Adebola*, 24, grew up in a lower-middle-class home where money was meant to be earned, saved, and tucked away, nothing more. Her parents, a civil servant and a public school teacher, lived by the rule: “Just save what you can.”
However, as an adult earning her own salary, she questioned whether saving alone was enough. That mindset shift changed everything. Here’s how she unlearned the old rules, embraced investing, and started growing her money into something bigger.
As told to Aisha Bello
I grew up in a small, government-owned flat in Ogun State. My dad was a civil servant at a state hospital, and my mum was an agricultural teacher at a public primary school. They were both hardworking, honest people, raising four children on pay slip to pay slip salaries.
Food was always on the table. The rent was paid. The lights didn’t go off unless NEPA said so. We weren’t rich, but we were fine. We lived in a neighbourhood full of people who were just fine. Everyone was comfortable in the same way: government jobs, union meetings, small kiosks in front of the house for extra income, and a deep belief that “as long as you save, you’ll be okay.”
My mum was the queen of that. She ran a mini provision shop in front of the house, and every evening, she’d slip a few naira notes into her piggy bank — a battered metal can she kept under the bed. That was money for “rainy days.” Sometimes, it got us through the school fees season. Sometimes, it helped with feeding and hospital bills.
So, I started saving early, too. In 2012, I got into secondary school, and my parents gave me a ₦200 daily allowance. I’d spend ₦100 and hide the other half inside a clay piggy bank. By the end of the term, I’d break it and find something like ₦3,000 in there. That was joy. My siblings and I would take our savings to the Sunday-Sunday thrift market to buy bend-down-select clothes for about ₦1,500, and spend the rest on Goodie Goodie and holiday treats. That was the ritual. That was wealth, as far as we knew it.
But even then, I could sense there was a disconnect. Yes, we had food and shelter. My dad sometimes got bonuses and took us to Chicken Republic for ice cream. But I also had classmates whose parents took them to London and Dubai for holidays, who changed phones every term, who never wore thrift. My parents had access to government credit and loans for big expenses like rent and car repairs, but they didn’t talk about money growing. They taught us to save money. But they never taught us how to build wealth.
My hours at work shouldn’t be the only way money enters my account
After university, I moved to Abuja with my accounting degree and landed a graduate trainee role at an insurance firm. That was when my worldview shifted. I was earning my first real salary and paying tax. My company also contributed to my pension plan. I now had a decision to make: coast like my parents and survive, or be intentional about building wealth.
The first thing I did was put money in a fixed-income deposit. The investment was low-risk, so I didn’t expect extraordinary returns, but when the dividends dropped, I realised something big: I wasn’t working for that money. It came passively. My hours at work weren’t the only thing filling my account anymore.
That changed everything. I took a trip to Zanzibar at the end of that year. It was the first time I’d travelled for leisure, not obligation. And it showed me what was possible. I didn’t just want money for bills. I wanted money for options for freedom, joy and rest. So I decided to increase my risk appetite and diversify my investments.
Enter BluNest and a new money mindset
A friend, an investment analyst at Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, recommended I try out a platform they’d been working on called BluNest. He’d tested the product up close and knew I was looking for smarter, simpler options.
I trusted his judgment, and I’m glad I did.
BluNest was everything my younger self needed but didn’t have:
- A simple, beginner-friendly platform
- Interactive and easy to understand
- A way to learn while actually investing
I started with their Money Market and Bond Funds — steady returns, low risk, and no complicated paperwork. My money grew quietly in the background while I worked 9-5 and lived my life. Now, I plan to go deeper, moving into their Equity Balanced Funds, which give me access to higher-return stocks for long-term growth. I’m also eyeing their Dollar and eurobond funds to start building foreign currency income and hedge against naira volatility.
This is not just about returns. It’s about control. BluNest has helped me move from that “rainy day savings” mindset to a “financial freedom” mindset. I still save, but now, my money doesn’t sleep.
What I want now is a soft life, not just survival
I want to retire early, travel the world, and own assets that pay me while I sleep. I plan to buy my first property in the next 2–3 years to rent and earn extra cash. Passive income is no longer a fantasy. It’s the next step in my money journey. I still respect everything my parents taught me. That discipline laid the foundation. But if I want to build wealth, I must do things differently.
Saving was good, but now, my money wants to grow.
Want to start your own money growth journey?
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