investment stories

In 2020, Lekan* (31) thought he’d finally made it, until the pandemic left him broke overnight. In this story, he recounts his gritty climb back to financial independence. Spoiler alert: it was marked by long hours, smart investing, and a few strokes of luck.

As Told To Boluwatife

In early 2020, right before the lockdown, I thought I had finally made it.

In January, after about four years of working as a photographer/graphic designer for multiple employers, I transitioned into freelancing full-time, travelling across Nigeria for gigs and taking home what felt like a substantial income.

The final push to venture out on my own came after my 9-to-5 job cut my salary from ₦120k to ₦80k for no apparent reason. I realised I could make my salary in three days just from shooting portraits. I was already taking on photography gigs on the side and knew I could make more money if I dedicated more time to it.

My bet paid off. By February, only about a month after I quit, I had almost ₦1 million sitting in my account.

For the first time, I wasn’t thinking about survival. I was thinking about growth. So, I took a huge chunk of the money and bought a drone.

Then the world shut down.

I’d just returned from a work trip when the government announced it would be locking down some states because of COVID. I’d heard about the virus going around in China, but I didn’t know it had hit home so quickly.

At first, I wasn’t worried. I had ₦200k left and thought the lockdown would only last a few weeks. That was a stupid error on my part. I had no idea how much the lockdown would affect the creative economy.

Everything came to a standstill, even after the lockdown was eventually lifted.

No events.

No travel.

My gigs evaporated overnight.

By May, I was down to my last ₦500, surviving on one meal a day and trying not to panic. Noodles and garri became my go-to food options.

At this point, I was living alone in Kwara, far from my parents, who were in Lagos. I’d moved there because of my 9-to-5 job and a desire to be independent. I didn’t know how to start asking them for money again. Besides, my parents were also dealing with the effects of the pandemic on their finances.

So, I tried to survive on my own, waiting for the next gig to come.

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The Breaking Point

My breaking point came in June. I woke up to the sound of my cleaner sweeping the floor. It was the end of the month, and her ₦8,000 salary was due. I didn’t have it.

That was the day I broke down and cried. It hit me that I was truly broke; I had no backup plan, no savings, and no idea where my next meal would come from.

Later that day, I got a call from an old client. He worked at a really big firm, and I’d shot a project for him the previous year. He told me he was visiting my city and asked to meet. I scraped together transport money and went.

We talked for hours. I told him how I wanted to “make it on my own” instead of moving back to Lagos. He listened quietly, then said something that stuck with me:

“Lekan, the easiest way to make money is to be close to where the money is. The most money you can find in Nigeria is in Lagos. The closer you are to the money, the higher your chance of finding opportunities.”

He told me Nigeria was too unstable for entrepreneurs and encouraged me to return home and find a job. At least, my parents had a house, and I could figure things out while I looked for opportunities.

Before I left, he gave me ₦10,000 for transport. That small act of kindness became the bridge between my breakdown and my comeback.

I took his advice and started looking for a job. Two months later, I’d found one and was back in Lagos.

I Decided I Would Never Go Broke Again

My new job was also in photography and paid ₦250k/month. I made myself a promise: I’d never go broke again to the point where I don’t know where my next meal would come from.

My strategy to fulfil that promise was to work till I dropped and network hard enough to find as much work as possible. Rather than spend my free time after work playing video games or partying, I spent it working on side gigs.

Luckily, my 9-to-5 was remote, and I only had to go to the office when we had shoots. When I wasn’t at the office, I filled my time by shooting for other people, taking on graphic design gigs, and seizing any opportunity that came my way. Most of the time, I earned the equivalent of my salary from these gigs.

This strategy allowed me to live 100% off my side gigs and save the entirety of my salary. I clocked into dollar investments around that period, so I saved all my money in dollars through an investment platform, using their real estate and fixed assets options. Then, the exchange rate was about ₦450 to $1 and after converting my salary, I was saving around $500 monthly.

For about a year and a half, I grinded every day and didn’t touch a single kobo of my salary. I worked up to 18 hours a day, slept for only four hours, and just kept going. My body suffered, and I even developed high blood pressure that I still manage today, but I kept stacking money. I was addicted to seeing the figures in my investment app go up.

By 2022, I had saved over $8,000.

My First Lucky Break: Arbitrage

That same year, I started paying close attention to the dollar-naira exchange rate. I had noticed how quickly the naira fluctuated in that period — one week ₦580, the next ₦620, then back again. I thought I could make some money from it if I made close enough predictions.

I had this bureau de change guy whom I called almost every day to check the rates and compare with the rates I saw online. I started to notice a pattern that implied the rates were about to fall again: ridiculous differences between the buy and sell rates.

I’ll paint a scenario using 2022 rates: If the dollar moves from ₦500+ to ₦700, more people want to buy dollars. However, if it drops to ₦620, most people start to sell off their dollars because it appears the dollar is losing value.

The bureau de change guy also doesn’t want to hold on to more dollars, so if you try to sell to him, he’ll offer to buy at a ridiculous price. The Central Bank can say the dollar is ₦620, but he says he’ll buy a dollar at ₦550.

But then, if you want to buy dollar from him, he’ll tell you ₦680. Why? Because he’d bought those dollars when they were more valuable, and he doesn’t want to lose money.

So, whenever I called my bureau de change guy and saw a ridiculous difference in the buy and sell rates, I predicted there would be another fluctuation. So, I started making some crazy moves.

I did the opposite of what everyone else was doing. Instead of holding onto dollars when the value increased, I’d take out my savings, convert it all to naira and then wait for it to dip over the next couple of days. Then buy the dollars back to make some profit.

Those moves were risky gambles, but I thought, “the worst thing that can happen is that I’ll lose some value. I won’t lose the whole thing.” I did that at least once every two or three months, whenever the exchange rate started its thing.

I made small gains here and there, as well as a few losses. Sometimes I didn’t even make anything. But the thing about arbitrage is, you need a lot of capital to make a substantial profit.

So, in mid-2022, I sensed a massive fluctuation coming and withdrew all my savings of just under $10k and converted it to naira. I’m not sure how much the dollar had risen to then, but it dropped back down by about ₦100 a few days later, and I bought the dollars back.

I made almost $1k in profit from that move; $1k without doing anything major. That was my first proper money from arbitrage.

I did it a few more times, but I don’t think I made up to that amount again. I also didn’t have really crazy losses. The most I lost on a move was ₦400k.

My Second Lucky Break Came From the Government

In late 2022, I decided to pursue a master’s degree abroad. Most of my friends were moving abroad, and I didn’t want to be left behind. The master’s was my opportunity to do that and also take a chance on myself.

I had the money and didn’t need to worry about working multiple jobs to afford tuition. I applied to a school, got in and used my savings to pay tuition.

The tuition wasn’t in dollars, so I converted my savings to naira — it was ₦8.5 million — and used Form A to pay my fees. Form A was the Federal Government’s allocation that allowed citizens to pay for tuition abroad at official exchange rates; you didn’t have to pay the black market rate.

After I paid my fees, I think I had about ₦1 million left. I still needed to hustle for proof of funds, so I started talking to family and friends. While doing that, I realised I didn’t know much about what relocating to that country entailed.

Apparently, if I didn’t find a job willing to sponsor my visa within two years after my master’s program, I’d have to leave. Additionally, job sponsorships were becoming increasingly difficult to find.

The math didn’t make sense to me. I was paying so much money for tuition, and it didn’t even guarantee me a place in the country. It felt like too much of a gamble. Around the same time, I landed a new job that paid almost three times my salary. It felt like a sign from God to stay put. My fiancée also wasn’t ready to move with me as she didn’t have the necessary funds. I considered all that and decided to cancel the relocation thing and take the new job.

Next, I looked into the school and tried to see if they’d give me my money back. I called them, provided a lengthy explanation as to why I wouldn’t be attending anymore, and asked if I could receive a refund. To my surprise, they agreed.

Now, this was in 2023, and I paid my fees around 2022. During the six months between when I paid and when they refunded me, the exchange rate had almost doubled. By the time I received the naira equivalent of my tuition (approximately $19,000), it had increased to nearly ₦15 million.

Essentially, I “put in” ₦8.5 million and grew it to ₦15 million in six months. That one decision not to relocate unintentionally became my second big break.

After that, I still made small arbitrage moves occasionally, but I stopped risking too much. I had more to lose, so I converted currencies strategically while holding on to my core savings.

Present Day: I Can Finally Breathe

My approach to making money, saving and investing has changed. I still work a 9-to-5 job, and my monthly salary has grown to ₦1 million. I don’t work myself to the ground anymore, trying to live off side gigs.

I now save around 35–40% of my monthly income. I’ve stopped taking risky arbitrage bets. I could gamble like that because I was single. Now that I’m married with a child, I need to think about tomorrow differently.

That said, on the investment side, I’m now long on the naira. I noticed in 2024 that some policy changes meant money markets were returning almost 27% on investments steadily. So, I converted all my forex to naira funds instead. I just had faith that the ROI on money markets would be much more than whatever the naira devaluation would be. The naira has also been stable for a while.

Today, I have approximately ₦25 million invested in naira funds. I use a Nigerian bank’s fund manager for this, and make 18% per annum. It was 27% when I first started, so it’s dropped, but it’s still solid and safe. I also have an additional $5,000 in dollar investments that bring me just under 6% per annum. That’s a total portfolio of around $23k.

My finances have been stable for the most part, and it feels like I can finally breathe. Sometime last year, I went on my first real vacation. I felt like I had too much money saved up, so I took out close to $9,000 and took a trip across 10 countries. It was good to see the world after working 18-hour days for almost 3 years.

Sometimes, I remember that day in 2020 when I woke up crying because of ₦8000, and it feels like an entirely different life. I no longer feel that intense pressure. Even if I lose my job today, as long as I don’t do anything foolish, I can survive and pay my rent for at least three years.

I’m glad I made those early sacrifices and risks. They set me up for where I am today.

*Name has been changed for the sake of anonymity.

NEXT READ: I Quit My Job a Year Ago. 500 Applications Later, I’m Still Jobless

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What’s your earliest memory of money?

My aunt, whose place I used to wait at after school until my parents returned from work, usually gave my siblings and me ₦5 or ₦10 to buy sweets. Sometimes, we would take the money home and give it to our mum to keep. Of course, we never got the money back.

Of course. What was the financial situation at home like?

My parents were civil servants, and growing up was pretty chill. We weren’t “rich”, but I never worried about what my next meal would be. I don’t think I lacked anything, really.

Do you remember the first time you earned money?

That was in uni. I made money writing assignments for some of my guys. I started it when I first got into uni in 2017, but I was a naive young boy. They’d ask for my help, and I’d do the assignments for free; I only asked for money for printouts.

However, in 300 level, I realised they were taking me for granted and I needed to start charging for my time. So, I began demanding small payments, usually ₦2k – ₦3k.

How often did these assignment requests come?

Not frequently. In a semester, I could do about six assignments. My earnings from that supplemented my ₦10k – ₦25k/month pocket money, so I lived a relatively okay life as a student. At least, I didn’t go hungry even though I rarely cooked.

Besides the assignments, I also had a couple of volunteering stints with an NGO, where I got a ₦2k stipend whenever we went out for campaigns. It wasn’t an actual income.

Fast forward to 2022, I graduated from uni, then I taught at a secondary school for NYSC the following year. My only income was the ₦33k allawee, which I supplemented with money I made from shoemaking.

I need to give you some context for this shoemaking part.

Haha. Yes. When did you learn shoemaking?

2022. The long ASUU strike came just before my final exams, and I was idle and frustrated at home. I wanted to learn a skill that wasn’t already saturated. I’d already learnt graphic design earlier, but I wasn’t getting any gigs. I didn’t want to be a fashion designer because that’s what all my siblings learnt, and it felt like I knew too many tailors.

One day, I just thought, “What of shoemaking?” I didn’t know many people who did that, and I felt that footwear was something everyone bought, whether they had money or not. In fact, at the time, my footwear was the most expensive thing I owned. That’s how I came to a decision: I would learn shoemaking.

My parents were against it, though. They wanted me to continue in graphic design. Some of my friends didn’t like the idea either, mostly because of the “prestige”.

They said, “How can you be a graduate making shoes?”

But I didn’t care. We’re talking about money here, and you’re saying graduate. Is it better to be a poor graduate?

Plus, the person I planned to learn from was also a graduate. So, that was extra motivation. I was just like, “Fuck it. This is what I’m going to do.”

Energy. Did you have to pay to learn?

Yes. I paid ₦30k. The training was supposed to last a year, but I ended up learning for about four months because ASUU called off the strike, and I had to return to school.

However, from the first day of my training, I was already telling people I made footwear. I didn’t know how to do shit, but I was posting, “I’m a shoemaker” on my WhatsApp status.

My boss was a very nice woman. Whenever I received orders, I would tell her, and we would make the footwear together. It made me learn faster, while earning small cash on the side. I made like ₦1k profit on a ₦5k pair of palm slippers.

I moved to a different state for NYSC in 2023 and didn’t have any way to continue learning. I didn’t even have a machine to work with, so I initially planned to act as a middleman for footwear orders. I’d take orders, look for a shoemaker to make them and charge a little profit. But after making a few findings, I realised the arrangement would make the shoes unaffordable for people.

Instead, I decided to talk to the shoemakers and asked them to allow me to work from their shops. Luckily, I found someone who allowed me to do that. He didn’t charge me, but I took the initiative to occasionally buy him bread and drinks, or give his apprentice small money whenever I worked at his shop.

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What was your income flow like?

It was pretty good. I stayed in a corper’s lodge, and sometimes I took the shoes I worked on home to complete them. When people saw me, they’d ask what I was doing, and I used that to spread the word. So, I was getting clients from my WhatsApp status and through word-of-mouth referrals.

In a month, I was sure of making at least five footwear. Some people also came to me for shoe repairs. My price for new footwear depended on the design. My customers were fellow corps members, and I couldn’t charge much. Plus, the number of shoes I made was more important to me than putting huge price margins on only one pair.

My only strategy was to add a ₦1200 profit to the cost of materials and transport for whatever footwear I was making. Then, there was a popular restaurant in my area that sold a plate of food for ₦1200. My reasoning was, “If I work, I’ll sha chop.”

Real. Did you do this throughout your service year?

Yes, I did. After I finished NYSC in 2024, I returned to the state where my uni is located, with a plan to double down on shoemaking. I was convinced I could make more money by putting more energy into my craft.

My theory worked. I stayed among students and quickly started getting customers. Unfortunately, my parents pressured me to return home to Lagos after three months. I got to Lagos and everything just dried up.

Phew. You stopped getting customers?

Not totally, but there was a big difference. During NYSC and in school, I had a community of people I could talk to and plug my work. But Lagos is like a jungle; no one sends you like that.

I decided to use the opportunity to improve my shoemaking skills. I found a shoemaker and paid ₦40k to learn more designs. I even paid the ₦40k in instalments.

How long was the training for?

I only spent about three months there because I secured an internship through a government-funded graduate internship scheme, which places people in various organisations. My internship was with an insurance company, and they paid me ₦60k/month for the three-month period.

While doing that, I returned to school for my master’s program because my parents wanted me to. They weren’t even in support of my learning more shoemaking skills. They insisted on the master’s until I relented. I’m still on it. I’ve completed my coursework, though; only my project is left.

How do you support yourself in school?

It’s mostly my parents. They don’t give me an allowance, but I tell them what I need for school, and they pay for it.

When I’m not in school, I live at home with them, so I don’t have major expenses. I handle petty expenses with the income from the occasional shoemaking orders. I usually pile up the orders for when I return home during the weekends so I can work on them at my boss’s shop.

On a positive note, I now have a filing machine, but that’s just one of the many pieces of equipment I’ll need if I hope to stand on my own one day.

What’s your income like these days?

I make an average revenue of ₦100k/ month, but my profit after deducting the cost of materials and transport only amounts to between ₦20k and ₦30k. It’s not big money, but at all at all na im bad.

At least, I’ve gone from charging ₦5k to at least ₦15k, and I market my business on my various social media platforms. I know I can earn more from this if I put in more effort and acquire additional equipment. I’m also jobhunting, but nothing has come out of that yet, so I’ll have to hold on to shoemaking.

If I push harder, I might even make more than whatever a 9-to-5 job would give me. I’m open to every opportunity.

You mentioned equipment. Have you thought about what you’d need?

The last time I wrote down a list of machines, it totalled about ₦10 million. But that’s on a full industrial scale. For a start, I estimate about ₦500k for equipment. The most important things I need are shoe lasts and a sewing machine. That ₦500k doesn’t include the cost of renting a shop. I don’t know how much that would be.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I’m stingy with money like mad because I don’t know where the next one will come from. If I don’t need something, I won’t buy it. My major expenses are data and small stocks that I buy once in a while.

Stocks? How did you start?

I started in 2020 with a fintech app that allows you to buy shares from global companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google. I didn’t know much about it; I just put money there that time. I can’t even remember how much. Then, when I was broke, I took it out.

It wasn’t until recently, when I started seeing buzz around foreign stocks, that I realised I could’ve made so much money if I hadn’t sold it. The incident drove me to research financial instruments and education. Now, I try to put small ₦1k here and there in stocks. I follow people who talk about money online and try to observe what they’re doing.

I currently have like ₦40k spread across both Nigerian and US stocks. The dividends aren’t much because it’s still small money, but I figure it’ll grow as I stay consistent with it through the years.

Do you also save, or are stocks your primary financial instrument?

I don’t typically save. I used to buy dollars to keep my money before, but I stopped because the naira started gaining against the dollar, and it no longer seemed profitable to buy dollar. I should also have some Bitcoin somewhere, but it’s been a while.

Let’s break down your typical monthly expenses

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

If I see ₦500k/month right now, whether from a 9-to-5 job or my business, I’ll be chilled.

What do future plans look like for you right now?

Honestly, I’m still figuring it out. I want to do more with shoemaking; I also want to get a good job. I’ve been searching for one within the advocacy sector, but I’m fine with anything. There’s still a lot to figure out, but I’m optimistic and hopeful. I believe my future is bright.

Rooting for you. Is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?

I’d like to change my phone to an iPhone 11 Pro Max. I don’t even know how much they sell it. Maybe ₦400k?

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

Happiness? Zero, abeg. I’m not happy at all. I have no cash. That’s not a happy situation.

Hoping things change for the better soon. What would make you happy?

Thank you. If I see 100 orders now, I’m sure that rating will change. I believe it’ll happen one day.

If you’re interested in talking about your Naira Life story, this is a good place to start.

Yes, I want to do a Naira Life!

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What’s your earliest memory of money?

I heard the term “school fees” for the first time in primary one, and I had two distinct thoughts. The first was, “Why is anyone charging money for school?” School felt like an essential part of life, and I didn’t know people paid for it.

The second thought was, “Does my mother also pay school fees?” She was a teacher, so I assumed we both had to pay school fees. When I asked her, she laughed and explained that she worked to get money and then used the money to pay my fees. That’s the first time I realised things weren’t free.

What was money like growing up?

I spent most of my childhood unaware of whether we were rich or poor. My mum didn’t allow thoughts like that to fester. When I asked for something she couldn’t afford, she’d emphasise the importance of being content with what I had. There was no room for self-pity.

My mum also handled the money and was responsible for financial decisions at home. I can’t remember what my dad did for money. I just know he fixed or repaired things.

In JSS 3, I finally noticed we really didn’t have money like that. I kept missing school and almost didn’t write the junior WAEC due to payment delays.

One annoying boy in my class kept pointing out that it was because we were poor. I got my revenge on that boy by beating him to the first position. At least, academics vindicated poverty.

I’m screaming. When was the first time you worked for money?

2016. After graduating from uni — I went to a school in Kenya — I took an 8-month internship at a bank. My pay was KSh 10,000/month, which was about ₦25k. The money wasn’t even enough to cover a student, much less a working person.

Fortunately, I lived with someone, which cut down my food expenses. I only spent on transportation, data, and the occasional snack at lunch. It was still not much money to live on, but moving to Kenya for uni had taught me how to manage money. I’d learnt to channel the little I got from my mum and random donations from strangers to school fees and necessities, so adjusting to my pay wasn’t so difficult.

I’m curious. Why a Kenyan uni?

I finished secondary school at 14, and I think my mum was scared that Nigerian universities wouldn’t want to take me. So, she sent me there and we made it work.

Fast forward to my internship at the bank. It was finance-related, and I enjoyed it. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to make a career out of it. My interests veered towards development, governance, and public speaking because that was all I did in school. I participated in many extracurricular events in my undergraduate days: hosted events, participated in school council elections, and attended every campaign. I’d hear there was a “save the trees” campaign somewhere, and I’d go. Did I care about the trees? No, I just loved attending and participating in the campaigns.

It was pretty clear my passion was in the development sector. So, while I worked at the bank, I also applied for a master’s degree in development studies. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a scholarship. So, after my internship ended, I packed my bags and returned to Nigeria.

What was the plan?

I decided to do my NYSC. I returned in 2017, and it was a fantastic idea because I finally got to work with a development organisation. The NGO paid me ₦25k/month, and I got the ₦19800/month stipend from NYSC.

The highlight for me was how much I learned. I travelled to 13 states and multiple communities across Nigeria, doing important work. I hoped they’d retain me after NYSC, but I only did two extra months of consultancy with them. At least they paid me ₦120k/month for those two months, which I left in a savings account.

I’d also saved most of my salary throughout service year — I lived with people, so my expenses were minimal. So, after the consultancy, I carried all my savings and travelled to Rwanda for vacation. Now that I’m saying this, I realise I can have a sort of arrogant confidence about money and don’t mind spending it on things I want. I was jobless and had nothing to return to, but I still went ahead and travelled for a month.

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What did you do when you returned?

I was unemployed for five months, applying for several jobs. I survived that period by just staying indoors and avoiding billing. I also lived with a very chill person, and they allowed me to figure things out.

I finally landed a job in May 2019. It was another NGO role, but my salary this time was ₦88k. A month later, I left it for a communications intern role at an NGO that paid ₦80k.

Wait. Why?

It’s funny, but the ₦80k job had a better work environment. The office had natural light, and my colleagues were younger. It looked like a more challenging environment with better opportunities for me, so I took the pay cut.

It wasn’t great money, but I could finally move to my own apartment. About eight months into the internship, my salary was reviewed to ₦120k. A few months later, an older colleague sent me an opportunity to join the global arm of the NGO. I applied and got the job.

It was wild because I was just an intern, not an officer or advisor. It was practically unheard of for an intern to jump to the global branch. My salary jumped to ₦350k, and I mostly worked remotely since I worked with the international team. It was sweet. I only left the job in 2021 because I finally got a master’s scholarship after years of trying.

Love it! You had been trying while working?

I never stopped trying. I even furnished my apartment lightly because I kept waiting for an admission to click. The thing is, I was getting the admissions, but funding was the problem.

When funding finally came, I packed my bags and moved to the UK. I’d saved about ₦2m over the years, and everything went into visa fees (plus the crazily expensive £600 health surcharge), flights, and shopping.

The scholarship also came with a stipend, about £3k/quarter. It wasn’t enough to cover all my bills and £450/month rent, so I got two part-time hybrid jobs. It was basically the same job in two different places. My school had an online platform where students could access courses, and I helped two different departments optimise the digital learning experience for fellow students. The pay was £10/hour, and I split my 20 hours/week work limit between both jobs.

Was that good money?

It was. I worked both jobs until I finished my postgraduate program in 2022, saving £3k in the process. Foolishly, that money still went to the British government.

I couldn’t stay back in the UK without transitioning to a work visa, and I heard of an option where I could pay £2k for a post-study work visa. It’d allow me to stay in the UK for two years. It was enough time to hopefully find an employer willing to sponsor a longer-term skilled worker visa.

So, I used my savings to pay for that, but unfortunately, I didn’t get a sponsored job. Actually, I got a job with an NGO, but it was a £600/month internship that couldn’t sponsor my visa. I just took it because I’d finished my program, and there was no scholarship stipend anymore.

Less than a month later, I landed a remote senior advocacy role with another US-based NGO. This one paid $3500/month. It made escaping the UK much easier.

How did you go from wanting a visa to wanting to escape?

You know how I once left a job because another office had natural light? The whole UK doesn’t have natural light. The sky is always grey and drizzling, and the people never smile. I’m a very expressive person, and the place was too gloomy for me. It was borderline depressing.

Besides, the UK internship was just one year, and the US job paid six times what I earned. There was no point waiting for a visa when I didn’t like the country and was constantly fighting depression. So, I told my UK employer I wanted to return home for a short break. I returned to Nigeria and completed the rest of my internship remotely while working with the US people.

Was the plan to return to Nigeria permanently?

The plan was to come and decongest for about three months, soak up some sunshine, and eat amala. I even tried to rent an apartment for three months, but I saw a three-bedroom flat for ₦1.5m/year. That was equivalent to my one-month rent in the UK, where I shared a bathroom with five people.

I took the place thinking, “Well, if I leave before the rent expires, it won’t pain me because that’s what I’d have spent for one month.” It’s been two years, and I’m still here.

I faced a lot of backlash from people. The common consensus was: Why would you leave the abroad to come back here? But I told people, “Omo, you can pick the struggle you want.”

You can do well financially, have great pictures abroad, see snow, and be depressed. Or you can come back to Nigeria, be with your people and just be in community and content. My two-year UK visa has even expired, so I’m still here for the foreseeable future.

What’s your income like these days?

It’s actually zero. I just started a three-month sabbatical this July. But, up until June, I worked with the US-based NGO that paid me $3500. My salary increased to $4k/month after about a year.

Why are you on a sabbatical?

Burnout. I’d been tired for a while, and a few months ago, I had a terrible travel experience in an African country that led to a four-day detention. I think the trauma and general exhaustion from life just triggered a mental breakdown. I couldn’t concentrate at work and needed a break.

I wanted to take a year off, but my money will finish, and I was scared I’d completely lose the motivation to return to work. So, three months seemed safe. Right now, I plan to get back to myself first and hopefully get back in a mental space to think about work.

Fingers crossed. How did you financially prepare for a sabbatical, though?

I didn’t need to plan anything, so it wasn’t hard. I’ve automated my finances in a way that I think should sustain me even if I didn’t have to work for a year.

I typically live way below my means. I wouldn’t touch July’s salary on a normal day because I’m still living on January’s salary. Only 25% of my earnings go to day-to-day living expenses, 20% to tithe, offering, and children-based charities, and the rest to savings and investments.

For the latter, I have a high-yield savings account on a fintech app that also allows me to invest in stocks. My savings and investment budget is $2200/month, so I put $1200 in low-risk stocks on the app and $1k in the high-risk ones. My portfolio is currently $23k (about ₦35m).

I also have ₦5m in a fixed-deposit account because my brother got into uni last year, and I wanted some money aside from my main purse in case I needed to dip into it to sponsor him. I also have two plots of land I got for ₦15m early this year and ₦1m in Nigerian shares to diversify my investments.

Can you break down the day-to-day living expenses bit for a typical month?

I’ve been collecting art since February because I dreamt that my artist friends will soon blow and I’m hoping their art will become millions in my house.

I rate it. Do you deliberately set out to live below your means?

It has much to do with how I grew up; the “be content with you have” mindset. I literally just started learning to buy new things for myself. My mum was the queen of thrift shopping and seeking out bargains. I can spend five years researching a product I want to buy to ensure I’m getting value for my money, no matter how negligible the amount.

The only thing I don’t have a budget for is travel. Once there’s a destination and I have the money for it, I’m gone. I’ve been to over 20 countries, and no one paid for any. I don’t even think twice about the money. I also spend money on friends and relatives.

But when I’m not travelling or giving people money, I’m keeping it. Sometimes I wonder what I’m keeping money for. The whole “Pay yourself first. Invest before you spend” rhetoric doesn’t apply to me because I don’t need discipline to save money.

Tell me more

Being prudent is the only way I know how to be. I’ve noticed there’s a bit of perfectionism in how I handle my finances. I believe God gives me everything I have to be a good steward of it. What will I have to show for the money if I’m just flinging it around, spending like crazy? Besides, how much is the money sef? If God can’t trust me with something small, how will he trust me with more?

So, I guess in my head, I’m just keeping money and waiting to discover what I’m supposed to use it for. One thing I really want to do, though, is to buy a three-bedroom apartment one day so I can give it to my granddaughter. It’s funny, but it has to be my granddaughter. It feels symbolic. Maybe that’s the thing I’m keeping money for.

Have you made any lifestyle changes since you’ve gone on sabbatical?

I was hoping to cut down my expenses, but I can’t lie; lifestyle inflation has entered. It’s not yet the end of the month, but I’ve already maxed out my baby girl stash by 300%. I just have more cravings these days. It’s like I just want to eat amala and buy two-piece outfits.

I’ve not gone beyond my total budget. Even if I continue like this for three months, I won’t eat up to one month’s salary. But I’m a little disappointed I haven’t been able to shrink my expenses since I’m not earning. I need to do better.

How has your income growth over the years impacted how you think about money?

I think it’s a full circle moment because I remember reading a Naira Life story in 2019, and there was a chart that showed how the guy’s income grew over the years. It was a straight upwards slant, like from zero to 100 real quick, and I remember showing my colleagues.

We also plotted our own graphs to look at our career trajectories and see how our growth could be just as slanted. It’s interesting because if I were to do that now, my upward growth would be just like that guy’s own.

I’m responsible for more now, but the principles have always remained the same. I’m content with what I have and diligent with managing and multiplying whatever comes into my hands when it eventually does. I live below my means, but I also believe in spoiling myself occasionally. That’s all there is to it.

Is there an ideal amount you think you should be earning right now?

I don’t know. I want money, but I don’t want to be the one earning it anymore. I’m very much romanticising the idea of being an “Iyawo oga” so I can use my money to buy a beach house in Epe.

Haha. What about something you want but can’t afford?

I want a Mercedes-Benz. I have the specific model and colour in mind, but while I can afford it, I can’t afford the mental gymnastics that come with owning a Mercedes right now. Maybe unless I also get a mechanic attached to it so they can handle all the wahala that comes with driving that car.

What was the last thing you bought that required serious planning?

A ₦12k wok. I went to like three different stores before I settled on one, but that thing is fantastic. There’s no stir-fry I can’t do in that thing, and it cleans easily.

If we were going for a more conventional answer, I’d say the last month-long slow travel I did across two countries. It cost me $6k, and I had to do some financial planning for that.

Do you have any financial regrets?

I lost about ₦700k in total to bogus farm investments during my NYSC period in 2018/2019, and I still feel foolish that I didn’t run when they said they’d give me 20% returns per month. Maybe I was just a thief.

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

In terms of how much I’m earning, I’d say 7. I believe I should be earning within the $8k – $10k range for my work. I’m probably not earning that yet because of where I am. But in terms of how I handle my finances, I’d say 8/10. I’m not doing badly, but I want to practice letting go of certain expenses and be better.

If you’re interested in talking about your Naira Life story, this is a good place to start.

Yes, I want to do a Naira Life!

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Zikoko Daily Ships Money by Zikoko Her

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In 2024, this entrepreneur experimented with naira and dollar investments and grew her net worth by 29% across three different investment instruments. This is how she did it.

As told to Boluwatife

Model not affiliated with the story. Actual subject is anonymous.

In 2024, I decided to take financial literacy and investments seriously. Until then, I’d stuck with saving; it was straightforward at a time I felt investment instruments like mutual funds and treasury bills were complicated. I didn’t want to lose my money.

But the naira’s downward spiral since mid-2023 and its negative effect on my import-heavy ready-to-wear clothing business changed my attitude toward saving money.

I started saving in dollars. It was a more stable currency, and my business was at least 60% dollar-denominated, so it made perfect sense.

For my dollar savings to work, I needed a fintech product where I could convert my naira easily. So, I picked Risevest. The app automatically converts my money to dollars when I send naira to my savings wallet. Plus, there’s some interest paid on the savings at the end of every month. Win-win.

Using the app made me curious about investments again. They offered different investment instruments, and I started learning about risk appetites and investment options.

But first, research. I turned to YouTube videos and disturbed two friends who work in finance when I came across concepts I didn’t understand.

Ultimately, I decided I wanted to put my money into investments, starting with four options. This is how they did:

US Real Estate

On the 9th of February 2024, I put my $500 savings into a year-long real estate plan on my fintech app.

The real estate plan is a medium-risk plan that uses the invested capital to purchase rental properties in the US. The returns come in monthly, but the amounts aren’t set in stone as they depend on the housing market’s performance.

At the end of the first month, I got almost $6 in returns. It continued every month with varying returns, and I remember thinking, “What? This is great!” It felt like free money.

Also, I saw the returns coming in, but I couldn’t touch the money until my investment matured at the end of the year. It worked for me because I wanted to teach myself discipline.

In total, I made about $63 in dividends in 2024 — 12.6% of my invested capital — and I expect more when my plan matures in February 2025. I intend to put more money into the real estate plan and re-invest this year. I’ll possibly keep re-investing for a while; I don’t need the money now, so I’d rather it keep growing.

Agriculture

I’m from Maiduguri, and it’s common to negotiate with corn farmers during planting season — you buy bags of corn from them in anticipation of harvest, store the bags until the demand for corn increases, then sell them for a profit.

I tried this investment for the first time in 2022. I gave my mum ₦200k to buy five bags of corn at ₦40k each, and when she returned my money four months later, I’d made ₦20k profit on each bag, bringing my total returns to ₦100k. It was a sweet 50% profit, and I knew I’d try the investment option again.

So, in 2024, I invested ₦640k in corn cultivation. I bought eight bags at ₦80k each but made ₦12k on each bag four months later.

I didn’t make as much profit this time due to the terrible Nigerian economy and decreased demand for corn. Insecurity was another problem: you could purchase bags from a farmer to discover that bandits had raided his farm, and he lost everything. Storage issues and pests also affected the produce quality.

So, my agricultural investment wasn’t as profitable as I expected. I made only 15% profit on my invested capital. 15% is great; I just hate that the Nigerian economy might be ruining this income opportunity. I plan to try corn farming again and diversify to cocoa and cassava in 2025.

Nigerian Stocks

In September 2024, I heard about Bamboo and downloaded it to see what they were doing there.

An investment banker friend I reached out to explained that investing in stocks requires a lot of informed intuition. Stocks are high-risk investments, and prospective investors need to listen to news about the company they want to invest in. This helps them understand when the company is likely to increase or decrease in value.

I funded my account with ₦5k — an amount I knew I could “gamble with” and bought a few units of MECURE stocks. I was lucky and my stocks tripled in value three months later, and I sold my position at ₦13,217 — a 164% growth. I didn’t want to risk leaving the stocks and potentially losing my initial capital.

The money is still in my Bamboo wallet, and I’ll probably use it for some investment experiments this year. If I lose my money, fine. I can just add a bit more over time and use it to properly understand how stocks work. Who knows? I could also become more comfortable taking risks.

Physical Assets

Another thing I tried in 2024 was investing in gold. I haven’t made any money from it, but in September, I bought a gram of 24-carat gold at ₦135k. Today, a gram costs ₦165k. I don’t plan to resell soon; I just think of gold as a valuable asset in an emergency. I can sell gold at any time. I’ll possibly sell gold before converting my dollars to naira.

Bonus: Dollar Savings

In 2024, I also decided to build up my savings portfolio specifically for investments. Every month, I saved at least 25% of my income plus any extra money I got in my dollar savings wallet. This ensured I had capital for the little investments I did.

This approach also helped me increase my savings by about 60%. In January 2024, I had $1400+ saved. By December, this had grown to $3,535 — minus the capital locked in real estate.

Additionally, the app pays up to 8% annual interest (paid monthly) on wallet savings. The total interest payments came to $79.26 by December 2024.

My investment outlook for 2025

Investing was the best financial decision I made in 2024. Seeing how much I made from the different instruments drove me back to the investment books in November. I liked the idea of extra money and wanted to know more.

I researched more about channels I previously didn’t understand, like treasury bills and mutual funds. I also got advice from my friends, and I’m really proud of how much I know now.

In 2025, I plan to diversify my investment portfolio and grow my wealth as much as possible. In January, I put ₦500k in treasury bills and ₦1.5m in the money market using an investment banking firm called Cordros Capital.

The returns on both investments are fixed at 20% and 25% per annum, respectively. I like that the rate is fixed and not subject to market speculation at all. So, I know that I can look forward to ₦475k returns from both at the end of the year.

If I have extra money, I might dabble in US and Nigerian stocks in the middle of the year. Of course, I’ll reinvest in real estate and agriculture and see how it goes. I’ve also thought about cryptocurrency, but I now accept that I’ll probably never understand it. So, I won’t be investing in crypto.

If you ask me to break my key investment learnings in the past year into action points, they’ll look like this:
- My cardinal rule for investing is to only put my money into things I understand and can explain to anyone else. It’s what I’d advise anyone too.
- Also, knowledge is essential in an investment journey. I took advantage of online resources, friends and communities like Money Africa. I also asked questions at every step of the way, and I’m glad I did. These days, almost all one needs to do is tag investment gurus on social media timelines to get answers. You can also ask questions on Reddit or NairaLand.
- Find something simple you can understand and consistently set a small amount aside to build a savings and investment culture. There’s a culture of shame around savings and investments, especially when we come online and see how much others have saved up.
I’m comfortable with my little nest egg, and you should be too.

Editor’s note: This is not financial advice. Please do all due diligence before investing in any of the channels mentioned in this article.

ALSO READ: 5 Nigerians Earning >₦700k Open Up About the Lives They Can Afford

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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?

That was in 1994. I’d just finished secondary school and had gone to spend the holiday with my uncle while I worked on uni admission. My uncle was a clergyman and was so generous. The man was just dashing me money. He could give me ₦200 to buy something worth ₦50 and ask me to keep the change. Or he’d just randomly give me money. It was the first time I ever had money that was mine.

I spent a few months at his place, and when I left, I’d gathered about ₦700. That was big money in 1994. It was even bigger in my eyes, especially because my family didn’t have much money. I opened a bank account with the ₦700 because it felt like the adult thing to do.

Tell me more about your family

My dad was a civil servant, and my mum was a trader. Both incomes didn’t do much to provide for our family. My dad tried to supplement his income by purchasing shares, and I remember he’d send me or any of my siblings to pay his dividend warrants into his bank account.

In those days, the company you bought shares from would post your dividend warrants to you by mail at the end of the year, which you’d then cash in at the bank. It’s unlike now, where people get their dividends straight into their accounts. Anyway, the income from the shares was often really small — I saw a ₦26 payment once.

Our financial situation was the reason my dad forced me into science class in secondary school. I wanted to join the commercial class because I had a knack for business management, but my two elder brothers studied science. My dad said he’d already bought all their textbooks and couldn’t afford to buy new ones. I wasn’t happy, but I managed. I even went on to study biochemistry at uni. It was at uni that I first made a conscious effort to make money.

When?

My first year of uni in 1997. I sold plastic hand fans. They had just come out, and the weather was hot, so I decided to try my hand at selling them.

I went home and bought the fans from our main market at ₦30 apiece. I sold them for ₦50 each, and the fans quickly became popular among students. Business was good. I stopped selling them after 100 level because I found it really difficult to balance my course requirements with a business.

With the business gone, I had to rely fully on whatever allowance my parents gave me, usually ₦2k – ₦3k. Even that didn’t come regularly because my dad had stopped working, and my mum was now the primary provider.

Whenever I was returning to school, I’d give my mum a list of the items I needed, but she’d only give me what she had. Once, I cried on the bus back to school because the foodstuff I was travelling back with wouldn’t last three weeks, and I couldn’t return home for another month or two. I’m not sure how I survived uni, but I did.

What happened after uni?

I wasn’t immediately mobilised for NYSC after I graduated from uni in 2001, so I worked briefly with my brother in his electronics store. I was his sales assistant, but he didn’t pay me. That period was a humbling experience.

Picture market people with a young girl they assume is a salesgirl who knows nothing. I had to deal with people talking to me anyhow. Fortunately, I didn’t have to stay too long before I went for NYSC in 2003.

After NYSC, I got my first real job with an FMCG company in 2005. I was supposed to come in as a jobber — to pick up the products and transport them from the distributors to retailers. But the company decided to take me on as a salesman instead. My job was to supervise the jobbers, ensure they met targets, and liaise with the retailers. It sounds like an important job, but the salary was only ₦22k/month.

Was ₦22k enough for anything?

Not at all. I lived with my parents, so I wasn’t paying rent, but I still struggled. I often worked overtime and on weekends to get my salary to ₦33k. In fact, my dad turned my job into prayer points during our morning and evening prayers. Everyone knew I was underpaid.

Fortunately, I was promoted to area sales manager in 2007 and got a salary bump to ₦45k. That happened because some top managers decided to give salespeople with degrees a chance to take the graduate trainee test. I was the only one who passed in my set; it was a computer-based test, and not many people knew how to use a computer.

I didn’t get another raise until 2010 when I got promoted to junior executive. My basic salary increased to ₦150k, and my takehome was ₦450k after allowances and commissions. I also received additional perks like an official car, domestic help allowance, and housing allowance. There was also a ₦35k weekly float for transportation and other quarterly bonuses. Those perks made my life easier.

Did you still have limited responsibilities at that time?

I got married in 2008, but my responsibilities didn’t increase. My husband handled most of the expenses. My only major contribution was rent, which the housing allowance covered. At this point, my financial situation was smooth and easy.

Fast-forward to 2016, I lost my job due to company restructuring. The loss came barely a month after I buried my dad, so I was coming out of huge expenses. My husband had to start paying rent in addition to everything else, and things generally became tight. My only saving grace was that I’d saved roughly ₦7.5m from all my years of working, and I put it all in money market funds, a high-interest deposit account (HIDA) and the stock market several months before I lost my job.

I actually started because a finance person I met online taught me about those investment channels. I already knew about stocks from my dad, but I learned that I didn’t have to wait for dividends from a company. I could also trade stocks by watching the market, buying stocks low and selling them high.

So, how did these investment channels save you?

I’d been investing in money market funds, and the monthly returns became my primary source of income. By then, my monthly returns were around ₦100k. One good thing about the money market is that the interest compounds. For instance, let’s assume you get ₦100k interest on ₦1m this month. By the next month, interest is calculated on the ₦1.1m in your account, so the new interest is higher.

In addition to the monthly returns from the money market, I also received a 28% interest from my HIDA account. I can’t remember how much it was now, but it was definitely not up to ₦100k.

I used my free time to return to school. It was always the plan, even when I had a job. Years back, I opened a separate account dedicated to saving for a post-graduate degree, and losing my job brought me the perfect opportunity. Between 2016 and 2023, I studied for a post-graduate diploma and a master’s in business administration. I also started my PhD.

Were the investment returns your only income source through this time?

For the most part, yes. But I also did several things at different points for money. During my master’s programme, I often helped some of my lecturers review their articles and taught some of them how to use Microsoft Office for little money here and there.

Once, I also helped my uncle, who was abroad, to buy some real estate property in Nigeria. I made about ₦550k in commissions from that. At another point, I invested in my sister’s mini computer accessories business. I invested about ₦5m to import the accessories and got my profit back after sales. We also split the profit. This happened thrice, and I made a total profit of ₦2m. I basically survived on these side incomes through those years. My husband also supported me from time to time.

I actually got a job at a hospital in 2022, but it was a one-month stint. My experience was so bad that I didn’t even put the job on my CV. People thought I was stupid when I resigned because I’d been complaining about unemployment, and there I was, throwing an opportunity away.

But what happened at the hospital?

A lot. A man and his wife owned the hospital, and they offered me ₦120k/month to work as the hospital’s manager. They made it sound like I’d be managing the staff, but it was more than that. If there were no buns in the canteen, it was on me. No fuel in the generator? Call the manager.

It wouldn’t have been a challenge if there was unity of command. The husband could give one instruction, and the wife would come later to give a counter instruction. I lost so much weight in one month from stress and developed tension headaches. I’d never heard of a tension headache before working there, and I only knew the name because I Googled my symptoms. I’ve never been happier writing a resignation letter than when I resigned from that place.

It definitely sounds terrible

I had to take a walk for my mental health. I’m also back to full-time employment: I got my current role in 2023, and thank God it’s nothing like the hospital. I work with a public policy office as a research analyst, and my job is basically to research, write and develop policy briefs.

I earn ₦300k/month, which isn’t great, but I get to work from home and be there for my family. Also, I’m close to completing my PhD programme, and once that’s done, I can head back fully into the labour market to find better opportunities.

I was just about to ask about the PhD. Why did you decide to pursue one?

I love academics. I hope to teach one day, and I learnt that a PhD is the minimum requirement for employment as a lecturer with the Ministry of Education.

I also want to solve problems through research. I read journals and a lot of international documents, and they always talk about how they solve societal problems with research done by institutions like Johns Hopkins University, MIT, and others. I want to see how we can solve some of this country’s problems via research and what I can do to make it happen.

A PhD would definitely increase my earning potential, but it would also mean I would be paid to do what I already enjoy. Because right now, my salary isn’t doing anything for me.

What kind of life does your salary afford you?

My salary just maintains me. I can’t even afford to contribute to the house, save for maybe ₦20k for the light bills. I’m just grateful that my husband earns well enough to handle our family’s expenses and our child’s school fees. ₦300k doesn’t do much at all.

Could you break it down to show how you typically spend your salary?

I don’t keep any money in savings because the interest rates are just like 2% – 4%, while I can earn 20% with the money market funds. Also, I can still withdraw my money from the money market at any time, so it’s a no-brainer.

How much is your investment portfolio worth right now?

I have ₦23m in money market funds and ₦6m in stocks. I also have a piece of land I bought for ₦1.5m in 2013, which is worth ₦10m now. I plan to develop it and build a warehouse.

I don’t want to build a house to rent because I feel people tend to owe their landlords. The average person would first pay for the space they’re using for business because they don’t want anything to affect their source of income.

Do you have a timeframe for when you hope to build this warehouse?

Not yet. I estimate I’ll need about ₦50m to build it, and I don’t have that yet.

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I believe money comes and goes, so I don’t deny myself anything I can afford. I’m not extravagant, but if I want something, I don’t do unnecessary calculations to justify the expense. I just get it.

There’s something my people say — nobody eventually finishes all the money they have made. One will die someday, and some part of your money will be left for people who don’t know how you made the money. I stand by that.

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

Of course. I should be earning at least ₦1m/month. I feel underpaid right now, but I know I’ll get there one day.

I wish I had known about the gold mine that’s the stock market earlier. If I had known what I know now when I was touching money at the FMCG company, my case would’ve been different. I try to make up for it by encouraging young people to take it seriously. I tell my nieces, “This isn’t the time to buy wigs. It’s time to invest”. Wealth creation is an intentional process; when you start seeing the returns, it’s like making money while you sleep.

How much do you get in investment returns now?

I earn around ₦400k monthly from the money market. I also receive stock dividends when companies declare them at the end of the year. I monitor the stock market daily and sometimes sell.

For instance, I bought a bank’s shares at ₦8 before the 2023 elections and sold it for ₦28 about a year after the elections. If I had bought millions of those shares, I know how much I’d have made in profit.

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

7. I think I’ve done really well. I’m grateful that despite the setback in 2016, I didn’t struggle. I’ve not gotten to where I want to be yet, and that’s the only reason it’s not a 10.

If you’re interested in talking about your Naira Life story, this is a good place to start.

Yes, I want to do a Naira Life!

Find all the past Naira Life stories here.

Subscribe to the newsletter here.

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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.

Let’s talk about your earliest memory of money

At 14, I got my first job at a movie rental, earning ₦500/week. It wasn’t an actual job, to be honest. I was in SS 3, preparing for my JAMB exams, and usually finished early from school.

My mum decided it was best I waited in the rental shop until she returned home from work. I started helping the shop owner attend to customers, and she paid me for my help. The pay wasn’t regular, and I spent it on suya whenever it came. I also bought airtime for my mum a few times.

What was the financial situation at home like?

We were comfortable. My sperm-donor father decided he didn’t want the responsibility and left when I was about a year old, so it was just me and my mum for a long time. My mum worked at a multinational, and she drove me to school every day before she went to work. We also lived in an estate, so yeah, I’d say we were pretty comfortable.

My mum remarried shortly after I entered the university in 2007. I remember a friend asking why I wasn’t angry that my mum was “replacing” my father. How do you replace someone who was never there?

Plus, my bonus dad is a good man. He has been in the picture since I was in secondary school as my mum’s “friend”. They came clean about their relationship after I entered uni. I think that was their way of making sure I was grown enough to adjust. I honestly didn’t mind. It also didn’t hurt that my bonus dad started spoiling me with money.

Define spoiled

He started giving me a ₦25k monthly allowance even though he knew my mum already sent ₦10k/month. He worked in transportation and started doing cute things like bringing me clothes and fashion accessories whenever he returned from his regular travels.

My bonus dad even told me to always call him first for whatever I needed. I used to joke that he didn’t need to buy my love because I already accepted him.

That’s so sweet. Aside from the allowance, did you have any other income source in uni?

I had a stint selling earrings in the 200 level. I actually started the business by accident. I was wearing one of the earrings my dad bought me when a coursemate said she liked it.

I showed her the other pieces; she picked one and paid me ₦1k. The next day, someone else expressed interest in my earrings. That’s when it clicked that I could sell them. So, I told my dad to buy me a few more pieces, and I started selling.

I’m not sure how much profit I made since my dad refused to let me pay, but I sold each piece for between ₦1k and ₦1500. I did that for two months and stopped when I had to leave the university.

Why did you leave?

I started hearing talk about how the uni wasn’t accredited. It was a fairly new private university that had about three sets of graduated students. Those students kept complaining that they were stuck and couldn’t go for NYSC because of the accreditation issue.

My parents thought it was too risky for me to stay, hoping the issue would be resolved before I graduated, so I left in 2009. By the time I left, I’d secured another admission to a college of health to study community health extension work, so I just changed schools.

What do community health extension workers do in Nigeria?

So, they also call them “CHEW”. They’re the health workers you see wearing ash-colour uniforms in primary health centres. CHEWs typically work in semi-rural communities with limited access to health care.

I was studying nursing at the uni I left, and when I had to leave, a friend of my mum recommended the CHEW course. I felt like both courses were one and the same, so I didn’t object. I was happy as long as I went to school like my friends.

It doesn’t sound like you were thrilled about the course

I didn’t know what I wanted to do, actually. I didn’t even choose nursing. My mum wanted me to study medicine, but a lecturer at the university suggested nursing to increase my chances of getting admission since medicine was competitive. It’s not like anyone forced the course on me. I didn’t have strong opinions about any other course, so I just agreed.

I did end up liking CHEW. However, I didn’t have time to consider business opportunities because the course required me to go on unpaid work experience placements in health centres. But my parents still gave me the ₦35k monthly allowance, so I was never broke.

I assume that means ₦35k was enough to give you a good life

It was. I lived alone in an apartment that my parents paid for, and I didn’t like cooking, so I constantly bought food. ₦35k was enough to feed me for a whole month, take me to and fro school and still have a little extra to buy perfumes and look good.

However, the allowance stopped after I finished school in 2012, and I suddenly knew what broke meant. I mean, I lived with my parents, and they fed me. But a young woman needs to have money in her account, you know?

Right. So, what did you do?

I started job-hunting. I found one at a private hospital, but at ₦30k/month, the salary was ridiculous. To make matters worse, I was practically working as both a CHEW and nurse. I worked nights, assisted in surgery and lab work, and attended to patients. It was exhausting.

I worked at the hospital for about two years and survived only by taking additional locum (or temporary) gigs here and there. The gigs were shift-based, so I took them when I was off duty at my hospital job. I usually did at least one locum gig monthly during those two years, which usually brought an extra ₦20k – ₦30k.

There were also random money tips from patients — nothing big, but substantial enough that I hardly touched my salary for transport costs. I still lived at home, so I only spent money on transport, food at work and the occasional snack for my siblings.

I’m not sure if I can accurately say I was balling on that salary because I didn’t even have time to ball. But I became a super saver. In some months, I saved as much as ₦30k. Work was stressful, but at least I was getting the hang of my finances.

Why did you only work at the hospital for two years, though?

I was pursuing government work for job security and better pay. My mum’s friend found me a plug who claimed he had the right connections to get me the job. So, I quit the hospital on impulse, thinking the government job was sure. I think the matron annoyed me that day, and I was just like, “To hell with your job madam.”

Two weeks after quitting, my “sure plug” disappointed me. This was in 2015.

Yikes. So you were effectively jobless

I had about ₦400k in my savings, but I knew the money wouldn’t last if I didn’t get another job. I’d also hoped the government job would give me an excuse to leave home and rent an apartment.

I was in a relationship with my boyfriend (now husband), and it was difficult to do relationship things while still living with my parents. If I wasn’t at work, I had to explain why I was going out and I didn’t like it. But since the job didn’t come through, I just had to double my hustle.

Locum jobs came to the rescue again, and I did that for a while. I still found full-time opportunities at hospitals, but I didn’t think they were worth it. All the jobs I saw offered between ₦40k and ₦60k, and it didn’t make sense to me. I preferred to do only a few shifts a month and get ₦20k than stress myself working full-time. I managed till 2016 when I decided to pursue a career selling real estate.

How did real estate enter the picture?

My boyfriend was a video editor who often worked with a real estate company. He was always talking about how there was money in the industry. He told me all about how the company paid affiliate marketers 10% of whatever they helped to sell and tried to encourage me to try it as a side hustle.

At first, I didn’t consider it because I didn’t see myself as the person who had the courage to convince people to buy things, not to talk of expensive real estate.

But by 2016, I was already tired of my work as a CHEW. Career and income growth opportunities were limited, except I worked in the government or returned to school to upgrade to nursing or public health.

So, I decided to give the real estate thing a try.

How did it go?

The company gave me access to pictures and videos of the landed property and buildings available on sale. I could also visit the sites to take pictures by myself. Once I got a client, I’d direct them to pay, and the company would give me my cut.

It seemed straightforward enough, but the hard part was selling. I designed my WhatsApp status and Facebook page with different pictures and videos of properties, but nobody came to buy.

I didn’t make any sales in the first eight months. By then, I’d pretty much stopped taking locum jobs because I was always going from one site to another. My mum didn’t understand why I left a reputable job to sell houses, but my dad was supportive and always helped me with transport fare.

Tell me about that first sale

It was a ₦3m plot of land. The buyer came from Facebook, and I remember being wary that someone I didn’t know was willing to trust me with millions.

I should note that I’d grown from only posting pictures of properties. To build credibility, I’d also started posting short articles about real estate: pieces about documents to look out for when buying land, regulatory bodies for buildings, etc. I thought it made me seem more professional and knowledgeable about what I was selling.

Anyway, the man bought the land, and I got my ₦300k commission. I was so excited. It’d taken me about a year to save ₦300k, and I made it just like that. It fueled my resolve. I was like, “This real estate? We’ll make this money there.”

Energy!

I worked for that company for about two years and earned an average of ₦700k/year.

One thing about real estate is that it’s a lot easier to sell after you’ve made your first few sales. This is because the people you sell to likely have friends in the same income bracket, and they can easily refer those friends to a trusted person (which is you).

In 2019, the company offered me a role as a real estate consultant. My job basically involved handling social media marketing, planning property showings, and offering investment advice. I took the role because it came with a sure ₦150k salary, and I’d still get my 10% commission for every sale I facilitated.

I made good money in 2019. I was still saving most of my income but began keeping half of my savings in dollars on a Fintech app. A friend in finance suggested that because I was just piling money up and didn’t know what to do with it. At least, with dollars, my money wouldn’t reduce in value.

By the end of 2019, I had close to $3k and another ₦2m in my savings. Then I got married.

Did marriage come with some financial responsibility?

Yes. I think marriage was my first introduction to adulthood. Before the wedding, my husband and I agreed he’d handle the big bills like rent and utility bills while I’d assist with feeding. I feel like I played myself because feeding isn’t a small bill at all.

While I lived with my parents, I didn’t have any business with the food bill. I dropped the random ₦10k to support, but I didn’t know just how much food cost.

Imagine my shock after I got married and realised I was spending ₦20k weekly to cook for only two people.

Then, the pandemic happened, and my husband couldn’t get as many videography gigs because there were no events. I had to take on more bills at home. Property sales also reduced, and my bosses slashed my salary to ₦75k for about six months since nothing was coming in. We had to rely on my savings for almost all of 2020.

Thankfully, things picked back up in 2021, and we’ve mostly gone back to my husband handling the major bills.

What’s your monthly income like these days?

I still work with the real estate company on ₦250k/month, but most of my income comes from my commissions and realtor dealings on the side.

I started my own mini realtor business in 2022 to have direct access to sellers and not have to share commissions with real estate companies. I can negotiate 15% – 20% with the original seller as my commission.

Of course, sales don’t happen monthly, and it can take several months to make a huge sale. It has even gotten worse between 2023 and now. Before, I could be sure of at least ₦3m – ₦5m/year, but I’ve not made ₦1m this year.

Why do you think that is?

The economy. People aren’t buying as much these days. You’ll see one generic duplex and hear that the price is ₦150m. It’s usually people with dodgy income sources who can afford those types of houses, and they also expect you to shake body.

What does “shake body” mean in this context?

Sexual demands. This doesn’t happen all the time, but in this line of work, I’ve seen men who see a woman selling real estate and expect she’s ready to do anything to convince you to buy. I don’t know if some people do it, but I’m not chasing commissions that seriously.

I guess it’s just one of the job hazards. The economy is my major concern, and it doesn’t look like things will get better. I’m still sticking around to make enough money to build an investment portfolio and safety nets for whenever I have children.

What kind of investment options are you considering?

That’s been one of my major financial headaches, actually. It’s easy for me to pile up money, but I get scared of the prospect of investing my money somewhere and losing it.

I still save in dollars, but I’m looking for options that will actually grow my money. I have $1k in Bamboo stocks and ₦1m in mutual funds, but I want to overcome my fear and diversify my portfolio. My savings—both in naira and dollars—are about ₦4m currently.

I notice you didn’t mention real estate investments

I can’t say this outside, but I don’t really believe in investing in real estate. It’s wild because that’s literally what I sell, but I don’t think I want to go that route, especially in Lagos. It’s not worth it.

Please tell me more

It’s just really problematic. If you decide to buy land, you have to accept the possibility of the government or one random person contending with you for it. You can choose to buy in an estate, but those are often overpriced with plenty of hidden charges. To get a decently priced piece of land in Lagos, you have to enter the bush.

If you decide to just leave the land and buy a house outright, that also comes with some risk. I’ve worked with these guys; some just build with substandard materials. Plus, I don’t like how new buildings all have tiny windows and high roofs. I prefer to build based on my specifications. But that also comes with the challenge of the ridiculously high cost of building materials.

Even if I close my eyes now and buy land, who knows how much cement and paint will cost when I’m ready to build? Let me not say never sha. If I see free money, I can buy land in my village. But this Lagos? I don’t want to.

Fair. Let’s break down your typical monthly expenses

I complained to my husband early this year about the rising cost of food, so he now gives me a ₦100k monthly allowance to support the food bill. It goes like this:

How would you describe your relationship with money?

I think I’m still figuring things out. I hope to soon get to a point where I’m not just gathering money because I like seeing a heavy balance in my account but that my money is actually working for me. If I can hack investments and start earning passive income, I’ll be able to take a step back from real estate.

What would you be doing if you took a break from real estate?

Maybe I’ll try my hand at being a stay-at-home wife. Who am I kidding? I’ll probably die of boredom and return to selling land within a week.

Haha. What’s one thing you want but can’t afford?

A car. We have a 2007 Toyota Corolla, but my husband often uses it for his events, and I end up taking cabs to property showings. We can’t afford to maintain two cars right now — I’m even scared of checking how much a Tokunbo car costs now — but it will definitely make my life easier.

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

7. I’m not doing badly at making money. It’s just the bit about investing that I need help figuring out.

If you’re interested in talking about your Naira Life story, this is a good place to start.

Yes, I want to do a Naira Life!

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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?

In Primary 4, I noticed teachers would come to class to ask students who hadn’t paid their fees to stand up. While I never had to, some classmates always stood up every single time the teachers came.

It was my first indicator that money could separate you from the crowd. I didn’t know money was something people might not have.

It’s safe to say you grew up with money then

Kinda. My mum worked in finance, while my dad was a businessman who sold furniture materials, and they always sorted out my needs. I rarely requested anything that I didn’t get, whether it was a camera or a violin.

I got my first gold necklace in SS 2. All my classmates were surprised my parents got me actual gold, and I was just like, “If you also want gold, why not just ask your parents?”

SS 2 was also the first time I noticed my privilege. My class was going on an excursion, and my friend couldn’t attend because she couldn’t afford the ₦5k or ₦10k fee. It sounded unbelievable that she’d miss it because of money, and I convinced my parents to pay for her.

When did you first make money on your own?

I didn’t make real money until I became an adult. However, I made small change much earlier. I started charging my elder siblings about ₦500 to do their chores when I was in secondary school.

Oh, I once wrote a book and sold copies in JSS 1. This was around 2009, so I bought computer time at a cyber cafe, typed the story, and printed 10 copies. I sold only five copies, and each went for ₦150. I used my earnings to buy candy and a watch.

I did the chores-for-money thing throughout secondary school and only stopped when I moved out for uni in 2015.

Did you do anything for money while in uni?

I didn’t need to. I got a ₦20k monthly allowance plus whatever my siblings randomly sent me — I’m the last born. The major expenses like foodstuff were sorted at the beginning of the semester, so my allowance was primarily for any urgent need at school.

That said, I took on some ushering gigs for extra cash in my final year. It wasn’t a conscious effort to make money; Ushering was just what everyone did, and I did it for the fun— you know, to also feel like I belonged. The gigs paid between ₦3k – ₦5k, and I did them occasionally until I graduated in 2020. Then, I returned home and was stuck with nothing to do.

Ah. The pandemic year

After events re-opened, I took up two ₦3k ushering gigs to prove to myself that I could make money. But after standing for hours at the last gig, I decided I couldn’t be doing that as a graduate.

NYSC came in 2021, but I ghosted for the most part because I didn’t like the state I got posted to, and I wanted to stay close to family. The thing about Nigeria is, you can move anything as long as you have money. NYSC posted me to a school, but I settled my supervisor with ₦15k monthly out of my ₦33k allawee so I wouldn’t have to show up.

What did you do with all that free time?

I applied to proper jobs, and three months into my service year, I landed one as an auditor. My salary was ₦67k/month — my first big girl salary ever. I was so happy because I expected my first salary to be around ₦40k or ₦50k.

My main expenses were ICAN tutorial classes and handouts. My manager at work was fond of me, so he paid part of my exam fees, and my siblings handled the rest. I only paid about ₦50k of the ₦130k total cost from my own pocket.

I didn’t go past the first-level certification, though. I don’t like accounting, and I only took the exam because I was working in the field then. Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered because I was only at the job for eight months.

Did you find another job?

Yeah. I moved to a new role as a risk consultant at a multinational in the financial services industry, which I got by sending out a cold email to the recruiter. My starting salary was ₦220k/month.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even know this role existed before I got the job. But now I can’t imagine doing anything else. In school, I only heard you could work as a banker, lawyer, or doctor. I didn’t know what consulting meant until I found myself in financial services.

I’m curious. What does a risk consultant do?

I measure and mitigate risks for our various clients. That usually involves reviewing risk management policies, internal audit, and building new processes.

In summary, it’s just an unending cycle of meetings and tasks. But I mostly work from home, so that helps.

I imagine going from ₦67k to ₦220k was a pleasant jump

It was! I studied the credit alert for a full minute when I received my first salary. Just looking at the commas before and after three whole figures made me feel really good. I even took my friends to eat without looking at the prices on the menu, haha.

My lifestyle also changed a lot. I lived with my brother, so I only worried about my personal needs. Three months into the job, I got an iPhone for ₦250k.

Also, I’m an ambivert, but money made me start thinking about things that previously didn’t really matter to me. I started buying clothes and shoes every month and going out more. I’ve been to so many restaurants in Lagos, you wouldn’t even believe it.

Doings

In 2023, my employers reviewed salaries across the board, and I got promoted. So, my salary is now ₦500k/month.

You’d think I’d be a lot happier with the increased pay, but I’ve recently become scared of money — especially since the beginning of the year.

Let me guess, inflation?

Exactly. I rented my first apartment at ₦700k/year in 2023 and didn’t think much of it. It was just like, yeah, Nigeria is bad, but I’m still chilling.

The rent jumped to ₦1.5m this year. I had no choice but to pay because I couldn’t get something reasonable within the timeframe I had. Plus, I’d been saving money and could afford it, but it made me think about just how wild things have become. What happens when there’s another sudden price jump, and I can’t afford it? It’s not a nice feeling. My parents can still support me if the need arises, but I don’t want it to come to that.

I’ll be honest, though. Earning more has also majorly changed how I think about money these days.

Tell me more about that

I’m so much more conscious of money now, and it’s in two ways. Because of my work and industry, I know there’s so much money to make from working a 9-5. I once thought earning ₦50k was great, but I now know that there’s money, and you just need to be in the right circle and industry to make it.

On the other hand, I’m constantly on edge about running out of money or not having enough. I randomly battle thoughts like, “What if I don’t get money next month?” and it’s so wild because I literally have a job.

I blame it on inflation sha. I like the life my salary affords me, and I dread the day I’ll no longer be able to fund it. I like to have fun. I try new recipes to spark joy because there really isn’t much to look forward to in this life, but food will always be there. What if it gets to a stage where I can no longer afford the type of pasta I like?

I hate how conscious I am of money. I have it, but I’m scared of losing it, so I’m never really happy.

I feel you

I also understand that with money comes choice. Someone can decide they don’t feel inspired to work anymore and take a gap year because they can afford it. I don’t want to get to a point where I lose that choice or feel like I have to do things I’d rather not do because I can’t afford otherwise.

I might just be dramatic because my current financial situation doesn’t point to that at all. But with how volatile the country is, no one can really say for sure. Maybe I’m deeping it too much because of my industry, but I just want to have enough money to stay afloat if this country goes down the drain.

All this money talk makes me curious about your monthly expenses

I don’t spend money on data because my employer covers it. Plus, I work remotely, so I hardly spend on transportation.

You budget ₦300k for savings monthly. How does that work?

I save in money market funds. I have a mutual funds account that I use to purchase treasury bills, commercial papers and equity savings. It’s essentially like I’m keeping my money in different instruments that bring interest. I can liquidate into actual cash every 30 days, but I just leave it there. My portfolio is worth ₦2.5m now. I also have a savings app where I keep emergency cash.

Do you have any financial regrets?

I wish I’d taken investments seriously earlier. My major challenge was navigating the risk that comes with it. Two years ago, all my colleagues were changing their naira to dollars and to me, it was like, what are these people doing? How can you not have naira? A dollar was about ₦600 then. Imagine if I’d also saved in dollars like they did.

I only started investing heavily this year because a senior colleague at work asked everyone to indicate if they had investments. I heard my colleagues share how they had real estate investments and other huge portfolios. I remember thinking, “I thought we were all managing life?”

LOL

I only had stocks at the time, and this senior colleague told me the stock market was too volatile. They were right — my stock portfolio is currently at a loss. But I haven’t liquidated my position because it can go back up someday.

Investing in stocks is a high-risk, high-reward situation. You can buy stocks worth a particular amount now and lose a substantial amount of it the next month.

Thankfully, this senior colleague also taught me the importance of conservative investments, which made sense. A manager introduced me to money markets, which work the same as a regular bank account. The only difference is that your money will actually grow. Plus, it’s not as risky as stocks. I also try diversifying my portfolio by using different institutions for the money market funds. I don’t have actual cash in my regular bank account.

Do you ever get anxious about not having money in your account?

I don’t. I think that’s because most of my assets are near-liquid; I can easily convert them if I have a serious emergency.

I also have rich friends. If the worst happens, I know I can easily ask them to loan me money while I figure things out.

That’s such a flex. Is there an ideal amount you think you should be earning?

Right now, at least ₦1.2m/month. I’m at a point where I’ve tasted money and the convenience it brings, and I want a lot more of that. That sounds selfish, but I don’t mind it. I want plenty of money, please. I want to live lavishly.

Is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?

A serviced apartment with a bigger kitchen. That would likely cost ₦2.5m – ₦3m, and I can’t afford that right now. I’d also like to visit Ghana, but I’m still pushing it to later in the year. That’ll cost about ₦800k.

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

7.5. I’m earning well for my age, but I’m still navigating this fear of losing money and not having enough. It’ll be a 10 when I earn enough not to be so scared anymore.

If you’re interested in talking about your Naira Life story, this is a good place to start.

Yes, I want to do a Naira Life!

Find all the past Naira Life stories here.

Subscribe to the newsletter here.

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This is debatable, but the most dangerous venture, apart from dodging a Nigerian mother’s slap, is investing in land — especially in Lagos. If it’s not the fear of getting scammed, it’s navigating “omo onile” and hoping you aren’t buying land in an area that’ll be demolished by the government in the future for one reason or another.

However, land remains a valuable long-term investment option, and you can invest safely by following these tips I got from discussing with Grace Ogunlaja, the lead consultant at I-Brow Properties.

Check for the type of land

Not all land in Lagos is for residential purposes. Some have been earmarked for agricultural, commercial, or even mixed use. Buying a residential land and using it to produce pure water may earn you visits from the authorities, and you’ll probably lose ownership. Some lands can even be in locations under territorial dispute. You can verify the type of land at the state Ministry of Lands (or Lands Bureau).

Does it have a title?

You should always confirm the land title with the land seller or real estate developer. Do NOT purchase any land without a title.

A title can be the Certificate of Occupancy (AKA, C of O) or Governor’s Consent. The C of O is a state-provided document demonstrating land rights to an individual; It proves ownership. Governor’s Consent is given when someone buys land that already has a C of O and wants to notify the Governor and the general public that the land has a new owner.

Land title differs from the deed of assignment or receipt the land seller gives after purchase. Those documents just indicate that you’ve bought something. You still need to confirm you didn’t buy stolen property, or worse, land that’s been mapped out for government purposes. Like a coastal road project, for instance.

Run away from “freehold”

Some real estate agents in Lagos will try to sell you land and claim it has freehold rights, meaning you own the land in perpetuity (or forever) and can use it for anything. This doesn’t exactly work because all land belongs to the government. Also, freehold isn’t exactly a land title, and chances are that the land isn’t free from government acquisition. When in doubt, always verify at the Ministry of Lands.

Go with your own surveyor

The seller may try to convince you that the land already has a registered survey plan approved by the State’s Surveyor General, but those can easily be falsified. You should always go with your own surveyor to pick the land coordinates and verify them at the ministry.

Get familiar with the authorities

When buying land, you must verify everything with the Ministry of Lands because land issues quickly become complicated in Lagos state. If proper verification isn’t done, you risk losing your investment.

Also, verification doesn’t end with buying the land. You also need to obtain building approval from the state government before doing anything on the land. If you build something different from what was stated on the approved building plan, the government has the right to demolish it without giving any compensation.

Remember: The government can come for your land

It’s important to make peace with the fact that the government can claim land for major projects at any time, even if the owner has a C of O or Governor’s Consent. The only difference is, having the correct land titles gives the owner the right to sue the government or collect compensation. The owner has no compensation or fighting rights if it’s untitled land.

NEXT READ: It’s Taken Us Three Years [and Counting] to Access My Late Aunt’s Pension

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As Told To Boluwatife

Get More Zikoko Goodness in Your Mail

The Breaking Point

I Decided I Would Never Go Broke Again

My First Lucky Break: Arbitrage

My Second Lucky Break Came From the Government

Present Day: I Can Finally Breathe

What’s your earliest memory of money?

Of course. What was the financial situation at home like?

Do you remember the first time you earned money?

How often did these assignment requests come?

Haha. Yes. When did you learn shoemaking?

Energy. Did you have to pay to learn?

Get More Zikoko Goodness in Your Mail

What was your income flow like?

Real. Did you do this throughout your service year?

Phew. You stopped getting customers?

How long was the training for?

How do you support yourself in school?

What’s your income like these days?

You mentioned equipment. Have you thought about what you’d need?

How would you describe your relationship with money?

Stocks? How did you start?

Do you also save, or are stocks your primary financial instrument?

Let’s break down your typical monthly expenses

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

What do future plans look like for you right now?

Rooting for you. Is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?

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

Hoping things change for the better soon. What would make you happy?

What’s your earliest memory of money?

What was money like growing up?

I’m screaming. When was the first time you worked for money?

I’m curious. Why a Kenyan uni?

What was the plan?

What did you do when you returned?

Wait. Why?

Love it! You had been trying while working?

Was that good money?

How did you go from wanting a visa to wanting to escape?

Was the plan to return to Nigeria permanently?

What’s your income like these days?

Why are you on a sabbatical?

Fingers crossed. How did you financially prepare for a sabbatical, though?

Can you break down the day-to-day living expenses bit for a typical month?

I rate it. Do you deliberately set out to live below your means?

Tell me more

Have you made any lifestyle changes since you’ve gone on sabbatical?

How has your income growth over the years impacted how you think about money?

Is there an ideal amount you think you should be earning right now?

Haha. What about something you want but can’t afford?

What was the last thing you bought that required serious planning?

Do you have any financial regrets?

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

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As told to Boluwatife

US Real Estate

Agriculture

Nigerian Stocks

Physical Assets

Bonus: Dollar Savings

My investment outlook for 2025

What’s your earliest memory of money?

Tell me more about your family

When?

What happened after uni?

Was ₦22k enough for anything?

Did you still have limited responsibilities at that time?

So, how did these investment channels save you?

Were the investment returns your only income source through this time?

But what happened at the hospital?

It definitely sounds terrible

I was just about to ask about the PhD. Why did you decide to pursue one?

What kind of life does your salary afford you?

Could you break it down to show how you typically spend your salary?

How much is your investment portfolio worth right now?

Do you have a timeframe for when you hope to build this warehouse?

How would you describe your relationship with money?

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

How much do you get in investment returns now?