Every week, Zikoko seeks to understand how people move the Naira in and out of their lives. Some stories will be struggle-ish, others will be bougie. All the time, it’ll be revealing.
What’s 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’ 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 “make my own money” 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 “tried” because I never made any money from it. The cards didn’t even take off.
I made only one sale: a ₦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 — we didn’t even move with furniture. We couldn’t afford Wi-Fi, and when the fridge broke, it was never fixed. It’s still used as a storage cupboard today.
How did this shift impact how you thought about money?
I was pretty much still in that “money is for adults” 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’t have a government ID, so I couldn’t earn anything.
So, yes, I wanted money. But I wasn’t 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 ₦50k, they could send ₦30k, or the whole ₦50k if they had it. I was really trying to save, so when I could, I’d 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’s 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 ₦47k that semester.
Around the same time, I landed a remote summer research internship with a university in the US through my department’s association. That internship was my first “big” pay; a one-time stipend of $160 (about ₦260k).
I even remember how I spent it: 10% to tithe, 50% to my savings and emergency fund, and the remaining for my sister’s and partner’s birthdays, and other little expenses.
You’ve 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, “It’s against God and the Bible,” and all the usual stuff. In summary, they didn’t accept me.
The thing is, I know my dad — he can be really volatile when he’s angry. He once told me to leave the compound just because I didn’t want to hug him. His temper flares don’t happen frequently, but I’m constantly on edge. I don’t want a situation where they’ll disown me or kick me out, and then I’m 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’t remember exactly how much they paid me (it was in dollars), but it was about ₦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 ₦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’t 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’d wait for hours, and then as I’m about to sleep, I’d get texts at 1 a.m. like, “They’re available now. Can you teach?”
Wild
My income from the French tutorials ranged from ₦20k to ₦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 ₦105k and ₦120k a month.
However, I was only living on the income from the French classes. I didn’t touch the $60 (about ₦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’ve been unemployed since.
How have you been surviving?
On my savings. At the time I lost the gigs, I had saved about ₦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’m down to about ₦500k. I’m stressed out about touching it more because I’ll be finishing school in four months. Going home won’t be a death sentence, but I know it’ll 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’t disown me, they’re 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 ₦600k – ₦2m/month, I should be able to find someplace decent. I don’t 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 ₦5m in the bank and am earning ₦1m/month, I’d be good. I’m pitching and applying to a lot of jobs, hoping something clicks soon.
Rooting for you. I’m curious. You’re living on your savings. Do you no longer receive pocket money from home?
I do, but it’s 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’t bring myself to ask them for money for food or data.
Since February, I’ve only received about ₦27,500 from home. There’s no specific amount to expect. My mum just sends ₦5k whenever she can. So, I’m 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 ₦50k and ₦60k. That ₦30k for feeding includes lots of garri and spaghetti.
As you can probably already tell. I’m stringent with money. I don’t spend anyhow. I imagine I don’t have any savings, so I often forget it, which helps me not spend.
Is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?
OMG, there are so many. I need a new laptop battery and a new phone — 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’m in my final year and have project expenses. Printing costs ₦50-₦100 per page, and my questionnaire is 4 pages long. I need to distribute 250 copies. I only printed 20 and stopped there. I’ve even cancelled out the prospect of participating in FYB events. It’s 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’m applying for jobs and getting silence or rejections. It’s stressful because graduating in a few months feels like a deadline. There’s nothing to be happy about. I just need someone to hire me. I need an income badly.
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