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For some Nigerians, their first earnings helped pay school fees, support family members or buy something they desperately needed. For others, it was their first taste of independence, and a chance to spend money exactly how they wanted. 

We asked Nigerians across generations about the first income they ever made and what they did with it.

“I made my first income selling plantains” — Gani*, 64, M

“The first time I ever made money was from selling plantains in the early 1970s. I grew up in a polygamous family, and my father didn’t have enough money to send all of us to school. He agreed to pay for the education of only the first child of each of his four wives.

I wanted my younger brother to go to school too, so I approached my father for help. He gave me two plantain trees from his farm and said I could sell whatever I harvested and keep the money. The harvest was good that year, and after selling off the plantains, I made ₦40. It was enough to pay his fees with some money left over to buy myself a new pair of sandals.“

“I was a sales girl in my grandma’s shop” — Fayo*, 33, F

“I got my first salary in 2007, working at my grandmother’s shop during my long vacation. I had just finished SS 1, and my mother wanted to keep me busy.

So she sent me to spend the holiday with my grandma, who put me to work in her shop as a salesgirl. I learned a lot during those two months I spent working there.

The best part was that, at the end of the holiday, my grandma paid me ₦10,000 in crisp new notes. Believe me, I was the biggest girl when I resumed school for the new session.’

“I earned my first money editing videos for YouTubers” — David*, 29, M

“During the COVID lockdown, I taught myself video editing from some YouTube tutorials and started applying for gigs on Upwork.

The first gig I landed, a company hired me to edit a few videos and paid me ₦80,000.

The first thing I bought was a Wi-Fi device for better internet because I was tired of struggling with downloads and uploads. Then, I used the rest for personal enjoyment.

I got more clients after that and eventually turned editing into my side hustle.”

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“My first salary disappeared into transport fare” — Tolu*, 24, (F)

“My first-ever salary came from a six-week internship while I was in university. I got paid ₦40,000.

At first, I was happy, but the money disappeared from my account before I knew it. I’m sure I spent most of it on food and transportation expenses.

It wasn’t the exciting payday story I’d imagined, but it taught me my first lesson about budgeting and working life.”

“I used my first salary to buy my mum a blender” — Temi*, 30, (F)

“My first proper job was as a teaching assistant after my A-levels in 2014. My salary was ₦54,500. I had never held that much money in my life at 17.

My mum thought I was wasting my time doing that job, so as soon as I got paid, I stopped by a supermarket on the way home and bought her a brand new blender. I’ll never forget how happy and surprised she was.

She still talks about that gift today, which is funny because I thought it was such a small thing. I just wanted to prove that I was doing a real job.”

“My love for football got me a job” — Emeka*, 31, M

“While waiting for admission into university, I worked at a football viewing centre in my neighbourhood. I spent so much time watching matches there that the owner gave me a job arranging the chairs, collecting payment and closing up the shop.

My first month’s pay was ₦15,000. I felt on top of the world. I spent almost all of it taking my friends out for food because I wanted everyone to know I was finally earning money.”

“My first salary bought my younger sister’s textbooks” — Esther*, 42, (F)

“I got a teaching job at a private primary school after finishing polytechnic. The pay was only ₦50,000 a month, but I was excited because it was a steady income.

When I received my first salary, I didn’t spend it on myself. My youngest sister was preparing for her final secondary school exams and needed textbooks. The pressure was a lot on my parents, and I decided to help out. Buying them for her felt better than anything I could have bought for myself.”

“A cybercafé gave me my first salary” — Kelvin*, 39, M

“After WAEC in 2005, I got a job at a cybercafé. I was very excited because I had always been interested in tech.

My first salary was ₦10,000. I gave half to my mum and used the rest to buy a small Nokia phone. Owning that phone made me feel like a serious adult, even though I was still sharing a room with my younger brother.”

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