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.

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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听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.

罢丑别听听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.听Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.听.

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听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听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.

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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.

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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.

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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听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.听

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.

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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听here.

What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

It was realising money was important because of how my parents mismanaged their wealth.

When I was about six or seven years old, I constantly heard stories about how my dad came back from overseas with bags of cash. We were living in a choice area of Lagos. We even had two houses, and were building another one in a nearby state. Our neighbours took vacations abroad. We didn鈥檛, but I knew we had money.

The first time I handled actual money was when it all fell apart.

Tell me about it

In 2006, when I was in Primary 4, my dad took a new wife and threw my mother, my siblings, and me out of the house.

I remember the event vividly: my sister was making custard, I was making toast, and we were watching cartoons. My uncles just showed up and told us to pack our things. They dropped us off at a beer parlour, and we sat there drinking Fanta like idiots, with our custard and toast packed inside Tupperware.

We (my mum and siblings) moved to another state to live with my grandmother. She had a small kiosk where she sold petty items like oils and groundnuts, and we helped her run it. I grew a habit of eating groundnuts by the handful because I loved them so much. 

Selling things at that shop was the first time I handled money. It clicked that selling more meant extra money for snacks, or that grandma would give us money to buy fried meat for our rice.

Do you know what your parents did for money before everything crashed?

My dad had several ventures. Before moving back to Nigeria, he was a war veteran and engineer abroad, which was how he made a lot of money. When he returned, he started a massive industrial agricultural business: poultry, pig, and fish farming. 

He was the main supplier of chicken to high-end restaurants and fast-food chains. He also worked with beverage companies supplying flavourings for their juices.

Growing up, I remember boxes of chemicals filling his office. His farm was industrialised and automated, with processing lines and defeathering machines. My mum, who had been doing well working in a bank before they married, left her job to become a housewife and manage my dad鈥檚 business. She handled client acquisition and relations.

When their marriage crashed, my mum鈥檚 source of livelihood crashed with it. My dad was not a financially prudent person. Left alone to run the business, he completely mismanaged it, and the multimillion-naira business failed within a couple of years.

That must have been tough. What happened after you moved in with your grandparents?

My mum got a job at a university and made decent money. While we didn鈥檛 starve, it was a stark contrast to the life we knew. My grandparents were also incredible, industrious people who helped raise us.

How did witnessing that rapid rise and fall affect your view of money?

It taught me a few distinct things. For one, money is fleeting. On the other hand, I believe I can always make money. This isn’t entirely positive because it makes me fearless about starting over. I saw my mum reinvent herself, and even my dad made a decent living again despite his poor habits. I feel like there鈥檚 never a permanent endpoint; you can always rebuild.

I think the whole thing also made me too generous. Because I know money comes and goes, and because I lived through having absolutely nothing, I give heavily. If a friend calls to say they have no food, I will send money, often more than I should.

I鈥檓 realising now that I鈥檝e been falling into the same trap as my parents. My mum was overly generous, which left her with nothing of her own, and my dad was just a poor spender.

Speaking of your dad, did you ever mend fences with him?

My parents briefly reconciled after a few years, but he ruined things again and cost my mum the university job. That triggered about a decade of complete financial stagnancy for us. Things got much worse.

When he passed away in 2022, we didn鈥檛 have a relationship. He was not a good father or a good man. I’m almost 30 now, and I sometimes wonder if I could talk to him about money if he were alive. I basically had to raise myself financially, which made me hyper-independent, but it also means I have a lot of questions about navigating money and no one to ask.

Let鈥檚 get back to you. You mentioned raising yourself financially. When did you start earning your own money?

In 2016, just before my second shot at uni. For context, I鈥檇 been admitted to the first university in 2013, but I dropped out in 2015 due to financial problems. 

My dad wouldn鈥檛 help with the fees, and my mum was struggling to find work. At that point, she鈥檇 moved us out of my grandparents鈥� to another state in the hopes of landing some business contracts. That didn鈥檛 work out, and we lived in a tiny, cramped one-bedroom apartment for years. I didn鈥檛 return to university until 2017. 

Anyway, back to the money part. 

I had started writing fiction and submitted a horror story to a competition. My entry won first place. The prize money totalled 鈧�76,000 and was paid via Western Union. At the time, we were deeply broke, so that was a massive amount of money for my family. I went to the bank near my house, and they gave me the money in a black nylon bag. 

It felt surreal because, as a kid, I used to carry briefcases and heavy bags of cash with my dad’s driver to pay farm workers. At that low point in my life, 鈧�76k was huge. I handed it all over to my mum to pay off some family debts.

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Did writing become a consistent source of income?

Somewhat. I won two more writing competitions later that year. Around that time, I completed my A-levels (IJMB) and scored 16 points, the highest possible score. I was the only one in my centre to hit it, and it got me direct entry to the university in 2017. 

While waiting for classes to resume, the proprietor of my A-level centre hired me to tutor students for 鈧�1,000 an hour, and I did four to six hours a week.

After he saw how good I was, he recommended me to a larger study centre in town, where I was paid 鈧�2,500 per hour and worked 6 hours a week. 鈧�18,000 a week was incredible money. 

When school resumed, I had to pause tutoring and only pick it back up during holidays and semester breaks.

In addition to tutoring, I made extra money by editing people鈥檚 short stories and novels. The income from this was erratic. Sometimes I鈥檇 get 鈧�10,000 for a short story. The highest I ever made was 鈧�75,000 for editing a 380-page book. 

Were you getting any allowance from home?

None at all. Things were incredibly tight for my mum. I paid for my own school fees and accommodation. Thankfully, it was a public university, so school fees were only 鈧�16k a year, and a standard hostel bed was 鈧�8k, or up to 鈧�30k for a two-person room.

I relied entirely on income from freelancing and getting my fiction published. I鈥檇 get published about four times a year. Some places paid 鈧�50k or 鈧�100k, but many indie journals paid only $15-$20, or 0.05 cents per word. Plus, it鈥檚 a numbers game; I鈥檇 submit 100 stories, and maybe two would get accepted.

I had to learn to manage whenever the freelance gigs dried up. I lived on potatoes because they were cheap. Back then, 鈧�15k could get a student a massive grocery haul: milk, cornflakes, butter, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, toiletries, and even some chocolate bars. When I was completely broke, my friends and mentors would step in to help me, and I did the same for them whenever I had cash.

In 2019, things stabilised slightly. I landed three concurrent internships with literary organisations. They only paid about 鈧�20k/month combined, but it kept me afloat until the internships ended after Covid hit in March 2020. 

What was the lockdown like for you?

Peak suffering. It was the lowest point of my life. My mum, my siblings and I were stuck in that one-bedroom apartment, eating one meal a day. Our beds were on the floor, we had no wardrobes, and we fetched our water from a well.

But in September 2020, I got my first 鈥渂ig break鈥�. An NGO put out an ad for a content creation and social media role. By then, I had four years of freelance writing and social media management under my belt. A prominent activist friend wrote me a recommendation letter. The NGO’s founder recognised my friend’s name, and during our first interview, she told me she loved my profile and hired me on the spot. My salary was 鈧�150k gross monthly, and 鈧�125k after deductions.

I was so happy, but mostly scared. It was my first proper corporate job, and I wasn鈥檛 sure what I was doing. I was just excited that I had money now and things could finally be better for my family. I didn鈥檛 tell them my real salary, though. I told them I was earning 鈧�70k. One of my mentors taught me early on never to let anyone know exactly how much you earn.

Right. What did this new salary mean for you?

I felt an intense sense of responsibility. My family had survived thick and thin together. In 2015, an uncle gifted my sister 鈧�99,000 to buy a Samsung S3 she really wanted, but she willingly handed the cash over to fund family needs instead. Going through that kind of hardship bonds you. I took it upon myself to pay for whatever I could.

So, I was practically giving away the entire 鈧�70k my family thought I was earning. Every month, I gave my two siblings 鈧�15k each, 鈧�20k to my mum and another 鈧�20k to support the house feeding and groceries.

I worked in that role for about a year before joining a media company in 2021. My role was still at the intersection of writing and content strategy. My salary bumped up to 鈧�200k/month. Again, I halved it and told my family I was earning 鈧�100k.

You were still in university at this point, right? How did you balance both?

It was brutal. My classes started at 7.30 a.m. and ran until 12.30 p.m. I鈥檇 rush back to the hostel, grab lunch for 30 minutes, and log into work from 1.30 p.m. until midnight or 1 a.m. I was often exhausted, but incredibly proud. I loved the work, even if I didn’t always love the concept of a job.

I worked at this company from 2022 to 2025, and during that time, I had several performance-based salary bumps. By the time I left, I was earning almost 鈧�700k.

Leaving was a massive risk. I left to join an international publication as an independent contractor. It started as a three-month trial period for a content strategist role at 鈧�1m/month. If I failed to perform within those three months, I’d be left with nothing. I couldn’t combine it with my full-time job, so I just had to take the leap.

Did the risk pay off?

It did. They retained me. After the trial period, I was signed on at $1,200 a month.

Since then, my growth has been incremental, and I keep exceeding expectations. In August 2025, I was bumped to $1,500. By October, it was $2,000. In January 2026, it was increased to $2,900 a month (roughly $3,000 with minor add-ons). Depending on the exchange rate, that鈥檚 about 鈧�4 million to 鈧�4.2 million a month.

That鈥檚 an astronomical leap from 2021. How has your lifestyle changed?

For a long time, I couldn’t save much because I was the sole breadwinner. In 2024, I went to postgraduate school, which cost 鈧�600k in fees alone. I also couldn鈥檛 cook much, so buying food cost me upwards of 鈧�5k to 鈧�10k every single day.

I still live with my family, and we don’t pay rent because a relative owns the building we live in. But I cover all utilities, light bills, and security fees. Last year, when I was making around $1,500 to $2,000, I managed to save about $700 to $800 a month, but lifestyle creep hit because I had to fix our living conditions.

The apartment was in a terrible state. I spent about 鈧�1 million repainting, installing fixtures, buying a proper work desk and chair, and upgrading my wardrobe so I could look presentable for corporate meetings and conferences. I don鈥檛 regret it, though. It was essential for my mental health.

I also recently spent 鈧�2.5 million on a solar and inverter system, which is hands-down the best investment I have ever made.

What do your typical monthly expenses look like now?

This year, I鈥檓 trying to be more intentional about savings and investments. The goal is to set aside at least half of my monthly income, but after random bills and family emergencies pop up, my actual net savings come down to about $1,000 a month.

What does your portfolio look like?

Right now, I have about $4,000 spread across federal bonds and stocks, and about $2,000 in my savings. The savings balance is lower than I’d like because of the solar project, but I’d rather have my money working in investments than sitting idle.

My ultimate long-term financial goal is to hit $2 Million. My dad was phenomenal at agriculture, and I want to eventually return to that industry and build a massive automated farm. My plan is to permanently quit corporate employment once my investment portfolio reaches $500,000 and launch that business.

The $500k goal seems far off, and I often beat myself up for not having more savings. But to give myself credit, I only started earning well about a year and a half ago, and my siblings only recently began to support themselves a bit. So, I鈥檝e been learning how to be financially prudent, disciplined, and maybe a little selfish this year. I鈥檓 always too ready to give out money, and that needs to change. I鈥檓 taking financial courses and learning how to invest. 

One thing I really want to do is work hard for a company that compensates accordingly. I know I work hard and do good work, but I鈥檓 discontent with where I am in the world. I鈥檓 earning more money than I ever have in my life, but I am disproportionately unsatisfied. I鈥檓 hungry, frustrated, and I always feel like I should be doing more.

Why do you think that is?

For one, I should be earning more. I鈥檓 acutely aware of the racial pay gap at my workplace. I鈥檝e noticed that my white colleagues earn more, even though we do the same amount of work, or they do even less.

Also, I should be doing more. I鈥檝e been questioning my career choices, wondering if I鈥檓 actually making any impact or changing lives. I want to do that, but it doesn鈥檛 feel that way right now. I want to make a real impact and also be financially comfortable 鈥� not necessarily super wealthy. 

The impact thing is also hard because I constantly doubt my work. A little bit of doubt keeps you sharp, but it has also held me back from putting myself out there publicly.

I鈥檝e worked with people who are incredibly vocal on LinkedIn, posting these high-flying, viral thought-leadership pieces. Then you meet them in real life and realise they are completely empty inside. I need to have more audacity.

Amen to that

Also, remember what I said earlier about not being afraid to start over? That鈥檚 changed since I started earning more. There鈥檚 a lot more to lose now, so I鈥檓 more fearful of my future. I fear I鈥檒l be stuck in this line of work forever and not get to do meaningful work.

My friends and I recently started a social enterprise/startup, and part of me is constantly wondering whether I should save up $10k-$20k, then quit to take it on full-time. But then the fear creeps in. What if I fail and lose everything? 

So, I鈥檓 constantly in panic mode, wondering what鈥檚 next and how to even go about it.

Regarding earning more, what鈥檚 an ideal amount you think you should be making now?

$7,500 – $10,000 monthly would be a sweet spot. I know people on my level earning more than that, but I鈥檓 willing to work my way up from there. I’m very sure that once I start earning that, I鈥檇 want to earn more. Still, I’m very grateful for where I am. When I was earning 鈧�25k, I couldn鈥檛 imagine earning 鈧�150k.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

It鈥檚 still unhealthy. I’m too flippant with it right now, and it鈥檚 a struggle to change that attitude. I think a lot of it stems from not having strong figures in my life who were good with money. My mum was overly generous, and my dad was just poor at managing money. 

My vice is giving money away, which I鈥檓 consciously trying to change. I’m much better with money now than I was last year. It’s a gradual process.

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

Initially, I thought it would be an MBA, but I鈥檝e been doubting if that鈥檚 the next best step for me, given my line of work. I think a Master’s in my line would be better. Or, probably even better, a mentor who can show me the way.

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

5. I鈥檓 deeply happy that I multiplied my income, that my siblings are finding their footing, and that I can comfortably provide for my home.

The remaining 5 is completely missing because I am experiencing something like a midlife crisis. I feel this suffocating sensation, like someone is strangling my throat. Everyone on LinkedIn is pressuring you with one massive announcement or another. I know I am a hard worker who delivers exceptional results, but I want to push myself, and I鈥檓 unsure which direction to take.

What would make that score a 10?

Landing a job where I can see the immediate, tangible impact of my brain and hands on human lives, while being compensated accordingly.

Right now, I鈥檓 still at the beginner stage of my financial journey. I鈥檝e mastered making active corporate income, but now I need to master passive wealth creation and long-term financial prudence. I just want to be certain of where I am going.

Once I reach that next stable level, I want to take a one-month trip to the Bahamas, where I don’t have to look at a laptop or worry about work. I鈥檝e never taken a month-long vacation in my entire life. Knowing me, I鈥檇 probably get bored after a week because I get easily consumed by my work, but God, I think I鈥檝e earned the right to try.

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What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

It was when I was 7 years old, in primary three. My mum, who was a teacher at my school, preferred packing home-cooked meals for my siblings鈥� and my lunches. So, there was nothing like pocket money. 

If I wanted money for snacks like Gala or Sprite, my mum would tell me to 鈥渕ake my own money鈥� or something like that. So, I had a stupidly brief moment in primary school when I tried to do just that.

What did you do?

I tried writing comics and making greeting cards to sell to my classmates. The keyword is 鈥渢ried鈥� because I never made any money from it. The cards didn鈥檛 even take off.

I made only one sale: a 鈧�50 comic I sold to my best friend. The very next day, she returned it and asked for her money back because her mum told her to. I gave her the money and pretty much gave up on monetising any skills for a long time. I figured money was for adults.

Speaking of adults, what was the financial situation at home?

My dad worked at an advertising agency, and my mum was a teacher. For a long time, we were fine. We had food, a car, and early access to technology; those boxy desktop computers. My parents prioritised our exposure to the world even when money was tight.

The cracks started showing when I got to secondary school. My dad resigned in 2018; he was forced out of his job during a management change. I was in SS 1, and my parents tried to hide the situation, but I started getting sent out of class because we owed school fees.

By 2020, the shift in our finances became obvious when we moved from Lagos to Ogun State 鈥� we didn’t even move with furniture. We couldn’t afford Wi-Fi, and when the fridge broke, it was never fixed. It鈥檚 still used as a storage cupboard today.

How did this shift impact how you thought about money?

I was pretty much still in that 鈥渕oney is for adults鈥� phase. To be clear, I liked the idea of having money to do whatever I wanted. In fact, a few years after the failed attempts at writing comics, I tried to sign up for one of those websites that pay people to take online surveys. However, there were age restrictions, and I didn鈥檛 have a government ID, so I couldn鈥檛 earn anything.

So, yes, I wanted money. But I wasn鈥檛 particularly attracted to the idea of working for it. My mum recently reminded me that, as a child, I used to say adults were suffering because they had to work every day. That mindset, coupled with my initial failures to make money from offering a service, sort of affected my desire to work for money.

Fast forward to January 2022, and I was admitted to uni, only for an eight-month ASUU strike to begin almost immediately. During the strike, I was at home watching movies, learning French and practising classical guitar. No desire to work or look for money.

However, my attitude to money changed when I got to the 200 level. 

How so?

My sister and I were in uni together (she came in a year after I did), and our parents gave us an allowance as needed. We would track our expenses, make a list of our needs and send it to our parents. They would review and send what they could. 

For instance, if we needed 鈧�50k, they could send 鈧�30k, or the whole 鈧�50k if they had it. I was really trying to save, so when I could, I鈥檇 set aside some of my share of the allowance. 

My second year in uni was also the first time I made actual money. I signed up for the school鈥檚 work-study program and worked as a records assistant at the distance-learning institute, organising messy files 10 hours a week. The job was mindless but fun because I could listen to music. I earned about 鈧�47k that semester.

Around the same time, I landed a remote summer research internship with a university in the US through my department鈥檚 association. That internship was my first 鈥渂ig” pay; a one-time stipend of $160 (about 鈧�260k). 

I even remember how I spent it: 10% to tithe, 50% to my savings and emergency fund, and the remaining for my sister鈥檚 and partner鈥檚 birthdays, and other little expenses.

You鈥檝e mentioned savings a few times. Was it for anything in particular?

Oh yes, an emergency fund. I finally accepted that I was queer when I got into uni. I’d known since I was 15, but I struggled with self-acceptance. However, in uni, I met people who were just like me. It helped me finally be at peace with it and acknowledge that I wasn’t a flawed person.

Foolishly, I came out to my parents towards the end of my 100 level, and their response was, 鈥淚t鈥檚 against God and the Bible,鈥� and all the usual stuff. In summary, they didn鈥檛 accept me. 

The thing is, I know my dad 鈥� he can be really volatile when he鈥檚 angry. He once told me to leave the compound just because I didn’t want to hug him. His temper flares don鈥檛 happen frequently, but I鈥檓 constantly on edge. I don鈥檛 want a situation where they鈥檒l disown me or kick me out, and then I鈥檓 stranded. So, I started saving as a backup in case anything went wrong.

Thankfully, in late 2024, after the internship ended, I found another income opportunity.

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Tell me about it

I applied and got into a three-day writing workshop with a queer organisation in Nigeria. We were paid a transport stipend, but most importantly, I learned I could pitch stories to magazines. 

The workshop organisers partnered with a digital publication and offered a select few the opportunity to submit their writing. I submitted a personal essay and was picked. I can鈥檛 remember exactly how much they paid me (it was in dollars), but it was about 鈧�200k. By this time, it was 2025, and I was in 300 level.

My next income came from tutoring. A family friend ran a French tutoring business and asked me to tutor some of her students. My pay was 鈧�3k/hour, and the classes were held online. I only did it for about eight months. Her students were in different time zones, and they weren鈥檛 serious. They would show up late without a heads-up. 

For context, the classes were late in the evenings, between 10 p.m. and midnight. I鈥檇 wait for hours, and then as I鈥檓 about to sleep, I鈥檇 get texts at 1 a.m. like, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e available now. Can you teach?鈥�

Wild

My income from the French tutorials ranged from 鈧�20k to 鈧�30k per month, depending on how many classes I taught. 

Three months into the French tutorials, I got another gig tutoring a child in the US in mathematics for $15/hour. The class was held for an hour every week, so I made $60/month for the five months the gig lasted. So, there was a period when I was juggling both tutoring gigs. At my peak, I was making between 鈧�105k and 鈧�120k a month. 

However, I was only living on the income from the French classes. I didn鈥檛 touch the $60 (about 鈧�90k) at all because I was still very much preparing for the possibility of being disowned by my parents.

Both gigs ended around September 2025, and I鈥檝e been unemployed since.

How have you been surviving?

On my savings. At the time I lost the gigs, I had saved about 鈧�1m. I would still have close to that figure if not for some back-to-back expenses. I had to pay for a school trip and a national conference, and those two events burned through my savings. 

Right now, I鈥檓 down to about 鈧�500k. I鈥檓 stressed out about touching it more because I鈥檒l be finishing school in four months. Going home won鈥檛 be a death sentence, but I know it鈥檒l be limiting. My parents found out I did the workshop with the queer organisation, and they were not happy about it. 

Whenever I go home now, I get tons of questions about every move I make. They even stopped me from going for a shoot. So, even if they don鈥檛 disown me, they鈥檙e already really controlling. Not having any savings would take away my option of moving away if necessary.

Is there a benchmark figure you think would make moving possible?

Not exactly a figure, but if I can earn between 鈧�600k – 鈧�2m/month, I should be able to find someplace decent. I don鈥檛 even need it to be comfortable. It can be a face-me-I-slap-you house.

I also want to get my savings back up. If I have 鈧�5m in the bank and am earning 鈧�1m/month, I鈥檇 be good. I鈥檓 pitching and applying to a lot of jobs, hoping something clicks soon.

Rooting for you. I鈥檓 curious. You鈥檙e living on your savings. Do you no longer receive pocket money from home?

I do, but it鈥檚 very minimal. The financial situation at home is still really bad. I had to move into a hostel this year because my school cracked down on squatting. My parents went into debt to pay for the hostel, so I can鈥檛 bring myself to ask them for money for food or data. 

Since February, I鈥檝e only received about 鈧�27,500 from home. There鈥檚 no specific amount to expect. My mum just sends 鈧�5k whenever she can. So, I鈥檓 practically living on my savings and trying to spend as little as possible.

What does this look like on a monthly basis?

I try to keep my monthly spending between 鈧�50k and 鈧�60k. That 鈧�30k for feeding includes lots of garri and spaghetti.

As you can probably already tell. I鈥檓 stringent with money. I don鈥檛 spend anyhow. I imagine I don鈥檛 have any savings, so I often forget it, which helps me not spend. 

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

OMG, there are so many. I need a new laptop battery and a new phone 鈥� actually, what I need is cloud storage. I can still manage this one. I also need money for food. I literally cannot afford food. 

I鈥檓 in my final year and have project expenses. Printing costs 鈧�50-鈧�100 per page, and my questionnaire is 4 pages long. I need to distribute 250 copies. I only printed 20 and stopped there. I鈥檝e even cancelled out the prospect of participating in FYB events. It鈥檚 someone who can afford to eat and do their project, who can even think of celebrating graduation.

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

0. I earn nothing right now. I am burning through savings. I鈥檓 applying for jobs and getting silence or rejections. It鈥檚 stressful because graduating in a few months feels like a deadline. There鈥檚 nothing to be happy about. I just need someone to hire me. I need an income badly. 

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What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

It was 2014, the year I moved into a boarding school for SS1. Growing up, my family struggled financially, but the extent of our situation didn’t hit me until I was in that environment. 

Imagine being in a boarding school for three months with almost no provisions or pocket money. At one point, I had one pack of milk to last me a whole term. Everyone else had stuff; I had nothing. 

Tell me more about your family鈥檚 financial situation

It was complicated. My dad, a police officer, was rarely around because he was transferred a lot. But even when he was home, things weren’t great. My mum was the real hustler. She did everything: ran a restaurant, sold clothes and toys, baked, and did people鈥檚 hair.

The biggest issue was that my parents weren’t on good terms. My dad only cared about school fees; he barely left money for food or general upkeep, claiming my mum would spend it on herself. I think he was just trying to punish her.

So, while he was a relatively high-ranking officer, we were starving at home. My mum often fell sick from overworking to feed us, and sometimes we couldn’t even afford the hospital bills. There was always one money issue or another.

That sounds incredibly heavy for a child

It was. By 2017, after I finished secondary school, my dad retired, and we moved back to his home state, where he wanted to settle. My mum didn’t move in with us immediately because of the friction between them. 

I was 17, living alone with my dad in a house he owned, but I didn’t even have slippers. I wore my grand-aunt鈥檚 rubber slippers for months.

Things only changed when I got into the polytechnic in 2018. My dad gave me money for school stuff, but my real backbone was my first boyfriend. He was the one who bought me clothes and other basic things. My dad just didn’t care how I survived.

Did he give you pocket money, at least?

When I first resumed, he鈥檇 send me 鈧�10k/month. But if he were angry, he鈥檇 cut me off as punishment. By 2019, he brought another woman into the house, and everything went south. She started causing friction between my dad and me.

One weekend, I was home when 鈧�2k went missing from my dad鈥檚 purse. They implied that I stole it, which was weird because, in all the time I lived together with my dad, his money never went missing. Over time, this woman strained our relationship so much that he stopped sending me money. He didn鈥檛 even come for my matriculation.

My boyfriend was my saviour. I didn鈥檛 lack anything in school or feel like I had to work to earn money. After my National Diploma in 2019, I decided I wouldn鈥檛 return to my dad鈥檚 house. My mum warned me that the woman was fetish and I wasn’t safe there. Even with all my dad鈥檚 faults, I was his favourite among all three kids, and he couldn鈥檛 be doing all that with a clear eye. 

So, I moved to Lagos in December 2019 to find greener pastures.

What was the plan?

No plan per se. I had cousins and family members in Lagos, so I moved in with them and started searching for opportunities. 

I got my first job in January 2020 as a secretary in Computer Village. My salary was 鈧�20k/month. I worked for about a month, then the lockdown happened, and things slowed down. Those months were tough, but the church I attended helped with food and some cash. My cousin would also sneak out to sell chargers and earpieces in the evenings so that we could make some money to eat. 

When things reopened, I moved to another store in Computer Village that mostly dealt with phone swaps. My salary went up to 鈧�25k, plus 鈧�500 commission for every phone swap I facilitated. I worked in Computer Village from 2020 to 2022.听

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What did you do next?

I got my first proper 9-to-5 job as a sales representative at an engineering company. At the same time, I enrolled into the Open University to get a degree. My boss was kind; he hired me as a trainee at 鈧�65k/month even though I had no B2B experience. He said he鈥檇 once been a part-time student too, so he wanted to support me.

Over the next two years, my salary went from 鈧�65k to 鈧�85k, then 鈧�100k, and eventually 鈧�150k. In July 2025, I moved to an IT company as a sales rep. Now, I earn 鈧�300k/month.

鈧�300k is not a bad jump from 鈧�150k. Does life feel easier?

Actually, I feel like I鈥檓 struggling more now than when I was earning 鈧�65k. It鈥檚 the “more money, more responsibilities” trap. Between rent, feeding, transport, and family, the money just vanishes.

Let鈥檚 try to break it down for a typical month

I stay with my cousins in a two-bedroom apartment that costs 鈧�1m, and my share is 鈧�250k. We contribute weekly for food because we鈥檙e all too busy to cook daily.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

Funny enough, I spend like my father is Otedola. I鈥檓 not exactly a reckless spender, but when I have money, I do things with it. When I don鈥檛, I rest. I don鈥檛 believe in 鈥減inching鈥� money. As long as there鈥檚 a need, I close my eyes and spend. If I perish, I perish.

However, I took my savings very seriously this year. I don’t want to be a “big girl” with zero naira in my account. That鈥檚 why I started the 鈧�100k/month ajo to get 鈧�1m at the end of the year. I was the first person to collect the 鈧�1m, but I locked it in a savings app for a year as I don鈥檛 have specific plans for it yet. I鈥檒l probably use it to buy gold eventually. 

I鈥檓 also considering other side hustles to make money because my salary isn’t enough. I鈥檓 practically struggling daily.

What side hustles do you have in mind?

I used to sell bed sheets. I started it in 2024 after a colleague told me he needed one. I鈥檇 make 鈧�2k to 鈧�5k per set, and that extra money was often a lifesaver. But I鈥檝e been inconsistent this year because 9-to-5 is draining. Most days, I wake up and literally push myself to work; with no ginger to post bed sheets. So, the business hasn鈥檛 been stable for a while.

I鈥檓 considering leaving the business to return to my roots in Computer Village. The plan is to go there on weekends to meet vendors and create content. Then I鈥檇 post the phones, add a little something to the price as my commission for every successful sale. 

I can actually start right now. I know who people post phones on their status; I can just repost. But I need to go to the market in person to find good dealers and build trust so they can give me good prices. I鈥檓 not sure when I鈥檒l be able to go there. It鈥檚 just an idea in my mind right now.

While you鈥檙e waiting for this business idea to materialise, do you think there are other changes you can make to potentially reach a better place financially?

The only change is to earn more. I don鈥檛 think my spending habits are bad. What am I even buying? The expense on shoes and clothes is because I鈥檓 a sales rep; I need to look good. Even the shoes, I have an arrangement with my vendor to buy on credit and pay at the end of the month. 

Beyond that, I hardly buy anything for myself. I can鈥檛 say I鈥檓 cutting funds somewhere. There鈥檚 nothing to cut off, and I wish there were.

That鈥檚 fair. Is there an ideal amount of money you think you should be earning?

If I say 鈧�500k/month, my problems will jump to 鈧�450k once I hit that figure. The truth is, money is never enough, and that鈥檚 just human nature. Things would definitely be easier if I had some help, though. Maybe if someone was paying for my transport or feeding costs. That would be a load off my back.

What鈥檚 one thing you want right now but can鈥檛 afford?

A few things. I need to change my phone before it dies. I need 鈧�100k for an international passport 鈥� I want to be ready in case an opportunity pops up in Addis Ababa or something. I also want to learn to drive because my career path might lead to a company car. 

Finally, I want to learn a physical skill like lash tech or hair installation. That鈥檚 another 鈧�250k. If I could see 鈧�500k right now, I could settle half of my goals for the year.

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

To be honest? I can鈥檛 remember. Buying things doesn’t really make me happy right now. I鈥檓 just tired of struggling financially. I鈥檓 exhausted. The only thing that will make me truly happy is the day I don’t have to worry about where the next naira is coming from.

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

5. It鈥檚 just not enough. I鈥檝e had to cut costs everywhere. I even barbed my hair and started doing “jerry curls” because one 鈧�20k jar of gel lasts me three months.

If you told the 2020 version of me that I鈥檇 be earning 鈧�300k in 2026, I would have thought it was impossible. Considering where I鈥檓 coming from, 鈧�300k felt like a lot. Like, there was no way I could earn that much and not be a baddie. But with this economy, 鈧�300k is basically chicken change. 

I鈥檓 grateful, but I鈥檓 still struggling, and I鈥檓 not sure when things will change.

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What鈥檚 your earliest memory of money?

It goes back to the late 90s/early 2000s, during my childhood days. Whenever we visited my maternal grandfather, he鈥檇 pull out 鈧�500 notes for my siblings and me. 鈧�500 was a fortune to a child, and we鈥檇 go wild buying biscuits and sweets. It was one of my first realisations of what money could do.

What was growing up like financially?

It was a rollercoaster. My parents were both bankers at Savannah Bank; they met and got married there. But around the time I was 6 or 7, the bank was liquidated, and they both lost their jobs. We went from “grace to grass.” 

Phew. Just how bad did things get?

First off, we had to move from Bariga to some unknown place in Ikorodu to reduce expenses and survive. My siblings and I also moved from private schools to more affordable ones. 

There鈥檚 a traditional Easter food called Frejon that we ate all the time. But after my parents lost their jobs, it became a once-a-year luxury. It got so bad that I鈥檇 follow my dad to pluck pawpaws, pineapples and pupuru tubers from people鈥檚 compounds just to have something to eat. 

My parents eventually resorted to teaching. Despite the hardship, they were dutiful. They made sure all four of us kids focused on school without feeling like we had to look for money. It was only after secondary school that I started considering making money.

What did you do?

After graduating in 2011, I started offering home lessons for a neighbour鈥檚 kids three times a week for 鈧�4,000 a month. I did that for close to a year. 

Then my parents separated, and I moved to join my mum in another part of Lagos. I noticed my mum was fending for herself without any support, so to reduce the burden on her, I got a teaching job at a local primary school. They paid me 鈧�4,500/month. 

I worked there for four months, and the one thing I remember buying with my pay was a Nokia phone. I gave the rest of what I earned to my mum.

I did a few other teaching stints and some catering gigs in 2012, but my focus was JAMB, which I actually failed the first time. I finally got into university in 2014.

Did you try to make money at uni?

Oh yes. University was a mix of hustle and a massive miracle. My dad was carrying the financial weight alone because we lost my mum shortly before I gained admission. So, my pocket money wasn鈥檛 regular, and it was usually between 鈧�5k – 鈧�10k.

To survive, I did a few hustles. During a long strike in 2016, when I was in 200 level,  I taught primary school students for 鈧�10k a month to save up for my 鈧�40k/year off-campus lodge. I also did some home tutoring around this period.

Then, in my third year, I got a scholarship from a telecoms company. They were paying me 鈧�200k every year as long as I kept my CGPA up. That money made my life soft, and I moved from a one-room lodge to a flat. I didn鈥檛 need to hustle as much from that point up until graduation because the money covered my needs. I just needed to focus on maintaining my grades. 

Love it for you. When did you graduate from uni?

2019. But I missed something: I interned at a tech firm in Ikoyi for my six-month IT in 2018, earning a 鈧�25k/month stipend. That job introduced me to tech. I got to learn about programming languages like Java, and honestly, it was so hard I almost gave up. In fact, I didn鈥檛 return to it after school resumed. 

However, after I graduated and did a stint in acting, I realised tech was the sure way to actually make money. So, during the 2020 lockdown, I sat down and used online resources to teach myself HTML, JavaScript and digital marketing.

Wait. Let鈥檚 not breeze over the stint in acting. How did that enter the picture?

I鈥檝e always been a drama kid and was part of drama and music groups in church as a child. In 2019, I had the opportunity to train at a film academy for free, and I grabbed it. I acted in stage plays and a few films, and met renowned Nollywood stars. I even did comedy skits on Instagram. 

I didn鈥檛 get paid for all of this, though. The compensation was mostly refreshments, which, sadly, is how the industry works. The exposure, on the other hand, was huge. It just wasn鈥檛 bringing in money. 

I was living with my dad and surviving on what I made from tutorial lessons. Acting and filmmaking were passion projects. I had to follow the money, so I picked up my laptop and returned to programming.  

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Now we鈥檙e back to the tech chapter. Was it easier to learn this time around?

Somewhat. It helped that I was posted to a software company in Lagos for my NYSC. My role was 鈥渟oftware developer,鈥� and I basically learned on the job. They taught me languages like Angular, React, Typescript and a host of others. My salary was 鈧�50k/month, and I also got the 鈧�33k/month stipend from NYSC.

Right after NYSC in 2022, I landed a contract front-end developer role at a bank, earning 鈧�250k/month. In 2024, they made me a full-time staff member, and my salary jumped to about 鈧�557k. 

That鈥檚 a big jump

It was. The increase even allowed me to move from a 鈧�250k/year self-contained to a 鈧�600k/year two-bedroom flat. However, in May 2024, mere months after my confirmation as a full-time staff member, I left the bank.

Oh. Why?

Convenience. I felt like a servant to the system, working from Monday to Friday. It wasn鈥檛 the kind of life I wanted to live. Also, I鈥檇 applied to a film academy to learn directing and film production, and there was no way I could do that while working at the bank. The whole 9-5 left just felt too restrictive. I wanted to live freely, so I resigned. 

My training at the film academy lasted four months, and I paid about 鈧�250k for the course. I also got the opportunity to work as a production assistant for a major Netflix project.

How were you surviving during this period without an income?

After resigning, I focused on finding remote gigs. That was the only mode of work that would allow me to explore my other interests. 

Thankfully, I found one almost immediately as a front-end developer at a fintech that paid 鈧�350k/month. In the mornings, I鈥檇 attend scrum meetings, then take my laptop to the film set and work from there.

I still work at the fintech, and my pay is now 鈧�420k/month. I鈥檝e also worked for different companies since 2024, sometimes for only a few months and often juggling multiple roles at once. Even now, I earn the bulk of my income from short-term freelance gigs on Discord, LinkedIn, Indeed and wherever I see money. I鈥檓 also currently building my own startup.

Nice. Tell me about that

It鈥檚 a startup focused on pioneering STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) solutions in Africa. Our first product is a marketplace that connects skilled service providers with recruiters and clients. 

I got the idea for the startup in 2024 and got the business incorporated in 2025. We also recently entered into a service-level payment agreement with Paystack for payment processing on our platform. We plan to go live on the App Store and Play Store this month. So, a lot of resources will need to go into marketing and all that stuff.

What have been the financial implications of founding a startup?

I bootstrap everything. There was a time when I was juggling three jobs and using almost all my income to pay a UI/UX designer to build the web application. That cost me about 鈧�600k (including the necessary registrations with the and ).

Right now, I have close to 10 people on my team: two front-end developers, two back-end developers, two quality assurance people, and then UI/UX designers and marketers. Most of them are contract staff since it鈥檚 not a full-fledged company yet, and we haven鈥檛 made any money. 

However, since October 2025, I鈥檝e been paying at least 鈧�500k/month in staff salaries out of pocket. To afford this, I juggle my main remote job with the freelance gigs I mentioned earlier. 

What does your average monthly income look like with those gigs?

The freelance gigs pay in dollars, so it varies. Some months, I鈥檓 doing short-term contracts in the $1k-$2k range. On average, I bring in between 鈧�1.1m and 鈧�1.7m monthly, in addition to my 鈧�420k salary. 

I still dabble in filmmaking, and I鈥檓 currently working on a couple of short films. I just don鈥檛 make an income from it yet. I plan to establish my own production company in the future, but that鈥檚 after the money from my startup starts pumping in.

Do you have a timeline in mind for this 鈥減umping in鈥�?

We鈥檒l start earning revenue from the day we get our first user, since they need to pay an annual activation fee. Of course, it鈥檒l probably take some time before user numbers enter millions and the big money starts to flow in. 

But you know how they say, 鈥測ou have to spend money to make money鈥�? We plan to go really big on marketing and put ourselves out there. To make that happen, I plan to start searching for angel investors when we go live.

快猫视频 is building an income report: a single, honest reference point for how Nigerians living in the country make money.

Please help us out by filling out this short, completely anonymous survey. It鈥檒l only take a few minutes.听

Rooting for you. Let鈥檚 talk about your relationship with money 

I believe money is a spirit. For someone to make money, they have to 鈥渇eel it鈥� first. If a poor person thinks that he鈥檚 wealthy, he鈥檒l begin to attract wealthy people and ideas that, once implemented, can put him on the path to creating wealth.

Right now, I鈥檓 focused on spending as prudently as possible so I can get my startup up and running, then see how to get to the wealth-building part. Immediately I get paid from my gigs, I pay my staff salaries first, give my fianc茅e something, and then keep savings aside.

What鈥檚 your approach to savings?

I save between 10% and 20% in a savings app and another 鈧�20k to 鈧�50k in crypto. I鈥檓 using crypto as a fixed deposit. Every month, depending on the vibe, I buy a few coins and just leave them in my crypto wallet to appreciate over time. 

Currently, I have about 鈧�1m in my savings app and $700 in crypto.

Let鈥檚 break down your typical monthly expenses

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

I don鈥檛 have an ideal figure. I just want my startup to grow; there鈥檚 no cap on that one. I can make up to 鈧�100 billion in the near future. The goal is transcontinental impact; travelling across the world and taking our solutions everywhere.

Out of curiosity, do you intend to keep juggling multiple gigs once your startup goes live?

I鈥檒l have to, at least for the next one to two years. I鈥檓 still bootstrapping, after all. So, the first few years will be to monitor the trend before focusing solely on the startup.

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

A car. I have a Ford Edge or Explorer in mind, and I鈥檒l need about 鈧�15m – 鈧�20m for a Tokunbo.

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

5. I鈥檓 still juggling between survival and stability, and I haven’t even reached success yet. To hit a 10, it鈥檒l mean I鈥檓 finally able to travel the world without ever having to check the ticket price. Until then, the hustle continues.

Find all the past Naira Life stories听here.