈥檒l go there and kill it.

Stuck in traffic heading back to the mainland, I had the chance to reflect on my work. Normally, I feel like I鈥檓 not doing enough, but today, I feel fantastic. I鈥檓 just two years into this career, and it surprises me how much I鈥檝e grown. I want to be the best I can be, and I know I can do anything I set my mind to 鈥� except cook egusi sha. 

I鈥檝e worked with women who鈥檝e achieved a lot 鈥� women like the one whose house I鈥檓 coming from. I see women rent, build and buy houses in expensive areas of Lagos, and I know I want to do the same. The one that pains me sha, is when they say my work ethic inspires them. I dey inspire you, but na you dey build house for Lekki. Please.

By the time I get home around 8 p.m., my boyfriend has prepared dinner 鈥� rice and stew. But it鈥檚 not enough. It鈥檚 been a long week, my body is paining me and the weather is cold. I want a massage and plenty cuddling.

If you liked this story, also read: I鈥檓 the Only Woman at My Job 鈥� A Week in the Life of An Oil and Gas Engineer at Sea

“A Week in the Life” is a weekly 91大神 series that explores the working-class struggles of Nigerians. It captures the very spirit of what it means to hustle in Nigeria and puts you in the shoes of the subject for a week.听

What鈥檚 it like to be a receptionist in Lagos? It involves a lot of patience. In this week鈥檚 “A Week in the Life”, Ogechukwu Agwu, a receptionist who works at an FMCG company in Lagos, tells us about dealing with snobbish callers, reporting co-workers who come late to work and why she鈥檚 grateful for her job.

MONDAY

I never use an alarm because my body just knows I need to get up and chase capitalism. Every morning, I wake up at 5 a.m., and then, I join my family鈥檚 morning devotion for 15 minutes.听

For the next 45 minutes, I prepare lunch for my family, have my bath and dress up. By 6 a.m, I鈥檓 ready for work, but I don鈥檛 leave the house until 6:30 for security reasons and because of my eyesight, as I have myopia.

I must be early to work because, as a receptionist at a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company at Abule Oshun, Lagos, I鈥檓 the face of the office and the first person anyone meets when they step into the building.

I arrive at 7:45, and when I step into the office, I wash my hands and feet from the dust of public transport and bad roads. I also wash my face and hair, top up my moisturiser and sunscreen, and mentally prepare myself for the day.听

On Mondays, the sales teams and company affiliates come in for several back-to-back meetings, so there are always so many people around. As I brace myself and mentally prepare to attend to many people today, a salesman opens the door, comes in and says hello. I look at my watch and see it鈥檚 ten minutes to eight. His arrival is my cue that the first day of a long week has started.

TUESDAY

Apart from the very many salespeople, the rest of the week follows the same pattern: take calls, meet people, take records and help them reach solutions. If a driver comes in and needs to deliver a package, I鈥檓 the person they turn to. If an order for a shipment comes through and the driver needs to pick up their products, it鈥檚 me they鈥檒l meet.听

This also means I have to deal with all kinds of people, both well-mannered ones and the ones with attitude. The 鈥�do you know who I am鈥� energy around here is insane. Someone can come in and want to walk straight into the offices, and I鈥檓 like, 鈥淗i. Good morning. Who are you here to see?鈥� and they鈥檙e looking at me like, who is this crap?

Such is the life of a receptionist.

WEDNESDAY

On a normal day, do I like meeting or talking to people? No. But I like this job. This is one of the best companies I鈥檝e ever worked at, where what they promised in my job description is what I鈥檓 doing 鈥� not much extra work. And even the extra work sef, it鈥檚 beg they鈥檒l be begging. So when I鈥檓 at work, I give 100% and feel fulfilled.

Some days, I just come to work, sit down and go home. But there are days when I have to be on my feet, running around and trying to sort out issues here and there. A big part of my work is attending to the drivers moving products, and they give me serious headache. 

Like a driver today, he came to carry 100 cartons of products, but the vehicle he came with couldn鈥檛 possibly contain everything. Man just came to sign. I looked through my window and asked him, 鈥淲ait o. Is that your vehicle?鈥� In cases like this, the warehouse may have documented for him to carry 200 cartons first and come back for the remaining 300. But these drivers won鈥檛 inform me. So when it鈥檚 time to balance the books, my own documents won鈥檛 correlate with the warehouse people鈥檚.

I spent the rest of today fighting fires 鈥� calling people up to balance out documents, a driver鈥檚 diesel finished and needed money, another person needed money to replace truck tires.听

By the time I got home, it was almost 8 p.m. I was so tired, I didn鈥檛 even do my full skincare routine. I just took my micellar water, cleaned my face, had my bath and closed my eyes to sleep.听

THURSDAY  

What I dislike most about work isn鈥檛 work. It鈥檚 the process of getting to work. Even though I鈥檝e been working here for a year now, I鈥檝e still not gotten used to the daily commute. I鈥檓 not an early morning person, so it鈥檚 always a struggle. 

One time, I had to squat in a bus carrying pineapples and other farm produce because there was no danfo on the road. The bus didn鈥檛 have any seats, so I squatted all the way from Volks to Abule Oshun. By the time I got to the office, I was already tired.

One of my duties as a receptionist is to check the roster for arrival times of co-workers and mark lateness. In this company, lateness starts at 8:30 a.m. Anyone who comes in by 8:31 gets 鈧�500 deducted from their salary per late day at the end of the month. Anyone who arrives after 9 a.m is minus 鈧�1k, 10 a.m is minus 鈧�2k, and so on. At the end of the month, I draft an Excel sheet to report defaulters. 

When I joined the company last year, the lateness deadline used to be 9 a.m, possibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but human beings know how to misuse grace. People started coming by 10, 11, so my boss pushed the deadline back to 8:30 a.m. and imposed the fines. People sat up immediately. But it pained me because now, I have to rush to the office before eight o鈥檆lock every morning, especially as I鈥檓 the first point of call in the company. 

I鈥檝e only ever come late to work once 鈥� around to nine 鈥� and of course, they reduced my money by 鈧�500. I couldn鈥檛 even disguise because, as I entered the office late, I jammed HR. But no wahala sha. Never again.

FRIDAY

It鈥檚 TGIF today, but not for me because my Saturdays are to chill. I also have time for my side business .听

When I left my office today at 4:30, it hit me that for once in a very long time, I鈥檓 actually enjoying my day job. Because me, I鈥檝e seen shege. 

In my previous job, I was both receptionist and cashier at a lab on the island, where I worked six days a week. I was also an errand girl they sent to the bank. It was a horrible place to work, and I barely had personal or family time. But I now have time to do things like chill with family and attend choir rehearsals and still run a side-hustle without stress.

As I board the danfo, I know I鈥檒l get home before 7 p.m despite the rush hour traffic, and cook dinner for my family.

If you loved this receptionist’s story, you may enjoy: A Week in the Life of an NCDC Call Centre Agent