What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

I was in junior secondary school when I realised money could get me things I actually wanted. My parents didn鈥檛 give us money to school since we brought food with us. When I was JSS 2 or JSS 3, after a streak where I consistently came out first or second in class, my dad asked what I wanted as a reward. I told him I wanted a Mongoose bicycle. He bought it.

The bicycle cost 鈧�50k or 鈧�60k, which felt like such a huge amount of money to me. The experience made me realise that money was a thing that could give someone access to many other things.

What was the financial situation like at home growing up?

My dad was a petroleum engineer at an oil and gas company, and my mum ran our family business, supplying agricultural tools and industrial cleaning equipment to ports and factories. I鈥檇 say we were middle-class. We lived in an estate and were comfortable. 

However, things weren鈥檛 always steady financially. In 2015, when I was in JSS 3, my dad was laid off from work during a corporate reshuffling. Right before that happened, my parents had lost money to an importer who scammed them on a supply deal.

It was a tough period. My dad became very quiet and kept to himself. The weekend shopping trips to the mall stopped, and we cut back on things like cornflakes and branded chocolates. Thankfully, we didn’t have to change schools, but it shook us up a bit.

Was this the first time you did something to earn money?

Somewhat. During the long holiday right after JSS 3, I was often at the family business, helping my mum out at her office.

One Saturday, a customer came in while my mum was away, and I managed to sell them some tools. When my mum returned, I handed over the money, and she gave me about 鈧�10k from the proceeds.

What did you do with the money?

I took my younger brother to a game house, we played PS4 games, and I spent the rest on sweets and snacks. I didn’t save a single kobo.

When did you start earning money consistently?

That was in uni. My first stint was in my first year in 2021. My lecturer assigned us Python and C++ projects, but many of my classmates struggled with them. I鈥檇 already learned programming languages from the STEM club in secondary school, so I had no issues. 

I offered to help, charging 鈧�3k per student. It was a weekend assignment, and I did it for five classmates, making 鈧�15k total. That was just a one-off service, though. I didn鈥檛 need to make it a thing. I regularly got between 鈧�30k and 鈧�40k in pocket money each month and always got food and provisions from home. My allowance was mostly for miscellaneous expenses like assignment printouts.

Then, in 2023, during my second year, I started working remotely for a French agency. They handled research projects for master’s and PhD students. Whenever they got clients whose research work required data science projects or machine learning models, I would build them while my colleague handled the research writing.

How much did that pay?

Payment wasn’t fixed; it depended on the client鈥檚 budget and my negotiation. On average, I made between 鈧�30k and 鈧�100k per project. I worked there for a year and handled about five projects in that time.

In late 2024, during my final year, someone in a WhatsApp group chat posted an opening for a Junior AI Engineer at a US startup. I applied and got the role. The salary was 鈧�250k/month.

Juggling the job and final year was extremely stressful. I would be in lectures, and Slack notifications would pop up about pending tasks or a broken feature in a production environment. Thankfully, my project supervisor was understanding about my schedule, and my academic performance stayed solid.

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How long did you stay in that role?

Six months. I left in April 2025 after a Twitter contact introduced me to a healthcare startup that needed AI engineers. They offered better pay and flexibility structured around two-week .

Depending on my performance per sprint, I earned between 鈧�300k and 鈧�600k per month. I left the job after three months because of office politics. The environment was taking a toll on me and making me doubt my potential. I didn’t even have a backup plan; I just quit to protect my mental health. I was done with uni at this point, but still sorting out my clearance.

What was your next move?

In August 2025, I got hired as an AI Engineer by an Indian company. The pay was pegged to Indian Rupees, converting to roughly 鈧�300k to 鈧�400k monthly.

However, this company also fumbled. There were talks of management mismanaging funds. We worked through the Christmas and New Year holidays, but salary payments stopped in December. I walked away in February 2026 when I got tired of the excuses and heard that some Indian employees had been waiting six months for their salaries. They still haven鈥檛 paid me.

Sigh. What have you been doing since February?

Freelancing. I get most of my clients from Twitter or via referrals. 

How has that been?

Honestly, it鈥檚 a struggle. With freelancing, there are days of joy and days when you get zero gigs and are just managing your life.

In a month, I can make between 鈧�200k and 鈧�300k. Sometimes, in a good month, it can stretch to around 鈧�350k. There are also months when I make zero naira.

How do you cope during the dry spells?

My mum is my safety net. I still live near my university campus, and my mum pays my annual rent of 鈧�250k and regularly sends me food. If I ever go broke or run into financial trouble, she steps in and helps me with cash.

For instance, I got into crypto futures trading early this year. I was considering different ways to make money, and everyone was talking about trading, so me too, I put my hand. I didn鈥檛 do any official training. I was just trading based on what I knew and learned online.

I had some wins, but instead of enjoying them, I greedily put the gains back into trading, trying to win more. Eventually, it鈥檇 go bust, and I鈥檇 lose money. At my worst, I lost between $300 and $500.

I was in that cycle for a few months before I eventually quit. The losses were becoming crazy, and the risk of wiping out your entire wallet on a margin call is too high. I don’t plan to trade again in this life. If I’m serious about money, I’d rather buy stocks and keep them. I鈥檝e been researching the stock market and recently started investing, and it鈥檚 going much better. 

At least if you make losses in the stock market, they’re just paper losses. You鈥檝e not actually lost that money until you decide to sell the stocks. You can even decide to buy the dip and wait for the stocks to improve. But in trading, there’s nothing like paper loss. Once the loss starts happening, you either exit the trade. If you don鈥檛 get out in time, it’s going to hit your margin call. So whatever balance was in your trading wallet might also be wiped out due to the margin call.

Right. How would you describe your relationship with money?

I鈥檓 an impulse spender. If I want something and I have the money, I buy it. If it鈥檚 slightly above my budget, I鈥檓 the type of person who could take a loan to buy it because I know I have my mum鈥檚 support to cover my bills.

Though, as I said, I鈥檓 becoming more interested in stocks these days because I want to be intentional about growing the money I have. I started with the random 鈧�5k here and there in 2025, but after the crypto experience, I鈥檝e become more serious with it. Now, I have about 鈧�500k in two Nigerian stocks and close to 鈧�1m in mutual funds.

I notice you didn鈥檛 mention savings

Yeah. I have nothing in savings. Once money enters my hand, I send about 50% to my mutual funds or stocks account and spend the rest. I don鈥檛 have much financial responsibility right now, so I don鈥檛 see a need to save. Maybe when I鈥檓 in my 30s and have a family, the pressure will increase, and my attitude to savings will change. But I鈥檓 still 23. Let me enjoy my 20s first.

What do your monthly running expenses look like currently?

After removing the 50% to investments:

What do the next few years look like for you? Is the plan to keep freelancing?

I hope to get back into 9-to-5, but there鈥檚 no strict timeline for now. If it comes, great. I鈥檓 just going with the flow right now.

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

If it鈥檚 a 9-to-5, an ideal monthly income would be between 鈧�500k and 鈧�1.5m.

What鈥檚 something you want right now but can鈥檛 afford?

To leave Nigeria. As an AI engineer, if I move to a developed country, I know my earning potential will skyrocket, and I won’t have to deal with police harassment. But the process is too expensive. Everyone should just get their PVC and vote for better governance.

How about the last thing you bought that made you happy?

An M4 MacBook Air I bought in December 2025. A vendor friend discounted it for me at 鈧�1.5 million, down from the retail price of 鈧�1.8 million to 鈧�2 million. I funded it entirely from my freelancing income.

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

5. I miss having a predictable fixed income. With a 9-to-5, you can plan your life around a fixed monthly income. Freelancing sometimes feels like living on borrowed time, because you can get a gig today and get nothing the next month. At least, I have my mum, and she rescues me sometimes.

Also, I feel like my stock investment is promising. I don’t have a fixed timeline, but my goal is to hit my first $10k. It鈥檚 possible. People have up to $100k and even more. Once I hit that first $10k, things will only get better.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

I remember my parents giving my siblings and me 鈧�20 daily in primary school. It wasn’t big money, but it was the standard among my classmates. We used it to buy sweets and biscuits. 

I also remember we celebrated special milestones, like birthdays or passing exams, by cooking chicken at home. It wasn鈥檛 like we only ate chicken on special days; it was just the sign that something good had happened, or that my dad was in the mood to treat us. 

What was the financial situation at home?

My dad was a businessman, and my mum was a teacher. Their incomes afforded us good schools and nice clothes. I vividly remember my mum travelling from Abuja to Lagos just to buy our Christmas clothes, so we weren鈥檛 poor.

We weren鈥檛 rich, either. We had periods of lack and experienced the usual landlord kicking us out of the house for late rent and all that. My siblings and I were also driven home from school a few times due to unpaid fees or a lack of textbooks.

However, even when we had money problems, my parents maintained a high standard. When we were sent home for school fees, they locked us indoors so the neighbours wouldn’t know. They also strictly forbade us from speaking pidgin English. People in our neighbourhood assumed we were wealthy but had hit a rough patch. My parents were just trying their best to raise us.

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

JSS 2 or JSS 3. During one holiday, my siblings and I organised lessons for younger children in the neighbourhood. At first, we did it for fun to pass the time, but the class grew to about 20 children. They paid 鈧�20 or 鈧�50 each, and we pooled the money to buy biscuits and other minor things.

We also sold homemade 鈥渧im鈥� around the same time. We ground eggshells and mixed them with ash and detergent. Then we sieved the mixture and sold it as scouring powder to scrub cooking pots. It actually sold quite well, considering we did it for fun. We dropped it after two months. I don’t even remember how we spent the money we made.

The next time I tried something for money was during my diploma, just before university. I don鈥檛 know if it counts because it was so short-lived.

Tell me about it

It was 2016, and my sister and I were running a diploma programme to get us into uni via direct entry. We lived together away from home and didn’t have a structured monthly allowance. My parents just stocked us up with foodstuff and provisions. We called home if we needed money.

However, there was one period when we were incredibly broke and hungry. Out of desperation, I took a job at a local restaurant. The pay was 鈧�5k/month, but my main motivation was the free food. I served food, cleared tables, and washed plates, and in addition to the salary, my employer gave workers breakfast and dinner.聽

I didn鈥檛 last more than a week there, though. It was so stressful, and it only took me a few days to realise I couldn’t survive that life. So, I gave them a random excuse and stopped going. I didn鈥檛 lose anything because I just wanted to eat, and I did.

After that incident, I finished my diploma and moved on to uni. I didn鈥檛 need to do anything for money until I graduated in 2022 because I was getting pocket money.

What did you do next?

I got a job as a special needs teacher. The salary was technically 鈧�20k/month, but the school remitted only 鈧�18k to me. They held the remaining 鈧�2k to save and return it as a lump sum whenever I resigned. I think it was like a pension arrangement. 

A few months in, I approached the school director and asked for a raise. The woman was quite nice. She agreed, and my take-home pay increased to 鈧�25k/month. I worked there for eight months and eventually quit when I got tired. I didn鈥檛 like the way the teachers struggled to survive. 

They were trapped in a cycle of collecting salary, spending it all to clear debts, and borrowing again until the next payday. Some teachers would be in school by 7 a.m., work till 3 p.m. and still do private tutoring for extra money until 7 p.m. I knew I didn’t want that life.

Did you secure another job before you quit, though?

Somewhat, but it wasn鈥檛 exactly a job. Just before I left the school, I got an opportunity with the National Population Commission (NPC) for the proposed 2022 national census. I trained as a Specialised Workforce (SWF) facilitator. If the census had held, my job would have been to train the enumerators.

The facilitator’s training lasted two weeks, and they paid me 鈧�171k. Then we started hearing stories of embezzlement and corruption, and the operation was suspended. Later, we heard the census was back on, and we did a three-day refresher training. I made 鈧�46k from that. However, things scattered again and the census eventually didn鈥檛 hold. Some facilitators have actually not been paid to this day. Fortunately, I got mine.

When it didn鈥檛 work out, I decided to go for NYSC. This was in 2023. My Place of Primary Assignment (PPA) was at a government parastatal, where I mostly did admin work.

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What was your income like during the service year?

The parastatal didn鈥檛 pay corp members, but luckily, I was posted to the office of a lawmaker representing my home constituency. He graciously decided to pay the corp members a 鈧�30k stipend on top of the 鈧�33k NYSC allawee.

In May 2024, one month before rounding up my service year, I started a business selling wristwatches. The business really pushed me out of my comfort zone because I鈥檓 naturally shy, but I had to pack my watches in my bag and knock on random office doors to sell. 

My efforts paid off, though. The profit margin on each sale was high. I could buy one piece for about 鈧�10k and resell it for 鈧�22k or 鈧�25k. I just had to make sure the watches were non-tarnishable so I could build trust and get returning customers.

In slow months, I made 鈧�50k to 鈧�80k, but in peak months, I cleared 鈧�100k to 鈧�150k in profit. 

What happened after you completed your service year?

I continued the business since I was still at the office. They鈥檇 asked if I was willing to stay on and work full-time, and I excitedly agreed. I even told my mum that our prayers had finally been answered and that my life was changing for the better.

I assumed that, since it was a government agency, I would make good money. However, at the end of the month, they paid me the same 鈧�30k stipend I was getting as a corp member. 

I questioned it, arguing that as a full-time employee, I deserved a proper salary. After dragging out the issue for two months, they added a mere 鈧�10k, bringing it to 鈧�40k/month under the title of “Office Assistant.” 

I did everything from managing the website and compiling lists of over 1,000 names for empowerment programmes to working as the office errand girl and dishwasher whenever guests came to eat. I tolerated it until late 2025 because I had no other options, all while applying for jobs everywhere. I was also still selling my wristwatches. 

My breaking point came when a position opened up within the office, and instead of giving it to me despite my experience, they nominated a new guy. When I found out and challenged them, they said he was 鈥渁 man and had more bills to pay.” 

The heck?

See. The blatant misogyny was so annoying. Unknown to them, I had been quietly training on the side for a remote debt-collection and customer-support gig. 

The agency was recruiting people to work for a US-based brand, so the idea was that after the training, I鈥檇 get the job. So, when that issue at the government agency happened, I stopped going to the office.

The remote gig was temporary, though. I did the onboarding and worked for one week, earning 鈧�75k. Unfortunately, the company suddenly decided to lay off their Nigerian contractors, so I was let go.

While that was happening, the government agency realised they couldn’t handle the workload without me. They begged me to return, saying they鈥檇 removed the guy鈥檚 name from the nomination list and put mine instead. They also claimed the job would click within a few months and that my pay would increase. 

I agreed to return, but on my own terms: I only went in twice a week. Half the time, I only went to the complex to move around and sell my wristwatches because it was the business that kept me afloat.

Did the government job eventually click?

It didn鈥檛. I left in January 2026 when I got another job as a personal assistant/secretary to a consultant. My new salary was 鈧�150k/month.

At this point, my wristwatch business had slowed down due to a lack of customers. Sadly, the new job turned out to be another misrepresentation. I was promised a project management path with opportunities for interstate travel. Instead, it turned out to just be me running personal errands for my boss all day. I wasn鈥檛 satisfied with that. That鈥檚 not what I came to this life to do.

Even worse, the salary payment structure was highly inconsistent. One month, it would come on the 2nd; the next month, on the 11th. I had even spent 鈧�50k upgrading my laptop’s hard drive from an HDD to an SSD in January because she claimed I would handle some projects remotely, but I never ended up using the laptop for anything meaningful.

Sigh

Between April and May, I requested a formal review of my job description so we could align on my actual professional duties. My boss took it as a personal insult and told the mutual connection who introduced us that I was being disrespectful and that she was going to fire me.

She then went on an unannounced international trip for over a month. I kept showing up to an empty office, reading on my laptop, and sending daily “activity reports” on absolute nothingness just to fulfil righteousness. Before travelling, she intentionally told our mutual contact that she would pay my May salary early so I would “spend it and waste it” before my birthday in June, after which she’d fire me.

She returned, paid my June salary on July 2nd, and officially fired me on the 10th.

That鈥檚 terrible. How are you handling the sudden loss of income?

Honestly? I felt relieved. The environment was draining, and I wasn’t growing. I was already exhausted and deeply unhappy with that phase because it wasn’t what I had imagined for myself. The only small positive was the money.

To keep myself from slipping into a depression or wallowing in anger, I woke up early the following Monday, dressed up sharply, and went straight to a friend鈥檚 office at the government agency. I tweaked my CV and have been actively submitting it to different offices and places ever since.

Do you have savings to fall back on?

I don鈥檛 have any savings. Between the high cost of transportation, black tax and data, it was impossible to keep anything aside. In fact, the very month I received my first 鈧�150k salary, my phone spoiled. I had to get a new phone through a Buy Now, Pay Later platform. For the next four months, I was paying about 鈧�50k/month to complete the payment. That money was supposed to go into my savings, but it went into the phone instead.

Before that, on the 鈧�40k salary, saving was completely out of the question. Even with the wristwatch business, there was no real structure. I spent the money as it came. If someone bought a watch, I鈥檇 immediately use the cash to cover my transport to my main job. 

I鈥檒l admit that I鈥檓 not a big saver. When I really need to keep money away from myself, I have to give it to someone else to hold for me. I used to have a savings app on my phone, but I would always end up going back into the app to withdraw the money. The inconsistency of my income and the sheer cost of things made it hard. Even if you don鈥檛 buy big things like clothes, shoes, or hair, you become an adult, and people start looking up to you. Siblings or family members can just ask for 鈧�3k or 鈧�5k, and as an adult, you have to turn up for them.

Can you break down what your expenses used to look like?

I live in Abuja, and transportation is a major cost. There are frequent price hikes. Sometimes I had to borrow money from my mum to cover expenses before salary day.

Pending when you get another job, what鈥檚 the plan for day-to-day survival?

My family is very supportive. I live with my family, so I don’t have to worry about rent or food. It鈥檚 just adult things like going out with friends that I can鈥檛 afford right now. I鈥檝e even had to ghost most of my friends to avoid the pressure of spending money I don’t have. 

I believe this unemployment is just a phase, though. I鈥檒l keep searching and hoping for the best. I鈥檒l be alright.

Fingers crossed. What would be the ideal monthly income you鈥檇 expect from a new job?

鈧�300k – 鈧�400k

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

Many things, but mostly the independence of not having to worry about money. I just want to have money for its own sake. I have people who have helped me that I want to be there for, like my mum, but I can鈥檛 afford to do anything for them. It鈥檚 a concern for me.

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

4 or 5, even though I really feel like it鈥檚 a zero. At least, I have a roof over my head. But there are many things I can鈥檛 do because I don鈥檛 have money.

When things finally fall into place, that number should go up to 9 or 10, especially when I am able to make my mum proud and improve the lives of the people around me. For now, I鈥檓 continuously applying for jobs and hoping for better days.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

When I was in primary school, my dad unexpectedly pulled me out of public school and enrolled me in a private one. It may have been because he got a new job at a company with a staff school. Also, I think he saw my academic potential. I have five siblings, but I was the only one who switched to private school. Even as a child, I could tell that the school fees were extremely high compared to his salary.

The switch was the first time I realised that some people have significantly more money than others. Suddenly, I was surrounded by rich men鈥檚 children. Their parents drove them to school, and their pocket money was on a completely different level.

What was the financial situation at home?

My dad was a driver, and my mum was a serial entrepreneur who sold everything from pure water and ice blocks to zobo and food. I remember her enterprises sometimes led to small fights because she鈥檇 return home late, and my dad didn鈥檛 like it. He wanted her to be a housewife, but she insisted on having her own money. She hated the idea of a woman having to wait for her husband 鈥渏ust to buy matches.鈥�

We never lacked the basics. My dad was incredibly determined to provide. He was the type to buy a TV at home because I was constantly going to a neighbour鈥檚 house to watch TV. One time, I admired a neighbour’s toy gun, and he bought me a new one days later. I never had to focus on what we had or didn鈥檛 have because my parents provided for us.

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

I was around eight or nine when I started hawking pure water for my mum during weekends and long holidays. I didn鈥檛 have to do it; it just felt like a fun way to make money. 

At the time, my mum sold pure water to people who hawked, so she was like our wholesaler. She would give me a bag of water, then, after selling out, I鈥檇 return the cost price to her and keep 100% of the profit.

I did this on and off until I got to primary five. The “big boy” in me awoke, and I became highly socially conscious. Remember, I was attending a private school with wealthy classmates, and I didn’t want to be known as the street hawker. So, I stopped completely and didn鈥檛 try anything for money again till I got into university in 2012.

Tell me about that

In uni, I started making money from writing. I’ve been writing since I was in primary school. You know, scribbling stories here and there. Then, when I got into the 100 level, I noticed that content was gaining traction in Nigeria, and people were getting on it. 

So, I began applying for random writing gigs, website management, and blogging opportunities. I did much of it for free because I enjoyed it, until people noticed my skill and started randomly paying me. That鈥檚 when I realised there was money in this thing and began to take it seriously.

My first paid gig was managing an entertainment gossip blog. I had to rewrite and post 7 to 10 news stories a day while juggling classes.

How much were you making?

They paid me 鈧�30k a month. After a few months, it went up to 鈧�50k, and eventually capped at 鈧�70k. I wasn鈥檛 writing for just one blog, though. I was constantly applying online and also often got clients via referrals. In a good month, I was easily clearing 鈧�120k – 鈧�200k.

That seems like a decent amount of money for a student in 2012

It was insane. My tuition fee was only 鈧�15k at the time. I lived an incredibly soft life. My dad still insisted on sending me 鈧�1500 every week because he wanted to proudly say he fully trained his child through school without me claiming I had to fend for myself. I took it, but 鈧�1500 barely lasted two days, so my writing entirely funded my lifestyle.

I was so comfortable that I practically took care of two of my friends who were struggling to feed themselves. One of them was my roommate, so I bought all the provisions and foodstuff, and they handled the cooking. For my other friend, I was always buying them food, taking them out, and letting them pick whatever they wanted. 

I was also very big on gadgets in school, changing my phone and laptop every three to six months. So yeah, it鈥檚 safe to say I lived a soft life in school.

Inject it. What about after graduation?

I finished in 2016 and went for NYSC in 2017. Right before leaving for camp, I landed an international client who paid a lump-sum amount of 鈧�1 million for a content development project. That was my very first million.

After the initial lump sum, the contract transitioned into a monthly retainer of around $100 (which fluctuated between 鈧�30k and 鈧�45k after conversion). Alongside that, I had two other local writing gigs paying 鈧�70k and 鈧�60k every month. In total, I was making close to 鈧�200k/month during my service year.

My Place of Primary Assignment was a village school. I never had to touch my 鈧�19,800 NYSC allawee; I saved the whole thing. I even left my NYSC ATM card at home and only saw the credit alerts. I would buy food in bulk, and fellow corps members would come to my house to eat. The school kids often gave foodstuff to other corps members, but they hardly gave me any because, according to them, 鈥淯ncle, you don鈥檛 need it na. You鈥檙e a rich man.鈥� 

I鈥檓 screaming. What did you do with all that saved allawee, though?

I used it to get an apartment because I didn鈥檛 want to return to my parents鈥� place. My dad had rented out one of the rooms in our small room-and-parlour apartment to stay afloat. He鈥檇 done that since I was in secondary school, and the whole family had been squeezed into a single room for years. Whenever I returned home from school, I had to sleep on a student mattress laid on the floor at the foot of my parents’ bed. I didn鈥檛 like the experience at all. 

In 2019, a few months after passing out from NYSC, I gathered my savings of about 鈧�230k, added some money, and rented a mini-flat. The total package was 鈧�575k (including a year’s rent of 鈧�300k plus an extra three months’ upfront payment).

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

Were you still strictly freelancing at this point?

In the same year, I landed a full-time role at a news media company, earning about 鈧�83k/month. After the first year, my salary jumped to around 鈧�183k.

The job forced me to reduce the number of writing gigs I took on since I dedicated most of my time to work. I still took on occasional gigs, though. Then, in 2020, I got an opportunity to work with an international brand as a customer relations and communications person. This job became an additional hustle alongside my 9-to-5, and it paid in Euros based on the number of customers I attended to each month, with a minimum payout of 鈧�100. I didn’t even convert the money initially. I just let it pile up in my domiciliary account and lived entirely on my 9-to-5 salary.

In 2021, I left the media company to join a fintech company as content lead. 

What was the pay like?

Around 鈧�310k/month after deductions. The pay was good, but the work culture was toxic. It got so bad that in 2023, I took a pay cut just to escape. I moved to another company as an account manager, making 鈧�250k/month.

Was the new job better?

It was worse. I lasted only four months there. I still had the Euro-paying gig, and I told myself, 鈥淚鈥檓 making significantly more money from this gig than from toxic 9-to-5 jobs that require me to wake up early and jump buses.鈥� If I put in more time at the gig, I could make more in the comfort of my own home. So, I quit and decided to face freelancing.

Also, to celebrate surviving that corporate madness, I decided to reward myself. Remember the Euro income I hadn’t touched for years? I had about 鈧�3,000 in my domiciliary account. I emptied it and bought a car for 鈧�3.8 million. After the purchase, I was left with 鈧�300k to my name.

Wasn’t that a scary move? Going fully freelance often means an unstable income

I鈥檝e always been a risk-taker when it comes to money. Also, I had this huge confidence in my professional network. I knew that if freelance work ever dried up, it would take only one or two phone calls to secure another job. Fortunately, I haven鈥檛 had to. 

I still earn from the Euro gig to this day, and my income has only increased. I also have another steady freelance income, plus other small gigs that come in from time to time.

Can you break that down?

So, I have two main sources. The first is the Euro gig. The volume fluctuates, but it brings in between 鈧�2,000 and 鈧�2,500 per month. However, the workload became too much for me to handle, so I鈥檝e been building a team over the last two years. I now have about seven freelancers working under me on a graduated scale. After paying them their shares (about 50% to 60% of what we make that month), I net roughly 鈧�1.6 million.

The second source of income is from my old client, who paid me my first million. We reconnected last year for a short three to six-month project, but it became permanent. I handle their communications, PR, and content strategy. It started at $800/month, but we renegotiated to $400/month (about 鈧�570k) since it鈥檚 long-term and continuous.

That鈥檚 over 鈧�2 million monthly

More or less. Some months can be a bit more since my main income isn鈥檛 fixed. I also get random gigs from time to time, which bring in extra income.

Also, you鈥檒l notice that I鈥檓 now converting my income to naira. Now that I鈥檓 wiser, I realise how careless I was with money in the past. The 鈧�3,000 I used to buy my car had just sat in my account for two years, sitting idle and yielding nothing. Looking back, that was a big financial mistake. The money could have been turned into more if I knew what I know now. 

I鈥檝e worked on my financial literacy over the years, and I鈥檓 quite financially conscious now. I make sure that every single dollar or kobo that hits my account is funnelled into investments and assets that generate passive income. My money has to be working for me.

What does this look like in a typical month?

I try to be as frugal with money as possible. 50% – 60% of my income goes to my savings and investments, then I figure out the rest. My relationship with money is highly mature and healthy. I鈥檓 the guy my friends come to when they need financial or investment advice. I don鈥檛 live as large as I can actually live, but I still live a very okay life. 

I鈥檓 curious about this 鈧�850k mortgage. How does it work?

At the end of last year, I signed a contract with a property development company for a house that requires a structured two-year payment plan ending in December 2027. Once I finish paying, I own it completely.

The payment plan is flexible because you don鈥檛 need to pay every month. As long as you pay everything before the scheduled end date, you鈥檙e good. So, instead of hand-delivering 鈧�850k to them every month, my financial strategy is to keep the money in a conservative mutual fund. 

It accrues interest and generates passive income for me each month. Right before the final payment deadline next year, I will liquidate it and pay them off in one single lump sum. I don鈥檛 even know if I鈥檒l move into the house yet; I just wanted the asset.

Interesting. What does the rest of your investment portfolio look like?

It鈥檚 pretty broad. To break it down:

I also heavily invested in agriculture and land banking between 2025 and early 2026. I bought three separate one-acre plots of land managed by different agricultural companies: a palm oil plantation (cost me 鈧�4 million), a cassava farm (鈧�3 million), and a plantain farm (鈧�3.5 million). 

The cassava and plantain will yield produce by next harvest season, while the palm oil is a long-term play that won’t earn until five years from now. I also bought a 鈧�12 million plot of land in Ogun State, where I plan to build, and a 鈧�3 million plot in Ibadan strictly for land banking. I bought both in 2024.

What is the ultimate goal for all these assets?

I want to build generational wealth. There wasn鈥檛 exactly anything wrong with my childhood, but I always wanted more. Coming from a poor background and being around rich kids all day highlighted the fact that, as much as I had the basics, there were also a lot of things that I didn鈥檛 have. I don’t want anybody coming after me to feel that way.

Also, I want to have enough passive income so I don鈥檛 have to work in retirement. I would love to retire between the ages of 45 and 50. By then, I hope to have a portfolio worth millions of dollars.

Have you considered what you need to do to get there?

I don鈥檛 want to worry too much about that. Maybe it鈥檚 because I鈥檝e freelanced for so long, but my approach to life recently has been just winging it.

I’ve realised that worrying so much about how you want to get things done isn’t really necessary. What scares me the most is how you know you can keep hustling in life, and in the blink of an eye, everything is gone. One could fall sick, die, or anything could happen. Life is fragile. 

So while I have big targets, I鈥檓 mostly winging it day by day. I don鈥檛 stress over career milestones or the 鈥渘ext big thing鈥� anymore. I focus heavily on the present. Even the generational wealth I鈥檓 chasing is not for me. I just want to lay the foundation for those who come after me.

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

A second passport. We all know how terrible Nigeria鈥檚 passport has gotten. I want to be able to travel and see the world freely without worrying about access and budgets or anything really.

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

鈧�10 million. I mean, my gross income sometimes gets around there, but then I have to pay my team鈥檚 salaries. There鈥檚 so much I鈥檇 be able to do if I can steadily net 鈧�10 million monthly.

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

5. I feel like there鈥檚 so much more I should be doing. I made a lot of terrible financial decisions when I was younger. If I had started my investment journey much earlier, I would be way ahead of where I am today.

Out of curiosity, do you see yourself freelancing for much longer?

Freelancing has been incredibly good to me, and unlike many others, I have never experienced a dry spell. But I know it won’t be sustainable forever, and I think it鈥檚 part of the reason why I鈥檓 saving up and investing the way I am. 

I don鈥檛 see myself freelancing forever, but I want to build a portfolio that can sustain me forever without having to actively work. I鈥檓 certain I never want to return to the 9-to-5 life, though. Waking up daily to grind at an office desk feels like a meaningless way to exist. We鈥檙e born to do much more than just go to the office every day and toil away.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What is your earliest memory of money?

When I was about five or six years old, my parents had just separated, and I was living with my mother. 

I remember her coming home with crisp stacks of 鈧�200 notes. It was a big deal because the 鈧�200 denomination had just been released. That was my very first memory of money, but the most impactful one happened when I was 9.

My mum randomly announced that my sister and I had to start taking public transport to and from school. Before then, we took the school bus or went with friends. My mum explained that, since she only had one car, she had to drive to work and simply couldn’t afford a driver or the school bus.

My mum was raising three kids by herself, but up until then, I never felt we were lacking anything. It was the first time I realised that you need money in life.

Do you remember what life was like before your parents separated?

They separated when I was five years old, so I don鈥檛 remember much, but I know we had a few more things. 

I have pictures of my summer vacations abroad, and I imagine we lived better, but I really didn鈥檛 feel much of a difference. My dad was a businessman and had more money than my mum, who was a civil servant. 

My mum was incredible, though. She sheltered us and made sure we never suffered.  We wore great clothes, had toys, and packed lunches for school. When she travelled for work, she would take catalogues from different stores and ask us to circle the things we wanted. Then she鈥檇 buy them. I don鈥檛 know how she managed to provide for us, but she did. 

Things changed again when I was 10.

What happened?

My siblings and I went to live with my dad. I didn鈥檛 know why at the time, but apparently, he argued that he would give us a better education. My mum was facing civil service housing restructuring and couldn鈥檛 get subsidised housing, so she agreed. One holiday, we went to visit him, and we just never moved back.

Financially, it was a massive upward shift. We moved from a semi-government missionary school to an elite private school in Lagos with an American curriculum. My peers were the children of governors, politicians, and captains of industry. They were definitely more 鈥渁jebutter鈥� than I was. 

My dad was rich, but he ensured we did our chores and ran errands. Many of my classmates didn’t even know how to take an okada or go to the market to blend pepper. The exposure I got from living with my dad, coupled with noticing how sheltered my classmates were, led me to the first thing I did for money in secondary school.

Tell me about it

My friend and I bought packs of gum and sweets to resell in school. In the market, a piece could cost 鈧�5, and we鈥檇 sell it for 鈧�20 or 鈧�30. The profit margins were insane. My classmates had no idea since they didn鈥檛 even know the actual price. 

Interestingly, I didn’t need the money. I got a weekly allowance plus school lunch, so my friend and I spent the extra cash on stuff like lip gloss, CDs and imported snacks. We did this 鈥渂usiness鈥� on and off throughout secondary school. It was lowkey, though; the school frowned on it.

I graduated from secondary school in 2011 and moved to the Middle East for university.

What was life at uni like?

Some of my half-siblings were already in the country, so settling in wasn鈥檛 difficult. My dad paid my tuition, and my stepmum stocked us up on dry goods and groceries at the start of every semester. My monthly pocket money was about 鈧�40,000 (after conversion from the local currency), which was enough, since everything else was covered. 

However, though I didn’t need to work, I tried my hand at a wild number of hustles in uni. The first one was in my second year when I had a stint selling fabrics.

How did that happen?

We were planning a cultural show at the university, and the African students were looking for traditional textiles. I knew the big markets because I鈥檇 visited them once with my mum. So, I found a dealer who sold Ankara and lace, made bulk purchases, and resold them to other students at a markup.

Around the same time, I started mixing my own body butters and soaps. My skin looked great, people noticed, and I turned it into a small dorm-room business, making about $140 a month. I did that on and off in my second year.

Not bad

I didn鈥檛 stop there. I also got heavily into wigs and hair extensions. I watched YouTubers buy hair directly from China via AliExpress. I ordered some, coloured it and made a custom unit for myself. An Ethiopian girl on campus loved it and asked if I could do her sew-in weave. I had never done one in my life, but I knew how to sew. It took me six hours, but it came out beautifully.

Soon, I was charging around $30 per style for weaves and crochet hair. I also started selling high-quality human hair extensions. I would source the hair for $200 and sell it to them for $450 to $500. I did that throughout my time in uni, and even for some time after. 

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

It sounds like you were flush with cash

I was working multiple angles. In my final year, I dropped my course load to three classes per semester and picked up two on-campus jobs, earning an extra $330 per month. 

I even took an unpaid off-campus editorial role at an international magazine, trying to position myself for a corporate path after switching from a technical major to a social sciences major.

I went hard because I desperately wanted to ensure that when I graduated, I wouldn’t have to look to my parents for financial support. 

I get it. When did you graduate?

2016. I landed a graduate trainee role at an insurance company about a month after. My salary was equivalent to $1,200/month. I didn鈥檛 pay rent because I lived with my sister, so it was enough for transport, groceries, and going out. But I only stayed at the job for three months.

Why only three months?

There were four trainees: two guys and two girls. A male peer and I were the top performers. When it came time to offer full-time positions, management approached him first with a low offer, which he rejected to pursue his master’s degree.

A week later, they offered me the role at an even lower salary. I felt completely insulted and quit on the spot. It was a terrible financial decision in hindsight. I ended up without a stable, full-time job for nearly three years.

How did you survive those three years?

I entered the freelance trenches. I picked up photography skills from my campus job and started shooting weddings, portraits, and events. I charged about $200 per hour. Some months, I made $800 to $1,000. In one exceptional month, I made $8,000 because I shot gigs back-to-back. I also did some border-buying, shipping fabrics to a friend who ran a fashion line in the US. I did a lot of odd jobs, really.

In late 2017, my sister woke me up one morning and told me, “You have to start paying your half of the rent.” 

Our rent was about $1,000 a month. It was the tough love I needed. I pivoted to social media consulting for brands and restaurants to secure repeatable, monthly retainers. In early 2018, my sister and I launched a social media consultancy.

Did the agency stabilise things?

It was going well until clients started defaulting on payments. At one point, we were being owed about $11,000. Entrepreneurship is truly the ghetto. Then, in mid-2018, my dad passed away.

I鈥檓 so sorry for your loss

Thank you. I was grieving, exhausted, and emotionally drained. I was already in Nigeria when he passed, and I figured I could just stay here and live in his house rent-free. 

So, after the burial, I temporarily returned abroad to officially wrap up the agency with my sister, and then in August 2018, I moved back to Lagos.

What was the transition back to Lagos like?

It felt like a soft landing initially. My stepmum and family got me a car. They also wanted me to work at the family printing factory, but I refused. I was a creative marketing person; I couldn’t picture myself working in a factory.

Social media marketing was booming, so I went on Twitter, found an opening, went through a few interviews, and got a job by October. The salary was 鈧�150k/month.

I quickly realised that 鈧�150k in Lagos was hardly enough for anything. Before my car was fully sorted, I was spending 鈧�5,000 per trip on cab rides from the mainland to the island, which drained my finances.  Even without paying rent, my salary evaporated 鈥� a full tank of fuel was roughly 鈧�8,000 a week. 

I was still trying to shop on ASOS and go out for brunch with my international mindset, and I was actively dipping into the $5,000 savings I brought back from the Middle East. 

By December, I went to my family’s company and pitched a remote marketing strategy role to help them expand a product. They agreed and paid me an additional 鈧�150k. Now I was making 鈧�300k/month, but it still wasn’t cutting it. I wanted my own apartment, and Lagos was aggressively draining my mental health. I hated waking up at 5 a.m., battling traffic, and sleeping in my car before the office opened. On top of that, political shifts in 2019 made me feel like I was wasting my life.

Because of my residency status in the Middle East, I had to return to the country every six months to keep my visa active. In March 2019, completely fed up with Lagos wahala, I bought a one-way ticket and flew back to the Middle East with no concrete plan.

You japada鈥檇

Yes. I squatted with a friend for two months until my sister’s lease ended and we could get a place together again. I jumped back into freelance photography and social media consulting until July 2019, when I landed a full-time marketing manager role at a high-end jewellery startup.

They paid me about $2,700/month. My benefits didn’t include health insurance, but the workplace was flexible, and it was a livable wage. I figured I could finally scale my corporate career across multiple markets.

Then 2020 and COVID-19 hit.

That doesn鈥檛 sound good

The startup relied heavily on luxury, in-person events. We didn’t have an e-commerce website when the lockdowns happened, so we completely missed the online shopping wave. My salary was cut down by 20%.

To pivot, I launched an international e-commerce coaching business in May 2020. I landed three long-term clients in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, charging them $300 a month to manage their Shopify stores and emails. By August 2020, that had become my primary source of income because the jewellery startup had folded.

I spent most of 2021 freelancing, managing Shopify stores, and handling product photography for restaurants and beauty brands. I was averaging at least $2,700/month, sometimes hitting $4,000. But the inconsistent income gave me severe anxiety. I wanted a predictable corporate routine where I could just focus on one thing.

In August 2021, a beauty founder hired me to launch a short-term campaign. We got along so well that she threw me an incredible opportunity: a recommendation for a six-month project management contract for an international exhibition.

Love it. What was the pay like?

The client was from Nigeria, so they paid me a flat 鈧�8 million. The project was fantastic. It gave me on-site staff accommodation, a massive CV boost, and the opportunity to network globally. 

I still kept my freelance retainers on the side, too. In December, I photographed a single weekend event and was paid $2000 for a day and a half’s work. I felt like I was finally on the right path.

Then, right after Boxing Day, I fell ill. I spent five days in the hospital, unable to even open my eyes without experiencing severe nausea. Because of visa bans on Nigerians at the time, I couldn’t even tell my mother or stepmum, since they wouldn’t have been able to fly in to see me.

Lying in that hospital bed, terrified, I had an epiphany: I absolutely cannot die in a foreign country. My apartment lease was up in May 2023, so I packed up my life and moved back to Nigeria for good.

What did you do when you landed back in Nigeria?

I went right back into freelance consulting and media production, but the financial instability returned. I billed a company 鈧�2.5 million/month for a marketing consulting gig, but they only paid me for two months and stiffed me on the rest. I did production projects that brought in between 鈧�1.5 million and 鈧�3 million, but the gaps between checks were too wide.

By April 2025, I was effectively broke. I was living on my own, and inflation was aggressively wiping out the value of money. I remember going to Abuja for a corporate pitch with a communications agency and hearing people tossing around figures in the hundreds of millions. While I was there, with literally only 鈧�20k left to my name because clients hadn’t cleared my invoices, and I鈥檇 just paid for a 10-day vacation to Kenya.

I told myself my life had to change. I had extensive international experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; I needed to stop chasing local gigs and instead target structured corporate roles that are open to remote African professionals. I went on vacation to clear my head, returned home and went hard on job applications.

In June 2025, I landed my current full-time job.

I rate the energy. What鈥檚 your current role?

I am an operations manager at an international civic research and intelligence firm.

When I first started in July last year, my take-home pay was roughly 鈧�2.6 million net. There was a recent salary adjustment, and I now earn a little over 鈧�3 million net a month. It is a fully remote 9-to-5 position, and I have completely stopped taking outside consulting. I鈥檓 simply too exhausted.

What kind of lifestyle does 鈧�3 million a month afford you?

It honestly doesn’t afford me the flexibility you would think. I am incredibly grateful for the role, especially because the corporate health insurance is so comprehensive that it fully covered 鈧�6 million in medical treatments for my ongoing health issues this past year.

But even though I earn significantly more than the average person, I feel a distinct lack of disposable income. I share a large house and split the 鈧�5 million annual rent with my sister, which heavily subsidises my costs, but the baseline expense of just existing in Nigeria right now is staggering.

I dumped my bank statements into an AI tool this past April because I was tired of feeling broke before payday. My fixed lifestyle costs eat up nearly 鈧�900,000 a month before I even buy groceries.

Can you break down your monthly expenses?

That brings my baseline operational spending to around 鈧�1.5 million a month. Recently, I鈥檝e been trying to be more budget-conscious and more intentional about saving.

What do your savings currently look like?

Right now, it鈥檚 just 鈧�300k. I completely wiped out my savings over the last few months. It was my 31st birthday recently, and because I had never thrown a party for myself, I blew 鈧�2.3 million celebrating. Then in June, my younger sister graduated from university, and I emptied the remaining buffer to give her a substantial cash gift.

But starting this month, my savings strategy is incredibly strict: I am locking away at least 鈧�1.6 million from my salary each month.

I am saving for a major financial milestone. I find Lagos completely unlivable (and overly expensive), so I am planning to move to Abuja permanently next year. Because my sister is staying back, I will be taking on rent and furnishing entirely on my own. Between paying a year’s rent upfront, physically moving my car and belongings up north, and buying basic appliances like air conditioners, the entire move will cost me roughly 鈧�12 million. Every single kobo I save right now is entirely dedicated to that goal.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

It honestly feels deeply embarrassing. I acknowledge my immense privilege, but there鈥檚 an uncomfortable gap between what I feel my hard work should afford me and what it actually buys.

My peer group is constantly planning summer vacations abroad. My stepmum travels to London for routine medical checkups. My younger brother just bought his first house. Meanwhile, I recently had to turn down a weekend trip to Ibadan with friends because a 鈧�60k – 鈧�100k overnight hotel bill simply didn’t fit into my budget. My friend offered to pay, but I was ashamed that I couldn鈥檛 afford that on my own.

I am 31, single, and navigating my future entirely on my own. If I want marriage or children, I need to build a firm financial foundation because I refuse to walk into a partnership empty-handed. It is frustrating that even on a 鈧�3 million salary, I can’t consider a 鈧�500,000 wig or a quick trip abroad without realising it will actively jeopardise my plans to move. There is nothing left to cut from my expenses, so the only solution left is to figure out how to earn more.

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

I actually don鈥檛 have a number. I don鈥檛 feel the need to be a billionaire, but I want to live a good life without worrying. I need to have more disposable income. My expenses shouldn鈥檛 exceed 30% of my income, but I鈥檓 at 50%, which is really troubling.

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

7. Logically, it feels like it should be a 2. But I chose a 7 because I am naturally a very content person and profoundly grateful to God.

I鈥檓 no longer fighting for my survival, scrambling for basic gigs, or panicking about how to keep my head above water. I am financially stable, and I know I have the skills to build wealth. I just need to figure out how to reach the next level without breaking my peace.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

When I was in Primary 3 or 4, my sister proposed that we sell knitted purses. I knew how to knit; she didn鈥檛. So the idea was that I would bring my skill, and she would bring the financial resources. After sales, we would split the profit. 

I can鈥檛 remember how much she 鈥渋nvested,鈥� but the materials wouldn鈥檛 have cost much. I knitted small purses, and we sold them to our friends for 鈧�30, 鈧�50, or 鈧�100, depending on the size.

We ran the business for about three to six months until people started buying on credit. They鈥檇 say, “I鈥檒l buy now and pay when I collect snacks money from my mummy.” Then they鈥檇 pay 鈧�5 today and 鈧�10 tomorrow. The money was scattered, and we couldn’t keep track of it, so the business folded.

Do you remember what you did with the money?

I think we saved most of it. We didn’t do the business to survive; we just wanted the thrill of having our own money. 

At the time, we were financially comfortable at home. My dad worked in Cotonou, where he made money from supplying baking flour to companies, while my mum coordinated ajo (daily savings contributions) for market people. I wasn鈥檛 born with a silver spoon, but we weren鈥檛 struggling. At least, until things changed.

What happened?

You know how it goes: one bad business move or decision sends everything crashing down. My dad’s business collapsed. They tried to manage the situation for the first four or five years, so we kids didn鈥檛 really notice, but it became overwhelming.

The first shift was that my siblings and I had to change schools. By 2013, I had completed SS 2 in Lagos, but things were so tight that my parents couldn’t afford my WAEC fees. I was sent to live with my uncle in Abuja to finish secondary school. Nobody told me that I鈥檇 have to repeat a class, but I had to take SS 2 all over again.

How was Abuja?

It was a toxic environment. I grew up in a soft home where I wasn’t hit or unnecessarily shouted at. On the day I wrote my WAEC Mathematics exam, my uncle’s wife deliberately didn’t drive me to school until 11:30 a.m., even though the exam started at 9:30 a.m. I barely had time to write anything.

Unsurprisingly, I got an F9 in Maths. I didn’t even stay to write NECO; I just left and returned to Lagos in 2015. I ended up spending eight years in secondary school due to situations beyond my control. My mum still regrets making me go to Abuja to this day.

What did you meet when you returned to Lagos?

My parents had already made the hard decision to relocate back to our village in the East. It was just my younger sister and brother left in the house, wrapping up the final stages of the move. 

My sister was working at an eatery in a car park to raise money. Eatery is even a stretch; the owner just sold food there. Anyway, I joined my sister immediately because we needed to survive.

What was the job like?

We would go into the car park in the morning to scout for customers, take their food orders, bring them their food, and do the accounting at the end of the day. 

My daily pay was 鈧�500. My sister earned 鈧�1,000 a day because the owner had a past relationship with our mum and wanted to give back. We worked Monday to Saturday, and the eatery covered our breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We did that for about two months before joining our parents in the East.

What was the situation like back in the village?

Things actually picked up a bit after we joined our parents. My dad travelled to the North with his cousin for business, and my mum started a new trade. 

Since I had to rewrite WAEC in 2016, I didn’t get university admission immediately. I opted for a polytechnic instead, starting my National Diploma (ND) in January 2017.

How were you surviving financially in school?

My parents handled my major expenses like rent and foodstuff, and I could always call home whenever I needed money. 

Also, whenever I went home during school holidays, I supported them by working on the farm. I鈥檓 selectively lazy, but I knew if I didn’t help, there would be no foodstuff to take back to school. We also had fruit trees in our compound, and sometimes I鈥檇 pluck and sell the fruit to buyers for extra money. 

I survived like that till I graduated from the polytechnic in November 2018.

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

What came next?

I returned to Lagos in April 2019. The plan was to do my one-year IT, then go back to school for my HND. But I couldn’t get a job; I only got offered salesgirl roles that paid  鈧�20k/month in Computer Village. My sister, with whom I was living, insisted I shouldn’t take anything less than 鈧�25k.

So, I stayed unemployed throughout 2019. I survived on random cash gifts from friends who would call to check on me and ask for my account number. My sister was also working, so I didn’t feel the full weight, but there鈥檚 really nothing like having your own income.

I get it. When did you finally get your own?

In January 2020, I got a job at a travel agency in Computer Village. It was an office-standard, Monday-to-Friday role. The base pay was 鈧�25k/month. I was just happy to leave the house. My job description was basically to open the office daily, keep the space tidy and route customer inquiries to my boss.

Then COVID hit, and the travel industry took a massive blow. People weren鈥檛 buying tickets or going anywhere. The first month of lockdown, I got a 50% salary cut. The second month, I was only paid 40%. By August, my boss told me to take the month off without pay while she figured out what to do with the business.

Did she bring you back?

Yes, at the end of August, she asked if I鈥檇 like to come to our Ikoyi office and learn graphic design so I could manage the company’s social media. I agreed.

She kept my official salary at 鈧�25k but started giving me an extra 鈧�20k mid-month, bringing it to 鈧�45k. Then, in January 2021, I started shuttling between the Ikoyi and Ikeja offices on the same 鈧�45k/month. I did that until I left in October 2022. 

Looking back, I really suffered. I don’t know how I survived transport and bills in Lagos on 鈧�45k. Surprisingly, I was still able to save regularly from that income. 

Really?

Even when I was earning 鈧�25k, I saved 鈧�5k every month. When my salary increased to 鈧�45k, I automated my savings and put away 鈧�2,500 every week.

At one point, I noticed my account wouldn’t always have money on the exact day of the automated debit, meaning I was missing my targets. So I changed strategy: I鈥檇 count the number of Mondays in that month, multiply it by 鈧�2,500, and do a bulk manual transfer the moment my salary dropped. I saved 鈧�10k or 鈧�12,500 monthly for a full year. 

I never missed my savings. Keep in mind that my sister and I were also splitting rent and utilities at home without any issues.

Were you saving towards a specific goal?

I just never wanted to be at anyone鈥檚 mercy again. I saw what dependency did to my parents, and I remembered being stuck in Abuja repeating a class. 

I told myself that if I ever have a 鈧�500k emergency, it’s better that I have 鈧�300k down and look for 鈧�200k, rather than looking for the whole 鈧�500k from scratch. I just needed a financial backup.

Let鈥檚 get back to your job. You mentioned leaving in 2022

Yes. The job became toxic. My boss often acted as if paying salaries was a favour to her staff. There was no HMO or 13th month. At the end of the year, she鈥檇 give two people a half bag of rice to share and act like she had fed you for the whole year.

When I decided to resign and didn鈥檛 go to work that day, she sent a query suspending me for two weeks without pay. I just zeroed my mind that I wouldn’t get paid for that month, but she surprisingly sent 75% of my salary. I got a new job about a month later in December 2022. I still work there today.

What was the new job?

I work at an IT support company. I started as a sales and inventory officer on a 鈧�50k/month salary, plus random credit alerts from profit-sharing bonuses.

In September 2023, there was an opening for an accountant, and my boss just put me there. I don’t have a degree in accounting 鈥� my ND is in Public Admin 鈥� but I鈥檓 very good with figures. I learned the actual accounting processes on the job. The role change pushed my salary up to about 鈧�120k. It’s increased again since then, and I currently earn 鈧�200k/month.

You moved from 鈧�45k to 鈧�200k in about three years. How does that feel?

Well, it鈥檚 a big relief, but you know how money works. The more your income increases, the more your expenses widen, like your village people are using it against you.

For one, I went back to school. I鈥檓 currently in 300-level, self-funding my degree at the National Open University (NOUN). I also pay rent and occasionally send money to my younger siblings. Even though they earn more than I do now, they are still my younger siblings.

Because of this, my salary is not my only source of income. It can鈥檛 be. I鈥檝e had my hands in several side hustles since I was earning 鈧�45k. Maybe that鈥檚 how I was even able to survive. But it鈥檚 great that I earn more now, so even in the months I can鈥檛 get extra, I can still manage.

Tell me about these side hustles

I do anything that brings money. Anywhere belle face na front o. For one, I book flight tickets. I started this while working at the travel company, making a little extra cash from independently helping some clients book tickets. Sometimes I can make as much as 鈧�60k on one ticket.

It鈥檚 not a regular income source, though. For instance, I鈥檝e only done about four international tickets this year. There’s a particular middleman who brings requests to me, and from those deals alone, I鈥檝e made roughly 鈧�200k to 鈧�250k this year.

Secondly, I do Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registrations for people. I also picked that up from work. I charge about 鈧�20k for business names and 鈧�40k for company registrations. CAC gigs have been slow this year; I’ve done only two.

Also, I do graphic design occasionally, and recently, I started a one-on-one investment consulting service. I鈥檓 very big on investments and regularly post about it on my WhatsApp status. People used to reach out for free tips, but this year, I stopped doing freebies. I now charge 鈧�10k. 

There鈥檚 no particular window for how long the 鈧�10k lasts sha. Sometimes, when I鈥檓 bored, I tell them the 鈧�10k has expired, and they need to renew it. But I try to offer support for at least six months. I鈥檝e had three paying clients this year. I also do other random things, like helping people source items for a quick fee. Anything really.

That鈥檚 a sizeable number of side hustles

My job gives me the freedom to run them. It鈥檚 why I鈥檓 not exactly eager to change jobs. My income from side hustles isn鈥檛 regular; sometimes they only come in when I really need extra cash, but they actually sustain my lifestyle. I don’t like dipping into my core salary or savings for enjoyment. So, I just use them to supplement until my next payday.

You mentioned being big on investments. What does your portfolio look like?

I have a very structured investment framework across stocks, equity funds and mutual funds. The heavy lifter is an informal investment with a woman in the East who runs an upscale gas business. My mum knows a lot of corporate savings and market investment people, so when I had a spare lump sum of 鈧�100k in October 2024 that I didn’t want to mix with my regular savings, she connected me to this woman.

The arrangement is a fixed 5% monthly return, and she holds the capital unless I give a one-month notice to liquidate. My ROI continues as long as my money is with her. I started with 鈧�100k and got 鈧�5k that first November. When I noticed she was paying promptly, I kept adding every extra bulk cash I made from my side businesses. 

Right now, I have 鈧�1.1 million with her, which brings in 鈧�55k every single month. If I top it up to 鈧�1.2 million this month, my ROI becomes 鈧�60k next month.

I鈥檓 curious. Is there any legal structure around this? Like, if you ever need to prove your money is with her

No. There are no documents or anything like that. I don’t even know her in person. If I ran into her, I wouldn’t recognise her. All communication happens through my mum. I know it鈥檚 risky, but she has been consistent for almost two years. 

I liquidated half of my investment with her last year, and she paid without issues. I just decided to continue because my ROI has been steady and the money is practically working for me. Last December, she even sent gifts and extra cash to my mum and me. As long as we鈥檙e both alive, aluta continua.

Also, the monthly ROI is what I put into my other investment channels. Once I get it, I spread it across my stocks and funds.

What do those portfolios look like now?

I have about 鈧�150k 鈥� 鈧�200k in stocks and close to 鈧�400k in mutual and equity funds. The stock market and equity funds took a massive dip recently, so everything is currently in the red. If we had this conversation two months ago, my portfolio would have been around 鈧�600k, excluding the gas business. But as a smart investor, I’m not panicking; we buy the dip. The only stable one is the mutual fund because the rates are fixed.

Let鈥檚 break down your typical monthly expenses

This savings figure is separate from my investment portfolio. It鈥檚 strictly an emergency backup. Currently, I have 鈧�258,600 sitting there.

I don鈥檛 have a fixed amount for food or household bills because it really depends on my needs or how I split the bills with my sister. Right now, my sister isn鈥檛 around, so I don’t buy foodstuff in bulk. I just buy cooked meals or shawarma on the go.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I鈥檓 incredibly tight with money. I鈥檓 unapologetically frugal because I refuse to ever be broke or at anyone’s mercy again.

I don’t spend on unnecessary things. I won’t upgrade my phone just because I feel like it; there must be a major reason, like the screen breaking four times or the upgrade directly increasing my chances of earning more money.

This year, I鈥檓 trying to be a little more open with spending on myself, but there鈥檚 still a limit I can allow. I鈥檒l only spend randomly if someone gifts me money. Little money excites me. If you gift me 鈧�20k today, it鈥檚 a big deal because it means I don’t have to touch my own money. I read Naira Life stories of girls my age who have money in real estate, bonds, and gold, earning millions in dividends. That is my ultimate goal. If being heavily frugal is the price I have to pay to get there, I will pay it.

Do you think your attitude to money somewhat ties back to your family’s financial crash?

To an extent, yes. But it鈥檚 also just my innate personality. My younger siblings went through the same thing, but they are way more carefree with money. I am the family bank; if any of my siblings needs a 鈧�500k loan today, they come to me. 

Right now, my siblings owe me no less than 鈧�700k. I don鈥檛 even like calculating it because it makes me angry at them for no reason. They pay back, but it鈥檚 always a cycle of paying half today and borrowing a new amount tomorrow.

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

I don鈥檛 have a specific figure. If I say 鈧�100 million, my wants will just scale up to 鈧�500 million. I just want to be comfortable enough to afford my lifestyle. I’m planning a trip to Ghana for my 29th birthday this year, and it will cost at least 鈧�400k. I want to be able to execute that without blinking. If I want to visit Greece with my friends, I should be able to.

An average Nigerian is just one medical diagnosis away from being flat broke. If I get a tooth issue, I can pull money and fix it comfortably. But God forbid it鈥檚 a major illness like kidney failure, everything I have saved would barely cover the initial dialysis before I go broke. I don’t pressure myself over things I can’t control. If I die today, no problem, glory be to God, my siblings will just inherit my investments. Me sef no small.

What was the last thing you spent money on that made you genuinely happy?

I recently spent 鈧�58k on two gowns and a skirt from Shein. Old me would have taken that money to Iyana Ipaja or Yaba to buy a full bag of clothes. Shein may not be much for some people, but knowing I can deliberately transition my wardrobe to a higher quality on my own makes me feel like I鈥檓 handling this adulting thing well.

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

6. It鈥檚 a little above average because I can comfortably afford my day-to-day needs and the things that matter to me right now. I know I can do better, but I’ll leave it at a 6 for now.

What would make it a 10?

More money. Do I know how to get it? Probably. Am I ready to start chasing it right now? I don’t know yet.

I think I鈥檓 at the intermediate level of my financial journey. I鈥檓 definitely no longer a beginner because I have solid investment knowledge. I鈥檓 just right in the middle, building the basics before hitting the high points.

The main goal for now is to get my BSc next year, then kickstart my master鈥檚 degree by 2028. We fight our way upwards from there.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

At the beginning of the term, my primary school would give us a long list of textbooks. The parents handled the book purchases, but my parents handed the responsibility to me when I was in primary two.

They鈥檇 give me money for the entire list so I could sort myself out. Not all the books were compulsory, and I got to choose which one I wanted to buy each time. My parents didn鈥檛 really care what I did. They believed I could handle it myself.

And you didn鈥檛 鈥渃hop鈥� the money?

I mostly used it for the books. But since I didn鈥檛 buy all the books at once, I鈥檇 hold on to the money to see if the teachers would actually demand some books. If by the mid-term, the teachers hadn鈥檛 checked, that book money automatically became mine. But if they asked, I鈥檇 quickly bring out the saved cash and buy it.

I understood the power and value of money because of this book thing. I saw how teachers routinely chased students out of the classroom because their parents couldn’t afford the books. I was never chased out.

What was the financial situation at home like back then?

Looking back now with adult lenses, I realise we weren’t rich, but my parents were incredibly hard workers. 

My mother was a trader, and my dad worked at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). People will hear NNPC and assume we were swimming in oil money, but he wasn’t a high-ranking staff. He was more like a third-party consultant. Still, our family didn鈥檛 lack the basics. Our rent was never late, and I was never sent home from school. We didn’t own cars, but we were okay.

When did you start earning your own money?

Right after my JSS 3 exams in 2013 or 2014. I got a job at a local bakery. The pay was 鈧�500 per day.

Why did you take a job at that age?

My parents only provided the basics, such as food. Nobody was going to give me flexing money. Some of my peers went into block moulding, but I chose the bakery.

At the bakery, I wrapped bread, washed baking pans, and carried heavy logs of wood to the ovens. I didn鈥檛 work every day; the bakery didn鈥檛 open on Wednesdays and Sundays, and as a casual worker, I could show up to learn that there was no space for the day. So, I worked on and off for two months before resuming senior secondary school.

What did you do with your daily 鈧�500?

Honestly, a big chunk of the money went right back into treating my body. I always returned home from work with body pains from the heavy lifting. 

I couldn’t even complain to my mum or anyone because they鈥檇 remind me that it was my decision to work there. So, I used my earnings to buy medications to patch myself up. The rest went to buying evening suya. Nothing meaningful came out of it.

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

Phew. Did you try anything else for money in secondary school?

Yes. In SS 2, I joined a voluntary youth organisation in church called the Royal Ambassadors of Nigeria. To fully participate, I needed to buy the uniform and pay for a ranking exercise. The uniform and sewing cost 鈧�9,000, and the exercise was 鈧�1,500, totalling 鈧�10,500.

When I asked my mum for the money, she said, “That thing is not your school, so I鈥檓 not paying for it.” I had to raise the money myself.

What did you do?

I  hawked pure water after school hours and on Saturdays. I made about 鈧�700 – 鈧�800 in daily profit. 

Every Saturday afternoon, after selling water, I鈥檇 head straight to our weekly Ambassadors meeting. Then I鈥檇 hand over my daily profit to the unit president, who kept my payment record. I did this for about five months until the 鈧�10,500 was fully paid up, and I got ranked. Today, I use that experience to mentor younger boys whose parents refuse to support their extracurricular goals.

The next time the 鈥渟pirit of hustle鈥� returned was when I was in SS 3. I was supposed to be preparing for WAEC or NECO, but based on my calculations, I predicted that year鈥檚 WAEC results might be bad.

Wait. How?

I noticed that if the WAEC results for a year were good, the following year’s would be bad. It looked like that year鈥檚 WAEC might be bad, so to avoid wasting money, I suggested to my parents that they either pay for just NECO or for both exams.

NECO was more expensive than WAEC, which was only 鈧�7k in 2017. My parents were like, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have more than 鈧�7k. It鈥檚 either you register for WAEC or go and look for the NECO balance.鈥�

Other people would have gotten frustrated. Me, I just smiled. I stopped going to school regularly to read my books at home instead. I used the free time to look for a job.

What did you find?

A job packaging nylon sheets at a cellophane factory for 鈧�12k/month. I worked there for a few months to cover part of the NECO registration fee, which ended up costing over 鈧�60k in total, including school logistics.

When I needed more money to cover the costs, someone connected me with an aluminium and glass company. The salary there was 鈧�15k/month. But there was a catch; the owner asked if I was still a student. Everyone assumed I had graduated, and if I told her the truth, she wouldn’t hire me because the workload required full-time commitment. I lied and said I was done with school, even though I still had NECO exams to write.

How did you manage work and your exams?

It was chaotic. On exam days, I鈥檇 pretend I was terribly sick and rush out of work. Balancing it was so hard that I actually missed my economics paper completely and got an ‘absent’ in my results. I still passed the general requirements sha.

The work itself was stressful. I cut the aluminium, managed banking deposits because they trusted me, and travelled alone to Warri and Onitsha to source materials. My salary eventually increased to 鈧�20k, but transportation costs ate up most of it. To save money, I would trek for hours every single morning from my house to the workshop. I worked there from June until September 2018, when I moved to Warri, which wasn鈥檛 far from home.

What was the plan?

I hoped to secure a job with my O-Level results and start my life. I squatted with friends and relatives in Warri, since I couldn鈥檛 afford accommodation.

Thankfully, soon after I arrived, I found an open security guard position at a private school. The 鈧�18k/month salary was small, but I took it because it was a Monday-to-Friday gig, which meant my Saturdays were free for my Royal Ambassadors meetings.

A few weeks into the job, the school鈥檚 owner noticed my competence and computer literacy. She pulled me away from the gate and put me in her office as the school secretary. I stopped wearing the security uniform, even though I was still doing both jobs 鈥� I monitored the school gate from the office window.

Did she increase your salary for the double role?

No. She pleaded that the school was small and couldn’t afford an increase. I accepted because I was running an event-planning hustle on weekends. I was highly active in the entertainment scene in Warri and other neighbouring towns. I did everything from promoting clubs and handling stage management to working as a DJ assistant and selling tickets for music concerts and festivals.

I was incredibly good at convincing people. I could talk a group looking for a table of four into upgrading to a table of six on the spot. My pay wasn鈥檛 stable since my work depended on what service was needed, but a typical event weekend brought me between 鈧�5k and 鈧�10k.

How long did you stay at the school?

About three years. I was there from September 2018 until 2021. By January 2019, the school鈥檚 student population had dropped drastically, and the owner called a meeting to lay off staff. Some of us agreed to take a pay cut instead of losing our jobs, so my salary dropped to 鈧�15k.

During school holidays, when there was no work to do, the owner would arrange for me to work at her husband鈥檚 hotel so I could earn something. It wasn’t until after the COVID-19 lockdown that she returned my salary to 鈧�18k. 

By 2021, I looked around and realised all my friends were already in higher institutions. Even though I was making money from events, I told myself, “If I don’t go to school now, I will lose interest forever.” So, I resigned and got admission to a polytechnic in a different town.

How did you fund your education?

I鈥檓 not proud of this part of my story.

When I first arrived at school, my accommodation plans fell through, and the place I ended up staying was so far that my daily commute cost could pay a student’s monthly rent in town. 

Also, I was too far from Warri to continue my event planning side hustle, and I knew my savings would run out quickly. Out of desperation, I approached two lecturers to offer my services as an office assistant in exchange for small money, but they both rejected me. I was heartbroken, but I couldn鈥檛 wallow in it for too long. Instantly, I started looking for other options.

I noticed that some students were either too lazy or busy to complete assignments or school registrations, so I seized the opportunity to do them for a little change here and there. One day, while helping someone process their documents in an administrative office, I met a guy who had been hearing about my academic performance. He tested my intelligence right there, saw what I was capable of, and introduced me to exam impersonation.

As in, writing exams for other people?

Yes. It started small with continuous assessment tests. He鈥檇 pay me between 鈧�2k and 鈧�4k per test. Then the main semester exams arrived, and the first one was a computer-based exam. The guy who brought me in didn鈥檛 trust me with a major exam, but his main guy, who was supposed to write the exam on behalf of others, disappointed him on the morning of a 7 a.m. paper.

So he gave me the login details for three students. I walked into the hall, logged into the first portal and completed the exam. Then I logged into the second, cleared it, and did the third. Nobody suspected a thing because I have a very calm, gentle face. When I walked out, 鈧�100k was credited to my account instantly.

Interesting

That single morning changed everything. From that moment on, a large portion of my polytechnic tuition and rent was paid entirely with money from impersonation. I鈥檓 not proud of it, but the money kept me going. Every semester, I was guaranteed at least 鈧�200k from exam runs. 

Eventually, it grew into a full operation. Because I didn鈥檛 like seeing intelligent, broke students struggling, I started outsourcing the jobs. Clients would bring jobs, and I鈥檇 hire brilliant students who needed cash, pay them excellently well 鈥� sometimes 鈧�10k just to sit beside me and copy answers 鈥� and ensure everyone was taken care of. 

Then, in 2023, around the tail end of my National Diploma (ND) program, I decided to stop the impersonation.

Why?

People started to know me at school, including some from my hometown. I didn鈥檛 want to destroy my reputation at home, so I deliberately began to pull away and transitioned to running legitimate online tutorials for students. I was also predicting exam questions based on the lecturer’s patterns. It didn’t pay real money, though. I mostly just got “Thank you, boss” as appreciation.

But I still needed money, so while writing my final exams, I deliberately failed a course to remain in school for one month of remedial work. The way these exam impersonations work, it鈥檚 less risky if you actually have a reason to be in the exam hall. I made about 鈧�80k during that period before I finally left school in August 2023.

What came next?

I immediately got a job as a hotel supervisor and storekeeper for 鈧�70k/month. The money was quite low compared to what I made from impersonation, but it came with a clear conscience and free accommodation.

A few months later, my salary climbed to 鈧�75k. It kept increasing little by little until the final increment to 鈧�90k in May 2025. I had to leave the job in July 2025 because of problems in the town: cult violence, armed robbery and insecurity. So, I packed up and returned to Warri. I鈥檝e been here since.

What do you do now?

I work as a clerk/representative for a brewery. The brewery partners with local entrepreneurs who have land to run a bar. The brand builds the bar for them and, in exchange, takes 20% of total revenue. My job is to sit at the bar and ensure every single drink sold passes through our POS machines so the brand’s 20% cut is accurately recorded.

I earn 鈧�180k/month. The job also comes with optional accommodation at the lounge if I work too late. I don’t live there permanently, though.

What kind of lifestyle does your income afford you?

It鈥檚 definitely not a luxurious one because I operate a very strict, aggressive financial plan. In fact, I would say I鈥檓 living an investor’s lifestyle. I share an apartment with a friend, and we split the 鈧�15k monthly rent equally. I still contribute to utilities and food, but most of my income goes into investments.

Let鈥檚 break that down for a typical month

I look at that 鈧�80k as a gift to my future self.  Even if I have to starve or squeeze through the month, that 鈧�80k investment is non-negotiable. Sometimes I look back on 2021/2022 and wish I had known about investments when the exam money was flowing in. I would have been unstoppable.

What exactly do you invest in?

Stocks. I鈥檝e been learning about the stock exchange for a few years now, and my job now gives me some room to practice what I鈥檝e been learning. I started buying shares heavily in April 2026. My investment philosophy is strictly long-term. My logic is that nothing that cost 鈧�100 in 2014 is less than 鈧�1,500 today. The price of things must definitely increase, so it鈥檚 better to buy now and let the value grow for me.

Currently, I have about 鈧�222,000 actively locked in stocks. I have shares in the brewery I work for and some banks. I also buy shares in consumer goods companies because I remember my dad buying their products years ago, and they are still standing strong. I avoid Nigerian insurance companies because I鈥檓 not sure the system here works. If I ever buy insurance stocks, it will be in the US market.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

It鈥檚 highly risky because I really hate money sitting idle. I cannot have cash sitting in a bank account. Money must always have an active purpose. If it doesn’t have a purpose, it will be wasted.

People around me sometimes complain, saying, “You are a grown man, how can you say you don’t have up to 鈧�20k on you?” They easily forget that a few days prior, when the cash was there, I completely settled all household and family emergencies. Once those are sorted, the rest goes straight into my stock portfolio. I don’t care who falls sick or complains after that. My investment portfolio comes first.

Out of curiosity, do you have a net worth goal?

鈧�100 billion.

Billion?

Yes. The day I hit 鈧�100 billion worth of assets, I will pause and set a new goal. I don’t attach timelines to my goals because I don’t believe in putting unnecessary pressure on myself. I will chase this number until the day I drop into my grave.

My ultimate vision is real estate. I want to acquire land and build houses in every student area or around higher institutions across the country. My strategy is to crash student rent prices so low that other landlords will have no choice but to drop their prices or sell their properties to me. High student housing costs are a major reason students are driven to cybercrime and fraud just to keep a roof over their heads. If I can fix housing, I can reduce student crime.

Is there anything you want right now but cannot afford?

Two things. I want a Toyota Tundra for easy mobility. I recently saw one that cost about 鈧�120 million. Secondly, I want to go back to school to study Law. Based on my breakdown, 鈧�20 million will comfortably fund my legal education to graduation.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your financial happiness?

A solid 9. The only reason it鈥檚 not a 10 is because of that hunger for more. But it’s a 9 because my 2018 self would look at me today and be incredibly proud. I have stable earnings, a roof over my head, and I can officially call myself a corporate shareholder in multiple institutions.

Also, I鈥檇 like to add something.

Shoot

To anyone who finds themselves in a desperate corner like I was during my campus days: if you must do something questionable to survive, never be proud of it. If you let greed keep you doing illegal stuff because the money is sweet, you will eventually get caught.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

When I was in JSS 2, I desperately wanted this trendy purse that all my friends were bringing to school. It cost 鈧�2,500. I asked my mum to buy it for me, but she refused. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it; she just didn’t think a purse was necessary.

Instead of trying to convince her, I decided to find a way to get the purse myself.

What did you do?

I asked my sister for 鈧�200, and used it to buy powdered drink flavours and small nylon bags. I mixed them with water to make what we called “Tasty Time” ice drinks, and packed them into our home freezer.

Then I sold them to neighbourhood kids for about 鈧�20 or 鈧�50 each. Within a week or two, the word spread, and kids would flock to my house after school to buy them. I made enough to save up 鈧�2,500 and bought the purse myself.

How did your mum react?

She was so surprised. She didn’t realise I wanted the purse that badly, and she definitely didn’t expect me to pull off a business like that. She was incredibly proud of my resourcefulness.

What was the financial situation at home back then?

My parents separated when I was about a year old, so I grew up with just my mum and my sister. My mum was a civil servant, but she also ran two businesses on the side, including travelling across Nigerian states and Dubai to buy clothes to resell.

We were a very comfortable, average family. She paid for private school for my sister and me, and food was never an issue. We even had house helps. 

Did you try anything else for money in secondary school after the ice drink venture?

I can鈥檛 remember doing much else until after secondary school. I graduated in 2017 but didn’t get admission into the university until late 2019.

During the waiting period, I decided to train to be a makeup artist. I had done a bit of modelling and always loved how makeup artists transformed my face, so I asked my mum to pay for a training course. She paid around 鈧�30,000 for a three-month programme.

During the training, I got really close to my boss, and she made me her personal assistant. I ended up staying at the shop way past my training period. We鈥檇 work together, and sometimes I鈥檇 handle clients at the shop or do home services. 

Were you making money from that?

Yes, I made between 鈧�3,000 and 鈧�5,000 per appointment doing makeup and tying gele. The appointments weren’t frequent, usually once weekly or three times every two weeks, but the money was something. My boss also randomly gave me pocket money.

Around that same time, my aunt noticed that the makeup shop was in a busy market area, with lots of women coming in, so she suggested I start selling women’s accessories. My mum gave me the capital 鈥� I can鈥檛 remember how much 鈥� and my aunt took me to the market to buy slippers, sandals, earrings, and rings. 

I鈥檇 buy earrings for 鈧�200 or 鈧�250 and resell them for 鈧�1,000 or 鈧�1,500. It was highly profitable. I sold to my colleagues at the shop, clients, and friends. I also sold to family members whenever I visited them for holidays. 

I used the money I made to buy new makeup, clothes, and general supplies to prepare for university when I eventually gained admission in 2019.

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Did you continue the business at uni?

Only in my first semester. The friends I made in school weren’t business-oriented at all, and without that shared energy, the ginger to continue disappeared.

For the rest of my time in uni, I didn鈥檛 do a single thing for money and lived on the 鈧�20k monthly allowance my mum sent me for food. I called home for other expenses, like textbooks and handouts. I also always took provisions and foodstuff back to school whenever I visited home.

So I guess your pocket money was more than enough for survival

Yeah. It also helped that my roommates and I shared foodstuff and cooked together. Whenever anyone had money, we sort of spent it together.

Also, I had boyfriends who regularly gave me money. I hardly ever cooked because someone was always buying me food or junk. So, I didn鈥檛 really have a major need for money in school.

How about after graduation?

I graduated in 2023 and went for NYSC the following year. My Place of Primary Assignment (PPA) was a loan company that paid me 鈧�35k/month, in addition to NYSC鈥檚 鈧�33k allawee. 

The job wasn鈥檛 convenient for me, though. I had to stay at my mum鈥檚 friend鈥檚 because it was closer to the office, but transportation alone was eating up a massive chunk of my earnings. The company鈥檚 culture also didn鈥檛 align with me. I worked for just about six months and ghosted them for the rest of my service year. 

What did you do after NYSC?

I passed out of service in 2025 and tried applying for jobs, but the options I saw paid too little. They were offering between 鈧�100k and 鈧�150k/month. I didn鈥檛 want to stress myself at a corporate job for that little money.

I decided to focus my energy on running a business instead. I restarted my clothing business, selling basic tops and women’s clothes on Instagram and TikTok. In July 2025, right before Girlfriend’s Day on August 1st, I came up with the idea of making “basic top bouquets.” They were gift bouquets made out of folded female tops and boxes. I hadn’t seen anyone do it online, so I partnered with a friend who does decorations. We rented a hotel room, shot a creative video, and posted it on TikTok.

The video went viral and got almost 400k views. Orders started flying in from guys who wanted to surprise their girlfriends. In that single week leading up to August 1st, I made over 鈧�600k.

Whoosh! Sounds like a big win

It should have been, but it didn’t feel like it because of a financial crisis happening in the background. I was heavily drowning in debt.

What happened?

My dad passed away in 2021 when I was in 200 level. He was a civil servant. Since I鈥檓 his only child, the responsibility fell to me to handle the documentation we needed to process his pension and insurance benefits, which are worth about 鈧�3 million.

The nightmare started when I went to his office in 2024. For about a year and a half after his death, we couldn鈥檛 find his phone or ATM card. It turns out that a woman he was dating before his death had stolen them. My dad lost his sight as he grew older, so she had access to everything. 

When he died, she didn’t report it to his workplace, so the government kept paying his salary for over a year, and she was secretly withdrawing and spending the money. They eventually found out and stopped the payments. I didn鈥檛 even know that was happening 鈥� it was when I tried to process the pension that his office demanded we refund the overpaid salaries (about 鈧�600k) before they would release his pension clearance.

We tried to take the issue to court, but the woman vanished. Meanwhile, my mum had fallen severely ill with a chronic leg condition. She hasn鈥檛 been able to walk or go to work for two years now, so our finances were completely drained by her hospital runs and expensive medications.

I couldn’t ask my mum for the money, so I took it upon myself to fix it. I turned to loan apps.

Oh no. How bad did it get?

I took a 鈧�600k loan to pay off the government, fully expecting my dad鈥檚 pension to be released in a month or two, so I could pay it back. But the back and forth dragged on.

Because I didn’t have a stable salary, I couldn’t meet the payment deadlines, and the interest rates compounded aggressively. To avoid being harassed, I started taking loans from other apps to pay off the old ones. It became a vicious cycle. My debt ballooned from 鈧�600k to 鈧�1.2 million.

Every single kobo I made from my clothing business and my viral bouquet launch went directly into paying off those apps. I had zero savings. I couldn’t even eat properly because any money that touched my hand immediately went to a loan app. I was living in constant terror.

How did you get out of it?

I started dating my current boyfriend in 2024. At first, I was too ashamed to tell him. But by late 2025, he had noticed something was wrong. One day, he randomly asked me, “Are you owing anyone money?” To this day, he hasn’t told me how he found out.

I had to come clean. By then, I had managed to pay off 鈧�400k from my business profits, leaving a balance of 鈧�800k. My boyfriend gave me the balance, and that was how I finally cleared my debt in November 2025. I haven’t touched a loan app since then.

That must have been a huge relief. Where do things stand with your dad’s pension now?

We are still processing it. Just last month, I was asked to submit his obituary and some other documents for verification. Every time I visit their office, the officials come up with a new excuse. Today, they鈥檒l say a letter is missing in a name. Tomorrow, they鈥檒l ask for a new affidavit. It鈥檚 exhausting, but I鈥檓 pushing.

What does your monthly income look like today?

My clothing and bouquet business brings me about 鈧�200k monthly. Some months are higher, some are lower. Then my boyfriend gives me a monthly allowance of another 鈧�200k. That鈥檚 usually 鈧�100k to 鈧�150k for my hair and maintenance, plus some extra money in between. So on average, my monthly income is 鈧�400k. 

That said, I鈥檓 still aggressively job hunting. I recently paid 鈧�5,000 to join two Telegram channels that post job updates. I apply to four or five jobs every single day, specifically looking for remote customer service or administrative assistant roles. I want a steady, predictable salary of at least 鈧�500k that allows me to work from home, run my business, and occasionally take on makeup clients. I鈥檝e had a few interviews this month, and I鈥檓 hoping something clicks soon.

Rooting for you. Let’s break down your monthly expenses

To be honest, my personal living expenses are really minimal. I don鈥檛 spend any money on food because I still live with my mum, and she handles food expenses. 

Also, whenever I visit my boyfriend, we eat out, or he handles food. In a month, I probably spend an average of 鈧�300k on data, personal maintenance, outings with friends, some savings, and maybe restocking once in a while. 

You mentioned savings. How鈥檚 that going?

I think the trauma of being in debt and watching my mum鈥檚 illness drain our family鈥檚 finances has made me really scared of being broke. I never want to be caught unprepared by an emergency or be in a situation where I don鈥檛 have money.

Right now, I have a strict savings plan. I save 鈧�2,000 daily and have another 鈧�50k locked monthly in a separate account. Whenever money enters my hand, I try to save something out of it. Since I started this in January, I鈥檝e managed to save 鈧�850k. My goal is to hit 鈧�5 million by the end of the year.

I really regret only starting to take savings and money seriously this year. I should have started earlier and would be in a better financial position by now.

What do you think you could have done differently?

I should have been more business-oriented in school. If I had built my makeup client base and consistently run my clothing business while in school, I would be so far ahead by now. 

Uni is the easiest place to find a loyal customer base. Instead, I chose to cruise and enjoy myself with my friends because I was getting money from home. I really think that was my biggest mistake. Now, I have to fight for customers on social media. My boyfriend is very business-minded, though, and he keeps pushing me to record videos and stay consistent. So, I guess I鈥檓 on the right path.

What are your plans for the business moving forward?

I鈥檓 currently rebranding. I want to move away from modelling the clothes myself, so I plan to invest in mannequins. I鈥檓 also in the process of getting a proper studio backdrop or wallpaper for pictures, hangers and signage so I can start restocking and selling in much larger quantities.

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

Probably new mannequins and a studio light for my business, new makeup products because they鈥檙e so expensive, and a pair of real gold earrings or a gold necklace. 

The gold is mostly to keep as an investment/backup plan. Gold appreciates, so I can sell it if I need to.

How about the last thing you spent money on that made you genuinely happy?

Last month, I spent about 鈧�150k to buy six new pieces of clothing for myself. That was nice. 

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

5. I鈥檓 definitely not where I want to be yet, but I鈥檓 trying my best. If I can land the remote job I鈥檓 currently interviewing for, which pays 鈧�500k monthly, and combine it with my business income, that number will shoot up to a 10. I鈥檇 be really happy.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

I attended a primary school that forbade students from buying snacks during break time. My parents would give my siblings and me money to buy our snacks before getting to the school gate. I also often got money gifts from relatives and family friends during festive seasons.

I don’t think I ever thought about money seriously until one time in primary school, when I noticed other students were being chased out of school for non-payment of fees. 

I couldn鈥檛 relate to that because my family had money. I never got chased out, but that’s when I realised money was actually important for things like paying school fees. 

Tell me more about your family鈥檚 financial situation

My dad was a successful businessman. My mum was a trader whose income contributed very little to the family’s upkeep because my dad鈥檚 income covered everything.

We lived in our own story building, and we had tenants. I went to one of the best schools in my state, and we had a driver who took us to and from school. I had everything I needed, really. I can鈥檛 remember wanting something and not getting it.

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

Back in secondary school, around JS 3 or SS 1, I helped my physical education teacher sell buns to other students. He didn鈥檛 force me to do it; I genuinely enjoyed doing it. The hustle only lasted a term, though, because the school authorities found out and shut it down. 

So you didn鈥檛 actually do it for money

I honestly didn鈥檛 need money for anything. And I didn’t try anything else in secondary school. 

I graduated in July 2007. By November of that same year, I was already in a private university studying law. After I wrote JAMB, my dad didn鈥檛 want to risk me wasting a year at home because getting public university admission for law is notoriously difficult if you don’t hit the exact cut-off mark, so he just paid for a private university.

What were your finances like in uni?

I received a consistent 鈧�10k/month pocket money from home the entire time I was there, and it was enough to keep me reasonably comfortable. My parents paid for my major needs directly, so the 鈧�10k was just for toiletries and minor things. If it finished before the month ended, I鈥檇 call home to top up. 

I also sold some stuff in uni for a little extra money at some point, but it wasn鈥檛 a major entrepreneurial effort, and I honestly can鈥檛 remember what it was. I survived on my pocket money 95% of the time.

How about after uni?

I graduated in 2013. I had an extra year because of an issue with a lecturer. After graduating, I stayed home for about a year before getting into law school in 2014. My parents covered 100% of my financial needs throughout law school.

NYSC came next in 2015. I was initially posted to a State Ministry of Justice, but we were doing absolutely nothing there. Out of frustration, I walked into a private law firm and asked to join them. Because I wasn’t officially posted there by the government, they didn鈥檛 pay me a salary. They were essentially doing me a favour by letting me stay. 

However, whenever I accompanied one of the firm鈥檚 lawyers or they sent me on an errand to court, they would give me a stipend of 鈧�2k to 鈧�5k. Sometimes, they鈥檇 buy me lunch too. The state government also paid corpers a monthly stipend of 鈧�5k, though it was highly irregular. That was in addition to the federal allawee, which was 鈧�19,800 back then.

The most money I made during my service year beyond allawee was from a land sale. I served in a Northern town where a neighbour bought a piece of land for 鈧�100k. I stepped in as his lawyer to draft the land agreement, deed of assignment, and power of attorney. I charged him a 10% professional fee. 

It was the very first time I charged for my legal skills. I only made 鈧�10k, but it felt great.

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

What came after NYSC?

I moved to another Northern town on the border of Abuja and joined another law firm in the city. 

Again, there was no base salary, but I was entitled to appearance fees for every single matter I handled in court, even if I went with my boss. The fees ranged from 鈧�3k to 鈧�10k. Because I wasn鈥檛 earning a salary, I was always eager to go to court. I was a newbie and desperately wanted to learn. The firm was quite busy because my boss was an established lawyer with a solid client base, so I went to court three to four times a week.

How long were you at this job?

A year. I left in December 2017. I wanted to move from the outskirts into Abuja proper because my younger sister had moved there for a job. So, during a case I was handling, I approached the opposing counsel and asked if his firm needed a lawyer. He told me to come to his office for an interview, asked me a series of questions and hired me. I started working there in January 2018.

I pooled funds with my sister to pay for an apartment, and our dad also helped. I think the rent back then was 鈧�250k. My dad gave us 鈧�100k. He continued supporting the rent payment for the next few years, but his support ended at rent. No monthly allowance, and I didn鈥檛 expect that. 

Did this job come with a salary?

Yes. It started at 鈧�30k/month. It increased from 鈧�30k to 鈧�32k in late 2018, then to 鈧�35k around 2019 or 2020, and finally, to 鈧�40k in May 2021. I also received appearance fees for office cases, ranging from 鈧�3k to 鈧�10k.

The biggest game-changer was that my boss encouraged me to run my private legal practice alongside my office work. 2018 was the year I truly started earning freelance money from law.

How did you find private clients as a young lawyer?

Purely through referrals. 

In our profession, we aren’t allowed to advertise. It鈥檚 not like now, when social media is opening things up. Back then, it was strictly about delivery. If I handled a matter for a client, and they were satisfied with the job, they would refer their friends and family to me.

My income from private practice fluctuated a lot, though. Some months, it was 鈧�80k. Other months, it was over 鈧�100,000. On a few good occasions, it crossed 鈧�200k.

And how were things going at the firm?

There was a persistent issue with office expenses. I would frequently use my personal funds to cover upfront office expenses with the promise of reimbursement. But when I submitted my bills, it would turn into a long talk. My boss would claim he had already given me money for things he hadn’t actually paid for.

When I looked at the situation, the 鈧�40k salary wasn’t even covering my basic transportation and living expenses. I was essentially paying to work, and the trust was gone. I resigned in October 2021.

What did you do next?

I had already registered my own law firm in 2020, so the plan was to stay in private practice. But I briefly joined a friend鈥檚 law firm in January 2022. 

They paid me about 鈧�50k monthly, but there was absolutely nothing to do there. I would go to the office, sit down alone, and face an empty desk. I didn’t want just to collect a salary for doing nothing, so I resigned in March 2022. 

Since then, I鈥檝e been on my own.

What has your income been like since going solo?

It is wildly unstable. These days, my monthly income typically ranges between 鈧�300k and 鈧�500k. But there are months I make like 鈧�200k, and months I make as high as 鈧�600k or 鈧�800k, or even over 鈧�1 million.

95% of this income still comes from referrals and existing clients. I’ve probably only mentioned my work in my WhatsApp status about five times.

Do you ever experience zero-income months?

A dry spell is rare, but it happens. This January (2026) was rough. I didn’t make up to 鈧�100k, which has never happened before. Thankfully, things picked up in February. There鈥檚 almost always something coming in.

What kind of lifestyle does your income afford?

鈧�100k often feels like 鈧�10k. I live in a wealthy area of Abuja, so my income only covers the basics: food, toiletries, and utilities.

I mostly work from home, making phone calls and drafting documents, so I save on daily commuting. But solo practice means my savings are irregular. I can go a week without making anything substantial, and when a big chunk of money finally enters my hand, I end up spending it to cover the backlogged expenses I deferred during the dry days. 

I鈥檓 comfortable enough to eat and buy clothes occasionally, but I can鈥檛 hang out or have a social life. If I want anything extraordinary, I have to meticulously plan and save toward it.

How do you handle expenses like rent? Do you still share with your sister?

My sister relocated out of the country in 2018, so I鈥檝e been paying 100% of the rent on my own. A friend moved in with me some months ago. She just got a job late last month, but for now, I am the breadwinner covering all our feeding, electricity, and household expenses.

My biggest saving grace is my landlord. He is an incredibly considerate person. He only increased my rent slightly for the first time last year. Right now, I pay 鈧�500k/year for a self-contained apartment in a secure, gated estate. To put that in perspective, other old tenants in my estate pay nothing less than 鈧�800k, and new tenants moving in are paying 鈧�1.4 million. I am incredibly lucky.

Let鈥檚 break down your typical monthly expenses

What does your savings portfolio look like?

I have about $300+ in US stocks. The value of the naira can drop at any time, so saving in a stable currency is the logical option for me. I鈥檇 love to diversify into money market funds and bonds, but I don’t have sufficient capital for that yet. I bought a piece of land in 2023 for 鈧�1.2 million, which literally used up all my savings at the time.

The beautiful and terrifying thing about law is its unpredictable nature. You could have zero naira in your account today, and tomorrow a single brief turns you into a multi-millionaire. I鈥檓 optimistic about hitting that net worth soon. In fact, I have a strong conviction that I鈥檒l be wealthy. When that time comes, I鈥檒l invest heavily in real estate and expansion.

Where does this strong conviction come from?

A quiet, persistent voice inside me tells me I am going to be incredibly wealthy. I don鈥檛 necessarily mean having billions in dollars, but at least millions. The kind of wealth where I can fly first class, go on luxury vacations, and fund major charity projects without blinking or losing sleep.

To prepare for that, I constantly invest in my academic upgrades and certifications because you never know where an opportunity will come from. I also rely heavily on my soft skills. I am excellent at maintaining relationships. I have friendships that have lasted over 20 years. People buy into who you are before they do business with you. I believe I have what it takes to become a multi-millionaire.

Do you see this wealth coming entirely from your law practice?

It will be a mix of law, strategic investments, and business. Law itself is a business, though many lawyers don’t treat it that way. I have a strong inclination toward entrepreneurship. I can鈥檛 pinpoint the exact industry yet because I have a lot of ideas floating around, but I know I will run a highly successful business in the near future.

I don鈥檛 plan to return to paid employment. The only exception I鈥檇 make is a short-term advisory contract, like three to six months, or a year at most. But permanent employment? I鈥檓 completely done with it.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I鈥檇 say I have a good relationship with money. I鈥檓 not where I need to be financially, but I understand that money is just a tool to get the good things in life. So, I treat it that way. I don鈥檛 have a lot of it right now, but I always channel it to the right use, and I don鈥檛 regret any expense.

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

Nothing less than 鈧�2 million. Even that figure should be in a bad month. It should be 鈧�2 million and above.

How about something you want right now but can鈥檛 afford?

A lot of things. I can鈥檛 casually buy a new car right now. I can鈥檛 afford a luxury vacation outside the country. But I know these things won’t be a problem for me in the near future.

I鈥檓 curious: How has the shift from growing up rich to grinding on your own affected you?

My dad was rich, but I wouldn’t say I was rich personally. They never gave me a ton of money; I just had enough to get by. 

Looking back at where my parents were at my age, my dad had already built houses, my mum already had kids, and they were very comfortable. Looking at where I am now, it鈥檚 not something that makes me feel great, but I try not to dwell on it. I have a functioning practice, and I am putting in the work.

Do you still have a safety net at home?

Yes, and I am deeply grateful for it. When I had that terrible dry spell in January and made less than 鈧�100k, my family completely stepped in and carried me.

Right now, I want to upgrade my phone to a higher Samsung model. My brother in the UK is covering a significant fraction of the cost and bringing it home for me next month. My sister takes care of my clothes and toiletries. Earlier this year, my dad actually asked me if I wanted to relocate abroad, and if I had said yes, he would have funded 80% of it.

Why did you turn down the offer to relocate?

I don’t see myself living abroad permanently. I want to explore the world, but Nigeria is a beautiful place to live if you have money. Abuja is an incredible city if your finances are right.

As a lawyer, moving abroad means starting my career at the very bottom of the ladder. I don’t have the energy for that struggle again. I鈥檇 rather build my practice here, take on foreign gigs when they come, do short-term studies abroad, and come back. When the major money comes, I can just acquire citizenship by investment and travel effortlessly without the trauma of starting over from rock bottom.

How often do you lean on this safety net?

Hardly ever. I am fiercely independent, and my siblings know me for that. Since 2021, I have not asked my dad for a single kobo. Instead, I give him gifts during festive periods and on his birthdays, and I send my mum a stipend. I pride myself on standing on my own feet.

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

5. I don’t have to beg anybody to eat. My income covers my food, clothing, and shelter. I can afford the basics of life without compromising my dignity, and that鈥檚 something I am deeply grateful for.

What would make that number a 10?

Earning millions every single month. When I reach a point where I am bringing in 鈧�2 million, 鈧�5 million, or 鈧�10 million monthly, then it becomes a 10. At that level, everything I鈥檝e been longing to do for myself and others will happen effortlessly.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

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What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

When I was 8 years old, a teacher in my primary school taught my class how to make greeting cards, and I made three Easter cards and “sold” them to our neighbours. They weren鈥檛 exactly valuable and had no fixed price; I just went up to my neighbours and said, “Oh, I made this. Do you want to buy?”

My neighbours were mostly amused. Like, what does this child want to do with money? They eventually gave me whatever they had. One person gave me a big bowl of ice cream, another 鈧�1,000, and the third 鈧�200.

I took the cash straight to a store and bought a big BMW toy car that my dad had refused to buy me. He only bought us gifts when we achieved specific academic goals, so that money came at the right time. 

Speaking of your dad, what was the financial situation at home?

We were comfortable. My dad was a computer engineer who worked for an oil company. He also ran a chain of cybercaf茅s and business centres. My mum was a stay-at-home wife until I was about 10, when my dad brought her in to manage the cybercaf茅s because his employees were ripping him off.

My siblings and I attended great schools, and my family took vacations to different states across the country once a year. My favourite was attending the Calabar Carnivals. I really enjoyed those.

When next did you try anything for money after the Easter cards?

Secondary school. I just liked doing cool, creative stuff and ended up making some money from it.

First, I made replica board games. We weren鈥檛 allowed to bring board games to school (I attended a boarding school), so I drew a Monopoly board on cardboard, cut out replica currency notes from paper, and made dice out of a Cabin biscuits box. I charged people 鈧�50 per game during evening prep. It wasn鈥檛 a very scalable business, since only a few people could play at once. Also, when other students saw what I was doing, they copied the idea and started making their own.

By the time I got into SS 1, I switched to writing short stories and comic books, charging classmates to read them. I even started a handwritten classroom “newspaper” and tried to convince people to pay for ad space. That didn鈥檛 do well either. The only real money I made in secondary school was in SS 3.

Tell me about that

I wanted to make money to buy a phone that I could bring to school. Of course, my parents would never buy one for me since it was illegal to bring a phone to school. So, I had to take matters into my own hands. 

I had a school guardian whom my parents gave my pocket money to. He would give me 鈧�200/day. Besides the pocket money, I had provisions, so I reasoned I could survive entirely on them and save the daily 鈧�200 cash. 

By the end of the term, I had saved up about 鈧�8k. My younger sister supported me with an extra 鈧�2k, and I used the entire sum to buy three cartons of custard cream biscuits during the holiday.

Other students sold biscuits too, but they started mid-term when everyone’s resources were running low. I targeted the very first day of resumption when students had fresh pocket money and were eager to spend it. I sold out instantly, made about 鈧�18k and bought my phone. 

The 鈧�18k included both capital and profit, but I didn鈥檛 mind spending it all since I didn鈥檛 plan to do the business again. The phone was my goal.

I rate the hustle. What came after secondary school?

After I graduated in 2019, my dad introduced me to website building using WordPress. He would regularly give me a bunch of WordPress tutorial videos, and I learned quickly. I actually enjoyed it because I loved seeing something tangible come to life from my work.

By then, my dad had left paid employment to focus on building his own company. Soon, he started handing me real client projects. I built about four websites for his clients. I鈥檓 sure the clients paid good money, but my dad took everything. It was basically unpaid labour. I couldn鈥檛 ask about payment because he鈥檇 say, “Well, who pays your school fees? Who buys your shoes and clothes?” So I kept my mouth shut and took it as a learning opportunity.

Later that year, I was admitted to the university to study electrical engineering.

How did university go?

My uni wasn鈥檛 far from our house, so I commuted to school every day. I had barely completed my first semester when COVID-19 hit, and the world went into lockdown.

For the first two months, I stayed at home playing video games. But I got bored out of my mind and started googling “how to make money online.” I tried everything. I created a YouTube channel and was posting music lyric videos, but that went nowhere. Then I designed T-shirts on a platform called Teespring, so people could order, and I鈥檇 only print on demand. That also didn鈥檛 go anywhere.

Frustrated, I decided to take web development seriously. I spent the rest of the lockdown teaching myself how to code.

By the time my school reopened in 2021, I was already really good at coding and no longer cared about university. I completed my first semester and went, 鈥淵eah, I鈥檓 not doing this again.鈥� So, I just stopped going.

Just like that? What did your parents say?

I didn鈥檛 tell them. I鈥檇 just get dressed each day and pretend to leave for campus. Then I鈥檇 hang out somewhere until I was certain everyone had left the house for work before sneaking back inside to code all day.

I also opened an Upwork account. But I was underage at 17 and couldn’t legally verify my account. I had to use my dad’s ID card, convincing him it was just for a project.

Eventually, I landed my first client on Upwork. It was a brutal, high-volume project for $500, which was roughly 鈧�400k. It was horrible work, but it was proof that coding could actually pay my bills. I used the money to upgrade my laptop and kept applying for more gigs.

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

Were you getting a steady inflow? 

Not at all. For months, it was just that single $500 gig. My income dropped back to zero, and then my parents found out I hadn’t been going to school.

My dad was furious. He dragged me to the university campus, demanding my first-semester results. I hadn’t even bothered to check them because I knew I wasn’t going back. So, I went online, found the official admission list for my department, copied everyone’s names into a spreadsheet, and fabricated a full results page. I gave everyone random grades, but gave myself three A’s, four B’s, and a C. I slapped the university logo on top and showed it to them.

I told them, “See? It鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 failing. I just genuinely don’t want to go anymore.” They didn’t buy it. They cried, saying I was throwing my life away. My dad actually hit me. They insisted I must go back, arguing that a degree guarantees job security.

But you didn鈥檛 agree with that?

I didn鈥檛. I genuinely hated school. They were teaching us completely useless things. Around that time, I was reading biographies of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. In my head, dropping out felt like the mandatory first step to achieving their levels of success.  

I didn鈥檛 even mind that the Upwork gigs seemed to have dried up. It never occurred to me to think, 鈥淲hat if I never get another gig?鈥� I just had this absolute, unwavering conviction that things would only go upward.

To keep the peace at home, I changed tactics. I would go to school daily, sit in an empty classroom, and spend the entire day applying for gigs. The breakthrough finally came in late 2022.

What happened?

I landed a contract to build a website for a law firm. It paid $40/hour. I maxed out the 40-hour weekly limit, which brought in around $1,600 a week. Even after Upwork took its 10% commission, it was life-changing money. In two months, I made $10,000.

I framed the gig as a full-time corporate job to my parents, which put them at ease and helped them accept my decision to drop out. I think their biggest fear was that I鈥檇 end up jobless and wandering the streets. Once they saw a path to financial stability, they backed off completely. Today, they are very chill about it.

That law firm project also earned me a Top Rated badge on Upwork, which completely unlocked the algorithm for me. Immediately after it ended, I landed another long-term client in March 2023. That single gig lasted until December 2023, and I made $48,000 from it that year.

That鈥檚 a massive jump. How did you handle that kind of influx?

I was still living with my parents, so my expenses were virtually non-existent; just data and occasional eating out. I saved almost 90% of everything I earned.

With a steady weekly income of $1,600, I started setting up my life for adulthood. I upgraded my laptop, bought an extra monitor, set up a solar inverter system, and bought a dog.

In November 2023, I decided it was time to move out. My parents are incredibly religious, and I鈥檓 not. The constant friction of being forced to go to church and being told what to do wasn鈥檛 working for me. I decided the best way to solve it was to just not live with them. 

One afternoon, I hopped on a property website, found a serviced, fully furnished one-bedroom apartment with 24/7 guaranteed electricity, paid the 鈧�4.7 million annual rent the next day, and moved in 24 hours later with my clothes, laptop, monitor, and dog. 

My mum was heartbroken; she viewed moving out at 20 as a betrayal, but she eventually came around.

And then, the gig ended in December

Yes. Literally a month after spending 鈧�4.7 million on rent.

Initially, I was very chill. I had about $20,000 sitting safely in savings. I thought, “I’m a Top Rated freelancer. I’ll just find another gig in a few weeks.” I wasn鈥檛 worried at all. In fact, I travelled that December and came back in January 2024 to start applying.

Unfortunately, I experienced a long period of drought. ChatGPT was on the rise, and everyone was worried about AI taking jobs. Despite my strong Upwork history, I couldn’t land anything. Being a Nigerian freelancer also felt like a hindrance because it was right there on my profile, and I don鈥檛 imagine it helped my chances. 

I spent six straight months surviving entirely on my savings, spending only on basic groceries and my gym membership.

Gigs finally picked up again in June and July of 2024. By then, I had raised my hourly rate to $45 because I’d heard you鈥檙e supposed to raise it after a while. These new gigs lasted only a few months, but they brought some relief.

Then, I decided to get a girlfriend.

Oh. Why?

Living alone was boring. My dog wasn鈥檛 giving me enough social interaction. I could go days without speaking to another human being. It was beginning to get to me. 

I figured I was stable enough, so I started dating someone, who eventually moved in with me. Looking at it from a purely financial standpoint, it wasn鈥檛 the smartest decision. When I was single, most of my money went into savings, but with a partner, my spending habits had to change. 

For instance, she was a student but also wanted to learn to sew. So, I paid for that and helped her set up. I also bought her a phone and other equipment for content creation.

When the short-term gigs ended, and I had to fall back on my savings, I sat my girlfriend down to explain the nature of my work. She didn鈥檛 quite understand why my money seemed to be going and coming. Fortunately, she understood, and we learned to tighten our belts for when gigs weren鈥檛 forthcoming.

Are you still freelancing on Upwork now?

No, I completely abandoned Upwork late last year. 

If you go inactive on the platform for a while, your 鈥淛ob Success Score鈥� will drop. I checked my profile a few months ago and saw that my perfect 100% score had plummeted. Once your score drops, it鈥檚 tough to gain it back or get good gigs. I decided it wasn’t worth the stress.

Besides, by November 2024, I landed my first full-time job.

How did that happen?

I met a client on Upwork for a quick project. We worked well together and decided to take our communication off the platform.

He was the founder of an SEO company and brought me on full-time as a front-end developer for $3,000/month. It was a step down from what I鈥檇 make in a good month on Upwork, but I desperately needed the peace of mind that comes with a steady income.

The founder took a liking to my work and introduced me to his other companies. He was working with a Nigerian agency, but he wanted to change them, so he was like, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e been with us for so long. I think you can do this.鈥� 

That鈥檚 how I got promoted to manage his ecosystem of companies. My official title is Chief Product Officer (CPO). This happened in January 2026, and I negotiated my new pay to $10k/month. After deductions from the app I use to get paid, my salary is about $9,800 (鈧�10.8 million after conversion). 

Chief Product Officer at 22 is mad impressive

Honestly, it scares me. I constantly think, “If I lose this job tomorrow and have to apply to another job, how do I explain that I became a CPO at 22 just like that?” Nobody will take me seriously. 

Also, I worry that losing a job that pays me $10k would be such a huge drop for me. Like, if I鈥檇 lost it when I earned $3k, I could just go out and look for another that paid the same. But $10k?

Because of that fear, I work extra hard to meet all my goals and make sure I鈥檓 not failing any arbitrary criteria they might have. 

I am deeply haunted by the story of an uncle. He was a wealthy regional manager for a major multinational company, complete with a company car. He got fired unexpectedly, and everything crashed down. I never want my income tied to something that can go away. 

I get that. What are you doing to hedge against that fear?

I spent last year building an app to make passive income, which I officially launched in March 2026. 

It鈥檚 an AI-powered admin assistant and booking platform tailored for blue-collar professionals in the US, such as plumbers, electricians, and mechanics. When they close for the day, the AI answers customer queries, tracks schedules, handles bookings, and centralises their administration.

I deliberately built it for the US market because the economic infrastructure is ready for automation. If I built this for Nigeria, I鈥檇 spend months trying to convince small business owners who aren’t tech-savvy to pay for software.

Is the app profitable yet?

It is. I currently have about 30 active users paying a $30 monthly subscription fee. That brings in roughly $900 in passive income per month.

It costs me about $100 a month to host the application and keep it running, leaving me with a $800 monthly profit. I don’t touch that money. I am pooling it together so I can hire a salesperson on the ground in the US to do door-to-door marketing and scale our user base.

I鈥檓 surprised people are actually using the app. It is the first time I鈥檝e succeeded at making a profitable app. I鈥檝e once tried my hand at an agency to build websites for this same blue-collar market, but I kept getting fucked over by random things, from PayPal issues to a deal falling through after the client saw my face on a video call. 

So, I鈥檓 glad this app is doing well. My ultimate long-term goal is to hit 1,000 active users. $30,000 a month in pure, recurring revenue would help me achieve whatever goal I want. I won’t ever have to think about a corporate job again.

Alternatively, if that doesn鈥檛 work, I鈥檒l need to find a way to maintain my current level or improve it. I can鈥檛 afford to return to Upwork. The platform is great, but I can’t bank on it. I can鈥檛 start a family on Upwork income or make any big moves. I’ll be like, “Oh, instead of me buying this land, let me just save the money, because who knows when next I’ll get a gig?鈥� It puts that fear in you, and I don鈥檛 want that.  

I鈥檓 curious. How has your income growth impacted how you think about money?

I think success (and making money) is really about knowing the right people and having the right information. I know a lot of people who started coding with me, but our situations are different now because they didn鈥檛 have the information, or they didn鈥檛 meet the people I did.

If I鈥檇 never met my employer, or if he hadn’t taken a liking to me, my situation would be different. There鈥檚 just so far your knowledge can take you; the rest is knowing the right people.

Word. What does your spending look like these days?

Once salary hits, I move $2,000 (20%) into my spending account to handle all living expenses for my partner and me. The remaining 80% goes into investments. I don鈥檛 believe in saving money in the bank because I think it鈥檚 wasteful. 

Here is what a typical month looks like:

I spend heavily on food because we enjoy eating well. We order in or dine out about three times a week. If we have any money left over from the $2,000 at the end of the month, it rolls over, or we can do something crazy, like an impromptu holiday within Nigeria.

How do you channel the remaining 80% in investments?

Everything goes into my investment app. My total investment portfolio across stocks and mutual funds is currently worth 鈧�40 million. I have an additional $8,000 cash buffer sitting in US tech stocks, but that鈥檚 strictly an emergency fund.

I鈥檓 aggressively investing right now for two major short-term goals. First, I want to move to a bigger space in another state. I’m budgeting 鈧�20 million to secure the apartment and furnish it from scratch. My current apartment came pre-furnished, so I’m excited to treat interior decoration as a creative experiment.

Second, I am targeting 鈧�50 million to buy my first car. I am a massive car enthusiast, so instead of buying a cheap starter car, I鈥檇 rather wait to save up and buy a good car I鈥檇 really like. 

Long-term, my dream is early retirement. I want to buy a massive expanse of land 鈥� somewhere between 500 and 1,000 acres 鈥� in a quiet countryside, build a home, take up polo and horse riding, and completely unplug from the world. I estimate I’ll need a net worth of roughly $2 million to pull that off.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

Anxious. I am so scared of losing it. Money gives wings to my dreams, and I don鈥檛 want to lose it. 

The only thing that will fully cure this anxiety is reaching a point where my lifestyle is funded entirely by the compounding interest of my investments and my independent app revenue, rather than a salary. Until then, I am staying locked in.

I have to ask: Is there an ideal amount of money you think you should be earning monthly?

An extra $2k on my salary would bring my naira income to about 鈧�15.9 million. I feel like I鈥檇 be satisfied with that amount.

Why is $2k the sweet spot, though?

I honestly don鈥檛 know. 鈧�15 million just seems like a rounder amount. It might not make that much of a difference, except that I鈥檇 be able to save more.

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

7. When I dropped out of uni, my ultimate goal was simply to hit a monthly income of 鈧�1.5 million. I thought if I could make that much, I would be settled for life. Today, I make nearly ten times that amount. I have achieved goals that felt decades away. 

Right now, all I need is patience and the right connections to unlock the next level of wealth. Who knows? Maybe if I do things right, I can hit $10 million.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

Growing up, I had a rich aunt who, every time she visited or we visited her, gave my siblings and me brand-new currency notes. They felt so nice to hold. Of course, I never got to hold them long enough because of the typical Nigerian family, “Let Daddy and Mummy keep it for you.” 

I didn鈥檛 truly realise that money was important to do things until my first year of university in 2012. My family鈥檚 finances took a massive, sharp turn for the worse.

Let鈥檚 back up a bit. Could you paint a picture of your family鈥檚 fortune prior to this? 

We weren’t rich, but we were comfortable. Before I was born, my mum was a schoolteacher, but she later moved into banking. My dad worked in the oil and gas business. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment with two other extended family members. 

My parents worked late a lot, so we were pretty independent kids. Eventually, my mum left banking to start a fabric business, which did really well for a while before she discontinued it. We had typical average-household moments, like using candles when there was no generator, but it never felt like a lack. I had no lavish wants. There was always food, and that was enough.

From my senior secondary school days up until my first year of university, things were actually great. My dad鈥檚 business had peaked. I had a car in uni and pocket money to do whatever I wanted. If I ran out of money at school, I鈥檇 just call my mum, and she鈥檇 just send it to my account.

Then 2012 happened.

Yeah. Towards the end of my 100 level, my dad discovered that his business partner was embezzling money. It was a serious issue because they executed government contracts. I was genuinely scared my dad would go to prison. 

He had to sell some land and a car, and we moved to the outskirts of Lagos. Gradually, the money stopped flowing in, and my dad stopped travelling as much.

How did that directly hit you?

I stopped getting money 鈥渏ust because鈥�; my monthly pocket money became smaller and smaller. I think my world generally became smaller; I couldn鈥檛 just do things like I used to.

Around that time, my university went on a long strike. Initially, I was throwing tantrums, demanding that they send me to a university in Ghana or somewhere else since the strike was wasting my time. But the new reality had already crashed my brother’s UK plans, and my dad definitely couldn’t afford Ghana.

While sitting at home frustrated, my cousin told me about an internship at the media company where she worked. I loved reading and writing, so I took it just to get out of the house. That was my entry into employment.

Was it a paid internship?

Yes. They paid me 鈧�40k/month. At that point, I had never considered a career path. I didn鈥檛 even like the course I was studying in school. But that internship changed everything. I was writing for the blog, reviewing restaurants, and interviewing musicians and actors. I was having the time of my life.

The funny thing was that 鈧�40k couldn鈥檛 even fully cover my expenses, since the office was hours away from where we lived. My dad still had to help with fuel money so I could drive to work. I think he was fine with that extra expense because we all viewed the financial crisis as a temporary bump in the road, and things would get better soon. We didn’t know the bump would keep getting higher.

What happened with the internship after school resumed?

The company was incredibly flexible. During the strike, I worked full-time. When school resumed, I went part-time, working two or three days a week after classes or on weekends. The media house was expanding into video production, doing short films and series, and I completely threw myself into it. I assisted on sets and wrote scripts.

By my third and fourth year in uni, that 鈧�40k salary became my entire life. There was zero allowance coming from home. That money fed me at school, paid my tuition (about 鈧�15k then), and helped my siblings when they were broke. Things got so bad at home that my mum would occasionally call me to borrow 鈧�10k, which I鈥檇 never get back.

Wait. Your pay didn鈥檛 change?

No. Four years as an intern, and the pay stayed exactly at 鈧�40k. But I saw a path there. I just felt, 鈥淭his is what I have to do.鈥� Even if they didn鈥檛 pay me, I was willing to work until I found my way into something else.

My work helped me build industry networks, and I got the opportunity to do some freelance stuff here and there. My boyfriend at the time was in the film industry, so I often assisted him on set. One time, he landed a two-day gig in another state and took me along. When he asked how much I wanted, I was like, 鈥淛ust pay me whatever,鈥� and he was like, 鈥淣o, you have to know how much you want to make. Put a figure in the budget.鈥� 

So, I asked for 鈧�60k per day. At the end of the shoot, he handed me 鈧�120k. It felt like crack. 鈧�120k for two days of work when my monthly salary was 鈧�40k? Crazy. I sent 鈧�15k each to my mum and dad, gave some to my brother, and it felt good to do it. That experience made me realise I possessed a skill people would actually pay money for.

By the time I reached my final year in 2016, I had completely lost interest in university. I failed a couple of papers, looked at the stress of rewriting them, and said, “Fuck this.” I walked away and went to the media company to let them know I was ready to work full-time.

How did your parents handle your decision to drop out?

They don’t know. To this day, I have never told them.

You say?

My parents are the type who let me be because I grew independent very quickly. If I don’t want to answer a question, I will pivot the conversation expertly. Because I immediately went into full-time work, there was no gap where I was sitting at home acting like a graduate. I was constantly on movie sets or at the office.

I鈥檓 not a big fan of pageantry, so I didn’t care about graduation pictures or birthday shoots. When my younger brother graduated later, he didn’t go to his convocation either, so nobody at home really minded. They saw I had my life together and was financially supporting everyone, so they didn’t ask questions.

Fair enough. What did the full-time role look like?

When I went full-time in 2016, my pay was bumped to around 鈧�60k or 鈧�70k. Still small, but the economy was better then, so it could stretch until the end of the month.

I finessed my way from being just a content writer to an assistant producer. I made sure I was highly likeable, pitched ideas constantly and stayed available. One day, the head of the media house was stressed because a fashion stylist on a shoot was messing up. She asked me to go into the wardrobe room and piece outfits together. I did it, everyone loved it, and suddenly, she appointed me as the head of wardrobe for one of our shows.

I had never done wardrobe in my life. I didn鈥檛 even know what continuity was, but I was like, 鈥淚 can do it. Don鈥檛 worry.鈥� It was three months of pure torture. I cried every day and barely slept because we filmed late into the night, and I鈥檇 stay up figuring out what everyone would wear the next day. Nigerian filmmaking is chaotic, and I was dealing with veteran actors who were kind but still intimidated the hell out of me. 

At some point, my car became the wardrobe trunk. It was awful, but I hustled through it. My pay was 鈧�120k/month for the three months of shooting, which was hilarious because I鈥檓 sure an actual stylist would have spat at that amount. But I was just a young person looking for a chance.

When the show wrapped up, I walked straight to the head of production and said, “Hey, I want to be a producer, and I think you should give me a chance.” She was like, 鈥淥kay,鈥� then handed me a show to run and raised my salary to 鈧�150k.

Energy!

The new pay felt good. I was the youngest, coolest kid in the office, so they routed all the millennial and Gen-Z digital lifestyle and music shows to me. I created formats that went viral and pulled massive numbers for the company. I was there for about two more years and left in 2018.

Why did you leave?

The 鈧�150k was why I left. The company started hiring new assistant producers. I would spend weeks training them from scratch, only to discover, in a casual conversation, that these new hires were being brought in at a 鈧�200k salary. Meanwhile, I was carrying a much heavier workload and producing their hit shows on 鈧�150k.

I went to the head of production and requested to be paid the same as what others were earning. She told me to “convince” her why I think I deserved it. I decided I wasn鈥檛 going to try to convince anyone. They could see the work I was doing, and if that wasn鈥檛 enough proof, then it wasn鈥檛 the right place for me.

While still at the job, I started job hunting. A contact connected me with a fintech company looking for someone to produce and do social media content. I interviewed, and they offered me 鈧�350k/month. I resigned instantly. My time at the fintech was incredibly short-lived, though.

What happened?

I worked there for three months and got fired. I was young, hot-headed, and foolish. I had an issue with someone in management, and I didn鈥檛 handle it well. I lost my temper, and we got into a loud argument. Of course, they couldn鈥檛 let a lowly employee speak to management that way, so I lost the job. 

I was unemployed for about six months, and it was a really tough period for me. My parents still lived far away, so I鈥檇 moved in with my partner when I still had a job. After I got fired, I struggled to find any kind of work, whether freelance or 9-5, despite all my applications. I hated being dependent.聽

I hated relying on someone else to buy airtime or food. It made me incredibly angry and sad. I also couldn’t ask my parents because things were still bad at home. In fact, the worse things got for my family financially, the more religious they became. I became a hardcore atheist because it all felt performative.

Then in 2019, I caught a break. One of my LinkedIn applications was successful, and I landed a senior producer role at a media publication. The pay was 鈧�200k/month, a pay cut from the fintech job, but I was desperate for survival.

I feel you

The workload was hell, though. I was working Monday to Sunday and dying on the line. My commute meant waking up at 5 a.m. to battle traffic, working all day, and driving back late. 

I was severely depressed. I鈥檇 get home, turn off all the lights, roll up, smoke, and pass out. Then repeat. I felt like I was working myself to the grave because if I stopped, I wouldn’t eat.

The major positive was that I was able to save enough within a few months to rent an apartment with a roommate. 

Then COVID hit in 2020.

Did lockdown affect your employment?

Lockdown was ironically the best time of my life. The company laid off many people, but my boss fought for me, so I kept my job.

That was my first taste of remote work. No traffic or physical office politics. We had press passes, so when we went out to film, we鈥檇 finish a shoot in three hours because the roads were bare. I had time to exercise and rest. My salary remained at 鈧�200k. One of my siblings even moved in with me.

The funny thing is, my own layoff came right after the lockdown lifted in August 2020.

Mad o

See! I had barely anything saved because of endless family emergencies. For the rest of 2020, I survived entirely on intense freelancing, working as a production manager, manager, or anything else I could find.

In January 2021, an advertising agency reached out to me on LinkedIn. They offered 鈧�250k/month. I took it because I wanted experience in every industry possible, but it turned out to be a mistake. I had zero work-life balance again. I could be at the beach with my friends on a Sunday, my laptop open on my knees, taking client meetings right there.

At some point, it clicked that I really didn’t have to endure misery. So when, in September 2021, a friend told me about an opportunity at a crypto company, I was open to it. I interviewed, and they offered me 鈧�400k/month.

罢丑别听聽is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Come learn from finance experts and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth and diversifying your income stream in a country like Nigeria.聽Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.聽.

Back to tech money

Yes! It was a chill environment. Everyone was young, and the vibe was amazing. I spent two years there. Early in 2023, they offered to start paying our salaries in USDT to hedge against inflation, which pushed my take-home pay to the equivalent of 鈧�500,000.

But by late 2023, the crypto company ran into issues. They began defaulting on salaries and eventually laid off my entire team. The only silver lining was that they let us keep our official MacBook Pros as an apology for sacking us without notice. To me, that was a fantastic exchange.

Skrimmm. How long were you unemployed this time?

Only about two months. Once again, LinkedIn came through. The CEO of a media company messaged me directly. My new salary was 鈧�700k/month.

The work was so easy I felt like I was collecting free money. I could do it with my eyes closed. Of course, in the corporate world, you always have to look busier than you are, so they don’t question your salary. I was also getting freelance gigs, earning between 鈧�600k and 鈧�700k for random shoots.

During this period, my landlord got into debt and sold the house, so I had to move. I rented a bigger place, and my siblings and my mum all moved in with me. My brother and I took over the household fully so our parents wouldn’t have to worry about survival. I paid the bills, fed everyone, and covered our youngest sibling鈥檚 school costs.

But I still wanted more. I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck and felt I should be earning money. Moreso, black tax and inflation were aggressively eating into the 鈧�700k. I had no savings. I didn鈥檛 exactly have a strong savings culture, but I knew my income could be better. So, I was applying to jobs.

Then came June 2025.

What happened in June 2025?

An abroad-based headhunter reached out to me on LinkedIn for a creative project manager/producer role in Africa. The very next day, another recruiter messaged me about the exact same role. I told myself, “This job belongs to me.”

At this point, I have to ask what鈥檚 in your LinkedIn stew

I don鈥檛 even know! I don鈥檛 even post there, so it鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 doing anything. It鈥檚 crazy.

Anyway, the interview and assessment process took just four days. I remember I did the negotiations right in my workplace鈥檚 studio. They offered me $3k/month. My headphones stopped working mid-call, and I had to unplug them to continue. My coworkers were there, but I didn鈥檛 care. Nothing was going to stop me. I resigned that very day. 

I鈥檓 dying. To be fair, doing that for $3k was very valid

You get it. In fact, after I signed the contract that day, they were like, “Can you start next tomorrow?鈥� I was like, “I can start now.鈥�

After conversion, my salary usually lands anywhere between 鈧�4.1 million and 鈧�4.5 million. The first time it hit, I just stared at the screen. I couldn’t believe it. Besides the money, I have more free time. My work hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., meaning I finally have a life. I also travel internationally two or three times a year on the company’s dime to meet my global team.

I still take on freelance work whenever an opportunity comes. I usually make an additional 鈧�1 million from those every two to three months. Last December, I worked on a music video, shot two commercials, and made an extra 鈧�5 million in side gigs outside my salary. I recently moved my family and I to a bigger apartment. The rent is 鈧�3.5 million, and I’ve paid for two years, so I don鈥檛 have to worry about it for a while.

How has your income growth impacted how you think about money?

Having money means a lot to me as a woman. It鈥檚 independence and the ability to dictate how my life goes. I don鈥檛 need to rely on anyone. Money gives me freedom and power, and I can鈥檛 trade that for anything.

My quality of life has generally improved. I don鈥檛 worry about money as much anymore since I can meet my needs. I know there鈥檚 so much more money to be made in this world, and I鈥檓 going to make it, regardless of what anyone wants to do. I鈥檒l keep pushing, and the money will keep increasing.

Inject it. Now鈥檚 the part where we talk about your monthly spending

For the savings, I just started taking it seriously around March, mostly because of the people who kept pushing me to save something. I set up a direct debit from my income to my savings app, so I鈥檓 not tempted to touch it. 

I鈥檓 also exploring investment options such as stocks and treasury bills. I understand the need to invest and make my money work for me. So, I鈥檓 working on that.

What does your portfolio look like right now?

I have about 鈧�2 million in my savings. I also put about 鈧�400k into US stocks. I鈥檓 a bit wary of the stock market because it feels like advanced sports betting to me, but I’m doing my research. 

I鈥檓 currently waiting for the Dangote Refinery to list its shares so I can invest and earn returns. I refuse to invest in local businesses because I鈥檝e seen people lose everything when a business collapses. I want my money where I can see it.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I like having money, but I鈥檓 an incredibly anxious person. You know how I said I don鈥檛 worry about money as much anymore? Well, my new worry is how long I can keep this going. 

Life has shown me that I need to worry. I鈥檝e been laid off several times, so I don’t feel entirely secure. If the company closes down today or decides they don鈥檛 want to work with me anymore, where will I find another company that鈥檒l pay me this much? I constantly feel like I am one bad day away from losing it all and going back to where I started.

To deal with this anxiety, I鈥檓 constantly editing my CV and applying for jobs on LinkedIn every single morning before starting work. It sounds greedy, but $3,000 is no longer my endpoint. I know people earning $7,000 to $10,000 a month on retainer deals doing exactly what I do. If they can get it, why can’t I? I don鈥檛 have a degree or fancy certifications, and I鈥檝e finessed my way through my career, but I actually have proof of work.

I also think I could have more self-control when it comes to spending money. I tend to spend whenever I feel like, which isn鈥檛 bad, but I need to do better if I want to have some sort of cushion for whatever comes. I just need to be stronger and come disciplined in my relationship with money.

What鈥檚 something you want right now but can鈥檛 quite afford yet?

I need a new car. I also want to move into my own solo apartment. I love my family, but I have spent my entire adult life living with and caring for people. It would be nice to be alone in my own space.

My wildest dream is to take a 6-month holiday to travel the world or across Europe. It will cost an insane amount of money, but check back with me in eight months. You never know.

What about the last thing you bought that made you genuinely happy?

A PlayStation 5. I鈥檝e wanted it for years. Early this year, I realised I could just buy it without blinking. It cost me 鈧�600,000. I bought a few games with it, and it brought me so much joy. I also spent about 鈧�2 million on a high-end work laptop, but that felt like an expense. The PS5 was pure happiness.

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

6. I鈥檓 comfortable, and I can buy almost anything I want within reason. I can take my friends and family out, buy them stuff and fix household emergencies without breaking a sweat. But I don鈥檛 think I have a safety net, so I don鈥檛 feel secure yet. There鈥檚 a lot of room for improvement.

My ultimate dream is to earn so much money that I never have to work a day in my life again. But to get to the point where I don’t have to work, I have to work a whole lot. And that鈥檚 exactly what I’m chasing.

Find all the past Naira Life stories聽here.