After five years in university and over $100k in fees, today’s subject on #NairaLife decided in his final year that he didn’t want to work in architecture again. Clearly, his parents weren’t happy.

But maybe their minds are changed now that he’s making tech money.

Before we enter 2023, these are 10 #NairaLife stories from this year absolutely everyone should read.

And if you’ve read them before, read them again.

Luno is a great way to get into cryptocurrency Download and start trading today. When they told me I’d be taking over writing Naira Life in January, I can’t lie, I was excited. What are the financial journeys, similarities, and differences of everyday Nigerians, and how has money affected their lives? My conversations with strangers led […]

This 27-year-old lawyer is the last of six children in a family that grew up very poor. Now that she’s making money, her family looks to her for their daily bread, and she’s tired.

This is #NairaLife 200.

The 45-year-old on this week’s #NairaLife moved to Lagos in 1997 to be a housemaid. Between then and now, she’s been a tailor, shop attendant, cleaner and housekeeper.

But after 25 years of work, her family still lives from hand to mouth. And she’s exhausted.

Today’s subject on #NairaLife is motivated to make money for one reason: to be as far away from 2016 as possible.

In 2016, she and her husband had to pick between borrowing to save her unborn child and her fractured knee because they couldn’t afford both.

Today, they have over $300k in savings.

The 23-year-old software quality assurance engineer on this week’s #NairaLife makes over $5k monthly. He made ₦50k at the beginning of the year. Of all the reasons he’s happy about his new income, being able to take care of his family comes first.

Before November 2020, the most money the 27-year-old on this week’s #NairaLife had made was ₦100k from a scholarship. Then she found affiliate marketing and made ₦2m in a year. Today, she makes ₦160k as a lawyer but knows she’s going back to marketing. 

This week’s subject on #NairaLife is a 25-year-old social media influencer. He talks about growing up poor and how seeing his mum’s efforts pushed him to start earning at 16. Today, he doesn’t need to leave his house to make his millions.

Luno is a great way to get into cryptocurrency Download and start trading today. If the 34-year-old in this #NairaLife stopped working, she’d be fine. But even with free ₦4.3m yearly and wealthy parents, she enjoys being independent while catching business owners who try to evade taxes. What’s your earliest memory of money? My grandma worked […]

Luno is a great way to get into cryptocurrency Download and start trading today. The 29-year-old subject of today’s #NairaLife is an Ifa priest born to Deeper Life parents. After a series of unfortunate events hit his family in 2001, he found solace in Ifa’s temple. Today he lives and earns money as a babalawo, and […]

The 30-year-old tech sis on this week’s #NairaLife makes ₦800k from her job. Impressive, right? Well, she also makes over ₦1m a month selling shoes on Instagram. And all her life, she’s only ever wanted to spend money on food and her family.  What’s your earliest memory of money? Staying in my mum’s shop, attending […]

If you shed a tear while reading this #NairaLife, you’re not alone. This subject went from sleeping on the floor with her family to going days without eating to sleeping outside. Then she decided she was going to make money, and nothing has stopped her ever since. 

In 2020, this 33-year-old got a ₦10m loan to start a farm. Today, the farm is not operational. He’s also been a teacher, gym instructor, HR manager, tailor, marketer, admin assistant and army recruit. He hopes to add ‘governor’ to that list. You’ll enjoy his #NairaLife.

When you read this #NairaLife, you’ll realise why the 32-year-old subject wanted to be a lecturer. But after finding out lecturers don’t make so much, he switched to work in finance. Five years later, he now earns more than many senior lecturers.

Since 2013, the subject of this week’s #NairaLife has worked for her brother’s publications as a writer, manager, HR and never earned more than ₦100k a month. If she could do it over again, she’d never work for him. But that’s just one of her many regrets.  

In 2018, the pro gamer on this week’s #NairaLife won the first-ever FIFA competition he played. It paid ₦100k. Since then, he’s represented Nigeria in Côte d’Ivoire and Israel, and has made up to ₦5m in one day playing FIFA.

After seven years, two children and a failed marriage, the 32-year-old subject of this week’s Naira Life returned to her parents’ home with just ₦500 to her name. How have things picked back up for her? 

After working at his mum’s bukka and motel for free almost all his life, and having to fend for a child at 22, the 27-year-old on this #NairaLife wants to make more money by going into tech…right after he’s done being a driver.

18 years, two companies, 10 different roles. It’s no wonder the subject on this week’s #NairaLife is looking forward to retiring at 45. His plan? Buy and lease a house in the UK and live off the rent money, then buy another. 

The 25-year-old on this week’s #NairaLife works as a guidance counsellor at his parents’ school for ₦100k a month. But before that, he did a lot for money, including selling pure water, thrifting clothes and fraud.

By 2019, this 23-year-old Naira Life subject didn’t know what to do with her life. Then she met a friend who told her to try UI/UX design. Four jobs later, she’s managed $65k a year. She thinks it would be more if she weren’t such a bad negotiator.  

Since the 27-year-old on this week’s #NairaLife finished secondary school in 2013, he’s had just one dream — to go to university. For now though, he’s working two security guard jobs in Lagos and running a small farm in Benue.

Between 1987 and 1995, the 52-year-old on this #NairaLife trained and worked as a programmer. After that, she became a secretary and rose through the ranks at the same company for the next 20 years. She retired because of office politics and now owns a laundry business.