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.
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What’s your earliest memory of money?
When I was 8, I participated in a dance competition at my dad’s association party. The prize money was ₦1m, so I danced my heart out. Unfortunately, another child won.
And they actually gave the winner ₦1m?
They gave the winner a ₦1m cheque. This was when it dawned on me that I could do something for people or provide value for money. In this case, the value was dancing, or at least the people who paid for it thought it was valuable enough to drop money.
Phew. I’m still stuck on the kind of association that could afford to give a child that much to dance
My memory is hazy now, but I think it was an office association. My dad’s an architect, and we were financially comfortable. My mum stopped working after she had me and my siblings, and my dad provided all we needed.
When was the first time you earned money yourself?
I started writing on Facebook in 2016, mostly short stories. I didn’t get into uni immediately after secondary school, so it was like a gap year, which I spent fooling around on Facebook. The stories helped me connect with other writers on the platform.
I continued writing after I got into uni in 2017. One day, a writer friend told me he had taken too many jobs and asked if I could take one off him. The job was to write a novel. I can’t remember how many words, but it was really long. I wanted to try it out, so I accepted it. He paid me ₦10k. It was the first time I made money outside of my parents. I was pretty excited.
After that job, I joined some writing groups and got a few other gigs. They were mostly ₦1 per word gigs, and I often made up to ₦35k in a good month. That was minus my ₦10k/month pocket money.
In other words, you were a big girl
Exactly. But I used money to do rubbish. On one hand, I was such a saver who never spent any money on myself. I kept money as if something would come and take it away.
On the other hand, I readily spent my money on friends. I was literally doing giveaways on top of ₦40k. I’d call my friends and take them out to restaurants or the cinema, or just go outside to have fun.
In 2019, I got a consistent gig to write celebrity and entertainment articles for a magazine. It paid ₦2500 per article, and I wrote about 40 articles monthly. The money was great — my salary was often in the ₦100k range — but the job affected my mental health.
My boss couldn’t give feedback without belittling me, which was exhausting. I stuck around for the money, but after an opportunity with a literary magazine came up during COVID, I jumped at it.
What opportunity?
The magazine put out a call for contributor pitches. I sent one about how I was adjusting to COVID-19 as an extroverted person who couldn’t hang out with her friends. The magazine reached out and offered me $100 per article to write stories about COVID-19.
I initially thought the email was a scam, so I ignored it. It wasn’t until they sent me a reminder before I started to take them seriously. I even got my lawyer aunt to review the contract because I was so scared. Eventually, I accepted it was real.
I wrote 18 articles for the magazine over six months. During this time, I lost the ₦100k gig because my employer said she was tired of my errors. I still had the magazine gig, so I didn’t mind losing that job. However, the COVID series stopped in June 2021, and my income returned to zero. I didn’t get another gig for the rest of the year, so I focused on school.
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Speaking of, how were you juggling writing and school work?
It was a lot of juggling. I was in my third year of medical school and had to do a lot of late nights. I’d stay up at night to write and read and then go to the hospital in the morning.
My schedule eased slightly in 2021 because I got fewer gigs. I just coasted through with my savings and pocket money. In August 2022, I did a one-year stint with someone who needed real estate articles for ₦210k/month. I also periodically got ₦10 – ₦15 per word writing gigs from a friend I met on social media.
By 2023, I was tired of writing and wanted to do something else. My ex-boyfriend was always talking about cybersecurity, and I began to take an interest in the field. It sounded like a career I could also merge with medicine. If I decided not to practice, I could venture into securing Electronic Health Records (EHR) or something in that line.
So, I started reading about cybersecurity and finding learning resources. I also joined a one-year fellowship for cybersecurity training.
Did you have to pay for this training?
No, it was free, and I also got a certificate. In 2024, I started looking for internships to get practical experience. Learning cybersecurity is better within a job context than just relying on modules and theories. So, I began cold-emailing people, asking for internships.
By August, someone decided to give me a chance and gave me an internship with their consulting firm. The salary was ₦50k/month, which honestly felt like a downgrade from where I came from, but I needed the experience.
How long did the internship last?
I worked there until March 2025, when I got my current job. I saw a job post on LinkedIn about a company looking for a security consultant, and I applied even though I didn’t have all the certifications.
Three interviews later, I got the offer and saw ₦700k+. Actually, it’s a Nigerian-UK company, so my salary is £350. I had to create a UK bank account, and after the payment clears and I transfer to my naira account, it’s around the ₦700k mark.
I left my first salary in my account for weeks because it didn’t really click that I was earning that much. I couldn’t believe it. It took a while to get used to my new “status”.
I’m curious. What does a security consultant do?
My company audits other organisations for standards, such as ISO and NDPA audits. Companies must have the necessary documentation and certification to avoid trouble with their regulators.
Fintechs, for instance, need to show certification that they’re upholding certain standards and safeguarding people’s money so the central bank doesn’t come for them. This certification comes after implementation and IT audits from companies like my employer, and I help with the audits.
And you’re doing all this while still in medical school?
See, it’s very stressful. I’m currently in my final year, and it’s a lot to juggle. My employer knows I’m a student, but I still work full-time, so I can’t give excuses. My job is my first priority.
I also write on the weekends. I still take writing gigs occasionally, so those keep me busy too. I have this huge, maybe irrational, fear of going broke. I’m in an “anything can happen” phase, so I feel like I need to work and save as much as possible. I’m not exactly sure why.
I save 50% – 60% of my salary from my 9-5 and live on the rest, plus what I make from the occasional writing gig. It’d be tough for anyone to guess how much I earn by looking at me because I rarely spend on myself. As a student, I also have limited expenses, so it’s easy to give in to my default setting to keep money.
Are you saving towards a particular goal?
I’m saving for rainy days. In case something ever happens, I have something to fall back on. I currently have about ₦2m in a savings app.
I’m also considering a birthday trip later in the year, so I have a separate savings account for that. I want to travel to Ghana or Togo, and I expect it to cost me around ₦700k. At the moment, I only have $190 saved for that purpose, but I expect to reach that figure in a couple of months.
What do your typical monthly expenses look like?
My living expenses change depending on the month. For instance, I’ll spend far more in the next couple of months because of final year activities. I’m paying ₦200k for my dress and hair for a final year dinner. I also need to buy the dinner tickets and accessories, so I’ll probably move some of my typical monthly expenses around to pay for them.
You’re in final year. Is the plan to practice medicine or stick to cybersecurity?
I might dump medicine, but nothing is set in stone yet. I’m just glad I have alternatives. Practising medicine would depend on whether I leave Nigeria.
I really don’t want to do medicine here because it’s terrible. I earn more than my consultants, and they’re at the highest level of the medical field. I don’t want to be married with kids and suffering with ₦300k or ₦400k. I also don’t fancy the idea of relocating and starting all over again in another person’s land.
The one thing that might push me abroad is if the person I marry wants to leave or has already left. If that happens, I’ll practice medicine abroad. But for now, there’s no push for me to relocate.
So, it’s looking like I’ll just complete house job and NYSC when it’s time and say “fuck this shit” to medicine if remuneration doesn’t get better. At least, with cybersecurity, I know I won’t stay at ₦700k for the next five years. I’ll get a raise at some point.
My dad doesn’t think it’s a real job — he just knows I sit in front of computers — but I’m financially comfortable, and it’ll only get better.
How would you describe your relationship with money?
I’m trying to break free from the spirit of stinginess to self, because why am I making money but not spending it? But if someone comes to me with a need now, I’m opening my wallet.
So, I’m working on improving two aspects of my money: saving too much and doing unnecessary giveaways for people. Also, I want to get more comfortable with the idea of multiplying my money. So, rather than just savings, I’m actually investing.
I recently started with Nigerian stocks, just small ₦10k here and ₦20k there. I’m still learning the ropes, so I’m not doing anything heavy. I don’t want to cry if I lose money.
Besides investments, is there anything else you’d like to be better at?
I feel like I can earn more. I talk to people in my industry and know earning up to ₦5m/month is possible. ₦2m – ₦3m would even be great for me right now. I just need to level up and connect with people and organisations who need my services and can afford to pay more.
₦700k isn’t bad for my level, but it’s not great in the cybersecurity industry. I even shot myself in the foot during the interview because when they asked for salary expectations, I said between ₦600k and ₦800k. If I’d shot higher, I’d have probably gotten it. But that’s the price of being a greenhorn in the field.
Is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?
Nothing. I think I can pretty much afford whatever I want. Well, maybe a house in Banana Island or a car. But I think about things in terms of utility at the moment. I don’t really need a car right now; I can’t even drive. So, I wouldn’t classify it as something I want but can’t afford.
How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?
7. I’m grateful I’m no longer panicky about making money. I sometimes worry about losing my job and not having money anymore, but I’m good at what I do, so I remind myself there’s nothing to worry about.
I’m also financially comfortable, but I’m still not close to financial independence, which is something I want.
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