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 the oldest memory of money you remember?

A bunch of things. For example, when I was five, I’d find stacks of mint notes when taking my father’s socks out of his shoes.  Let’s talk a bit about him. 

Sure thing

My father was a businessman who owned a warehouse selling chair and couch materials, so he handled a lot of cash. He was barely home, too — his business was in a different city. So, every time he came home, and I found the mint notes in his shoes, I felt a sense of comfort; it was like we were more comfortable than we were. 

It wasn’t just about the notes; the quantity of food items and snacks increased when he was home. I sensed that nothing could go wrong whenever he was around. When I asked for money, he gave me on the spot. 

He passed away when I was seven years old. Naturally, all of these things stopped. 

I’m sorry to hear that. Can you describe what life was like after his death?

He married multiple wives and had many children, so everyone went on their way. I’m the last child from my mum’s side, and all my older siblings were already working. It was after his death that I found out that my siblings probably had the lowest income in the family. It even took a while to know that because I lived with my mum, and they all lived in different cities. My mum and I lived in one of those towns where the lines between the rich and poor were blurred as long as  everyone had food to eat. 

When I was 14, I moved to Lagos to live with one of my sisters. She had a business but only  little money, and sometimes, it was clear that she didn’t have enough to give me. Whenever I noticed this, the first thing that crept up in my head was, “This wouldn’t be happening if my dad was alive.” 

From that time, I developed an aversion to asking for stuff. When I got into university, I didn’t expect a monthly allowance, and I only called my siblings for  ₦2k—3₦k when my account was red. Sometimes, I’d go to a restroom first to cry. It was easier for me to cry than ask for money.

It’d be easier if I were making some money in university, but I didn’t know how to. The only path I knew was to go to school and get a degree, and that’s what I did. That said, I wrote for people in university, but I got paid in “You’re good at this.” Nothing more. 

Thankfully, I finished uni in 2017.

What happened after?

I returned to Lagos. But something happened on my way back: I passed the gate of a prominent newspaper company and told myself I would return the following week to look for a job.  It was a slightly long process, but they accepted me as an intern. 

Ouuuu

They said they wouldn’t pay me, but I didn’t mind. That’s how I found myself in the newsroom. While I didn’t have an official salary, I occasionally got handouts from the editors. Some also lived close to me and dropped me at my bus stop. Then, I started writing and getting my bylines; things changed slightly.

How?

Brown envelopes. If you work in print media, you can’t escape them. It’s pretty simple; you cover an event or write about an organisation, and they pay you. The average I got was about ₦5k.

What was the highest amount you made?

I once made about ₦70k in a week. I don’t remember the number of stories I wrote to hit that number though. But I remember that once I started that internship, it was the last time I asked for money from home. You’d think I’d be happier for it.

But you weren’t?

Nope. My mum fell sick. Stroke. 

Nothing has remained the same since. I still think it wouldn’t have happened if we had money, and I was angry about that for a long time. It also meant that I couldn’t stop thinking about how to help my siblings take care of our mum, so there was pressure to make money. 

But you know, I had to focus on the things I could control: work. 

I feel you. How was it going?

For six months, I lived primarily on those brown envelopes. On a random Sunday, one of the senior editors came into the newsroom and said something about how he’d been seeing me for a while but wasn’t sure what I did. I told him I was an intern. He asked if I was getting paid, and when he learned I wasn’t, he instructed them to pay me ₦10k for the six months I had worked there and then ₦10k for every subsequent month I worked. 

That’s so wholesome

I didn’t get the arrears payment — something about documentation — but I started getting paid ₦10k/month. Fast-forward a few months, and I went for NYSC. The newspaper transferred me to a branch in the city where I was posted. There, I had about four income sources: NYSC paid ₦19800, the newspaper paid ₦10k, and the brown envelopes.

And the fourth?

Advertising. The newspaper gave anyone who brought an advertising lead 30% of the total amount paid as commission. I got that a couple of times, but it was far and in between. By the time I finished NYSC, I had saved up to ₦200k. 

I don’t know. But that feels impressive.

I saved money like hell. The ginger was my mum. She was now living with my sister, and we wanted to move then from the apartment they lived in. Everyone had to chip in.

I saved ₦10k monthly and lived on the NYSC ₦19800. Also, I didn’t touch the money I made from advertising commissions — about ₦100k. 

I had some big help, too. When I was leaving for service, an older friend helped me find accommodation in the city I was posted to, so I didn’t pay rent — such a huge help.

When service ended, I chipped in for rent, bought my first laptop and a phone. I had about ₦10k left. I can’t say I was very bothered — I was used to not having money, but I now had a decent phone and laptop. 

And a plan, I imagine 

Kind of. I knew my time at the newspaper was over. I didn’t think I belonged there anymore; I’d had my fill working with older adults. I wanted someplace that had more people around my age. 

A friend introduced me to a HOD at a music company to write for their website. I took their tests, and I was in. 

How much?

₦50k/month. They promised to review the salary for six months, and I was naive enough to believe them. 

One year passed, and I didn’t hear a word. The place had also become really toxic, and the person I reported to was moving weirdly. It wasn’t the best time of my life. 

But see, ₦10k still went into my savings every month. I shared what remained between commuting and contributing at home. However, that meant I couldn’t afford to buy lunch at work or do anything much, really. 

Not having money sucks, man. Do you want to hear a story?

Yes please

On my way to work one morning, I stopped  at a train tracks to buy some snacks. As I was taking money out of my bag, some guy charged at me and took my phone out of my bag. But for some reason, he returned and gave it back. I should have been relieved, but I burst into tears. 

I was like, “I’m out here at this spot at 6:30 a.m. because I had to jump buses. I’m buying snacks because that’s what I could afford.”

I almost lost my phone at a job that didn’t rate me enough to keep their promises. It was then that I decided to leave. 

What did that look like?

I started by volunteering. I did a bunch of work for conference organisers. There, I met someone who had a business newsletter. One thing led to another, and I started contributing to the newsletter — no pay. 

But it led to something

It did. A company that published a business blog hired him. Luckily, they needed one more person on the team, and I backed myself and asked him to throw my name in. About a month later, the publication editor invited me to write tests. In the end, they asked how much I wanted. Without missing a beat, I said ₦150k. The editor said okay, and I was like, “Wait a minute.”

You should have asked for more, right?

I didn’t think about that at the time. It was more about feeling like I was leaving the trenches. Some context: When I was in uni, my ultimate goal was to land a job that’d pay me ₦100k. Now, I got ₦150k. 

I started the job in December 2020 as a writer and social media strategist. I threw myself into the role, and my salary jumped to ₦200k after my first performance review six months later. In December 2021, I got another 50k raise.

Sweet. Now you were at ₦250k

The raises made saving 20% of my salary every month easy—no compromises. Also, for the first time since I started working, I could afford to buy lunch at work occasionally.

Interestingly, ₦250k/month was also beginning to look small. 

What changed?

The people I now had in my network. It’s essential to open your eyes to what’s around you. When I was in school, the only people I knew were my family members, and they didn’t have much. But the place I worked opened me up to another world. I was working with people from private schools and some who went to school abroad. 

Growing up without money sometimes makes you feel like you’re not enough. But this company hired me and these people, so I knew I was on to something. It helped that I was also good at my job.

What came after this realisation?

I knew I could ask for more. During the next  performance review, I asked for ₦500k.  However, I got ₦320k plus another ₦50k monthly allowance. I had a feeling it could have been more, but it did something for me — I could now afford taxis to work. I was also saving 40% of my salary. By the middle of 2023, I saved up a little over ₦1m, which was enough to get me an apartment. But again, I was now broke.

But my discontent at work was only getting worse. Besides, I was tired of social media management, and it felt like I’d reached a ceiling. The best thing was to focus on what I could control — putting my CV out there. 

How did that go?

I had a couple of leads, but nothing panned out until October 2023, when I got a ₦170k/month side gig. The following month, I got another offer to lead marketing at a tech company. I asked for ₦1.4m, but we landed at ₦750k. 

How did you feel about that?

It was about 2x my salary then, so it was a good deal for me. I held all three jobs for a month, making my first million.

Haha. I was 27 before ₦1m entered my account at the same time. The following month, December,  I resigned from my previous job and the side gig and focused on this job. I’m still there. 

How has 2024 been for you?

I’ve been primarily focused on a savings goal. In December last year, my mum mentioned how she’d like a piece of land in our hometown. She wanted it, and I told her I would make it happen. I gave myself a six-month timeline to raise the money, and I’ve been saving ₦200k/month. I have ₦1m in that savings account now. The piece of land I want costs between ₦1m and ₦1.5m. 

Well done

I was also saving ₦50k in another account for my rent and ₦50k for emergencies. The only problem is that I almost always touch that one. I will say that although I’m earning more than I’ve done in my life, I’m working a lot of hours for it. However, it feels like I’m hustling backwards. 

Why do you think so?

The easiest suspect is inflation. It’s eaten into all my gains in the past few years.  I can’t even afford to move out of my apartment, which costs ₦580k/year, because the rent prices have increased. And I don’t want to use more than a month’s salary to pay my rent. I feel like I’m standing on solid ground now, but it’s still nothing compared to what it would have been like a few years ago. 

As it stands, I’m down to my last ₦2k and looking forward to my salary at the end of each month. I work long hours every day of the week, so it feels unfair sometimes. 

Can you believe I can’t even take a taxi to work every day because the prices have shot up, too? So, I still jump buses. 

Is there even any way to work around this?

There is. I have to “outearn” inflation. That’s where my head is at now, and how I can insulate myself. For example, my life will be soft if I’m on $4k/month now. The only work  I’ll have to do is manage lifestyle creep. I won’t move to a duplex in Lekki just because I want to change apartments. 

Fair enough. This inflation talk makes me curious about your monthly expenses. 

These are the recurring expenses. I still send more money home because I’m now the biggest earner and sometimes have to help out my siblings. 

And your savings?

I have about ₦3m in savings right now, plus the ₦1m I have for my mum’s land. I’ve been saving for so long that I’ve become comfortable with it. The next ground I want to conquer now is investing. 

Tell me more?

I started putting money in stock in 2021 out of curiosity. I invested ₦50k and bought some Apple stocks when they were $80 and MTN stocks at ₦170/share. It’s grown to ₦250/share now. The Apple stocks are doing pretty well, too. I topped up my investment portfolio with some Berkshire stocks at some point. Overall, my portfolio is worth about $500 now. 

I’m giving that more thought and learning more about the stock market. I’ve also bought a couple of courses. I’ll even take it if I can work in a financial institution. 

You’re going all in, aren’t you?

I have to. There’s so much I have to do. The plot of land I’m buying for my mum is the beginning — I need to purchase properties in her name. She deserves a lot more than she’s getting, and it’s my responsibility to provide these for her. 

Curious. Have you questioned why you feel this way?

It’s simple: the happier she is, the happier I am. I’ve realised that money is a tool to show love, and I won’t have it any other way. 

But have you thought about how much you need to be making now, realistically?  

$2k/month is an excellent place to be right now. It’s a short-term goal for me, and I know I’ll have to put in a lot of hours to make it happen — as it should be. 

Oh, wait. I almost forgot —

I’m listening 

I just got a side gig paying me ₦300k/month. By the end of this month, I’ll start earning ₦1.05m. Exciting times. 

You’ve come a long way, haven’t you?

It feels like that sometimes. I’m not going to lie; there’s been a lot of growth, and  it’s shaped by the environment and the people around me since 2019. I’ve seen what’s possible, and that’s where my sights are now.

LFG! Is there anything you want but can’t afford?

A car. I go out almost every day, and taxis are expensive. I save money from jumping on buses, but it’s not convenient. Sometimes, there are hidden costs, too. Imagine ruining a ₦26k dress because I wanted to save ₦6k on transport. 

But where do I find ₦6m – ₦8m for a car right now? It’s so interesting that I’m earning ₦1m/month and can’t close my eyes to buy a car. It will take some time and probably mean clearing all my savings. God abeg. 

The “God Abeg is so real. How would you rate your financial happiness? 

2/10 for a bunch of reasons. I earn more, but I feel poorer. Even though I’m intentional about it, I don’t have much savings. I’ll have to dip my savings if I don’t work for a month. I’m grateful for my growth, but I’m still in survival mode. Yet I have to work every day even to make this much. There’s still a lot of work to do to create the life I want for myself. But  It’s also how I know there are many beautiful things to look forward to.

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.

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?

My daily allowance in primary school. Every day, I‘d get ₦500 to share with my younger brother. But I’d save my own half of the money for two weeks and return it to my mum. After collecting the money, she’d laugh and pray for me.

Why were you returning the money to her?

I was nine years old and saw how she struggled to provide for us; I wanted to make things easier for her in my own little way. My mum was once a trader, but she got robbed around the time I entered primary school, and had to start roasting corn to make money. 

My dad, on the other hand, worked at a beverage factory but it wasn’t stable. He always feared he’d be laid off due to constantly changing company policies. 

When was the first time you made money?

2014. I was in JSS 1 when I started hawking uncooked corn for my mum. Some context: My dad had been laid off and was now working at a transport company where he made little. My mum became the primary provider, so my siblings and I had to assist whenever we could.

I was out to hawk every day after school with my older sister from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. I’d go out with ₦900 – ₦1,200 worth of corn on a tray and usually did three or four trips within that period. This brought about ₦3k in profit, and my mum gave me a percentage — usually ₦300 or ₦500. 

What did you spend the money on?

I saved most of the money in a piggy bank, and I often used my savings to help out my mum whenever she complained about being broke. I spent some of my money on myself, though — from snacks and soft drinks to okrika clothes.

I stopped hawking in JSS 3 after we started hearing kidnapping rumours in our area. My mum didn’t want to risk it.

What did you do next?

I got a job serving food at a restaurant after finishing secondary school in 2019.  My salary was ₦10k/month and I made between ₦1k – ₦2k extra in tips weekly. I stopped after three months because the male customers kept trying to sexually harass me and the owner didn’t care. 

After that, I moved to another restaurant where I also served food, but my salary was ₦7k/month. I didn’t make as much from tips either, but I felt safe. The owner was a woman who didn’t let her customers try rubbish with her staff. 

I worked there for about five months before I left to start JAMB lessons. The lesson fees were ₦6k/month, but I couldn’t continue after the third month because I’d exhausted my savings. Thankfully, I managed to pass JAMB.

So, off to the university?

The lockdown happened and kept me home for a few months. But I wasn’t idle. I worked in a hotel as a receptionist, and then as a bar attendant. It paid ₦15k/month and I made even more working at the bar. 

The hotel was running “codedly” because it was during the  lockdown and no one was supposed to be there, but we had Yahoo boys who came regularly to drink. I made extra money by increasing the price of the drinks. If something cost ₦1,500, I sold it for ₦2,500 and pocketed the extra money. I can’t remember how much now, but I made so much at the bar.

Foolishly, I left the bar after three months.

What happened?

I got into a relationship with a guy who didn’t think a lady should be working at a hotel and bar. He promised he’d get me another job, but that never happened. He gave me money — between ₦15k – ₦50k — on several occasions, though.

It was from these monies I gathered ₦60k to pay for admission acceptance when uni resumed in 2021. But the relationship ended when admission came. He didn’t think I’d be faithful in school, so he ended things. I was only able to afford school fees with my elder brother’s help. He sent me ₦200k — all his life savings — to help complete the ₦220k fee. 

Did you try anything to make money in uni?

Well, I dropped out of uni after a year. During that time, I relied on whatever amount my elder siblings sent to me.

Why did you drop out?

In 2022, my mum’s pastor told me and my mum about an opportunity to travel to Egypt to work as a house girl or house manager, and make as much as ₦300k/month. The plan was that someone in Egypt would sponsor my passport, visa and travel costs. In exchange, I’d pay them everything I make in Egypt for a year and seven months.

I was quite sceptical about the plan; I’ve heard stories of people who travel abroad to work and end up in prostitution. So, I initially refused to do it. But my mum reminded me there was no money to keep me in school. I saw a point in her argument. 

I didn’t have a source of income, no potential boyfriend to sponsor me, and my brother could go broke at any point. How did I expect to start raising ₦200k? Plus, ASUU was on strike again and it looked like I was just sitting at home doing nothing.

I had no other choice. I agreed to travel to Egypt.

What was the process like?

I applied for a passport and visa and did a lot of medicals — especially COVID tests. I was also screened for HIV, diabetes and pregnancy. They don’t take pregnant house managers because the job involves cleaning and taking care of children, and pregnancy means you can’t do as much. 

The whole process took about three months. My sponsor paid for everything, so I don’t know how much it all cost. That said, I know that sponsors make a crazy amount of profit from bringing people in. There’s no way they spent so much that you need someone’s full salary for over a year, but that’s how it works here. 

So, you travelled to Egypt in 2022

Yup. I arrived at my sponsor’s three-bedroom flat with several other girls she’s sponsored also living here. Everyone only eats once a day in the house. When you’re lucky, you eat two times. The usual meal was one loaf of bread, a tea bag and some sugar. Sometimes, we’d cook Nigerian rice and stew with chicken and share it among ourselves.

I stayed there for eight days before I got my first job as a cleaner. The jobs are pretty easy to get —people are always looking for help. Most of the house girl or cleaner jobs in Egypt require moving in with your bosses. I only get to return to my sponsor’s house for brief periods of time. But the jobs aren’t fixed contracts; I can decide to stop working with an employer at any time.

How much did the first job pay?

EGP5,500/month. The exchange rate was ₦35 to an Egyptian Pound then, and it came to ₦192,500. I kept EGP300 of my salary as a living allowance because I had to send the rest to my sponsor. 

My feeding was handled by my employer so my allowance went to small expenses like jackets and socks for when I’m cold. Then, I’d gather whatever was left of the allowance — usually ₦15k—  for a few months and send money home to my mum. She wasn’t pressuring me to send anything; I just did it because I wanted to help out.

What was the job like?

It was pretty decent. I cleaned for a Syrian family of two who were nice to me. Syrians are actually really nice people. I’ve worked with two of them, and they treated me well. Anyway, these ones gave me a room and bought pads and perfume for me. Sometimes, they tipped me if they thought I did a good job. I worked long hours — from 10 a.m. to midnight, but their kindness made it easy.

I was with them for five months. The woman of the house gave birth and became cranky. One day she shouted at me and asked me to leave. She said she didn’t want to see me again. So, I Ieft.

Did you find another job?

Yes. I found another within four days. Though this one was both cleaning and nanny work. The pay was also EGP5,500/month, but I left after 12 days. Taking care of babies is stressful and the madam saw I couldn’t do it. So, she just paid me for the days I worked and I left.

My next cleaning gig paid the same amount, and I spent seven months there. I never went on holiday once because my madam’s children always wanted to see my face. I finally left because my salary kept getting delayed and my sponsor wasn’t having it. Salaries are paid on the 26th here, and if I don’t send money to my sponsor that same day, she’ll call and start swearing at me. It was my sponsor who insisted I find another job.

Why were there salary delays, though?

My madam was a stay-at-home wife — most Egyptian wives are — and all the expenses were on the husband. I think they struggled with paying their children’s school fees and paying for my services, which caused the delays. I left the job in November 2023.

My next gig was supposed to pay EGP6,500/month, but I only worked for 10 days. I fell ill and my employer asked me to go home to get treated. By the time I returned, she said I should go back because she didn’t have money to pay me. 

Ah

Thankfully, I got another EGP6,500/month gig with a rich family of seven in January 2024. My job was to clean and basically take care of whatever they needed. They had two other black women working for them — a Nigerian and a Sudanese.

I worked with them for almost five months, and I was able to pay off my debt to my sponsor in March 2024, four months earlier than I was supposed to. I felt like I was finally financially free. 

How did that happen?

You see the family I was working with? Their money is long. They could just wake up one day and travel to London for a few days. They also had multiple luxury cars.

The husband was a health worker, but he didn’t work anymore. He stayed at home during the day and only went out at night. He also always moved with cash. The Nigerian maid told me he was into money laundering. She understood Arabic well and had worked with him for a year before I joined. 

One day in February, the husband returned from a trip with a few bags. One of the bags contained chocolates and gifts, which he shared with everyone. I tried to help carry the bags inside, but he instructed me not to touch one of the bags. He took that bag inside himself. Later that night, his wife asked me to go inside the room to take their child’s pacifier. I saw that same bag in the room and got curious. I opened the bag and found lots of dollars and pounds. I’m not sure what possessed me, but I took some of the notes. When I later counted what I took, it was about $1,200.

Did your employers notice?

They didn’t. I hid the money in the visitors’ toilet downstairs just to be safe. I knew they’d kill me if I was caught. It was stealing, but I was just desperate.

I didn’t even touch the money for a few days because I was worried they’d look for it one day. I understand a little Arabic, so I consistently eavesdropped on their conversations to see if they’d talk about any missing money. Nothing like that.

I got the chance to take the money out of the house some days later when they travelled. Normally, they searched every maid leaving the house for holiday to be sure we didn’t take anything. But they travelled ahead of us and couldn’t search. 

I finally took the money out and hid it in my sponsor’s house. I didn’t tell a soul, not even my Nigerian colleague. You can’t trust Nigerians in this country. They can snitch for no reason.

Was that the money you used to pay off your debt?

Yes. I first changed the money to naira because there was no way I could explain having dollars. I did the conversions small small, though. It was risky to carry all that dollars to change. Then, I called my sponsor and told her I was ready to pay off my balance. At that time, my outstanding debt was about ₦700k. She probably thought a man gave me the money to pay off my debt because it’s normal here.

I also sent ₦100k to my mum because she was ill at the time. I told her my employer had dashed me the money. I also sent my brother about ₦200k to buy a laptop. After paying off my debt and sending money home, I had about ₦200k left in my account.

Did you have to move out of your sponsor’s house after paying the debt?

Nope. My stuff is still there. She has her issues — especially when it comes to money — but we got along well because I hardly owed her. I know how she treated others, though. I once saw her beat up someone because they hadn’t paid for a month. 

People get into those money issues when they try to send more money home. They’d ask the sponsor to loan them a month’s salary so they can send home or sort out some things. When they delay in paying back, it becomes an issue. 

Curious. Do you know anyone this sponsorship thing didn’t work out for?

Yes. Several ladies I know are back in Nigeria because they couldn’t handle the pressure. In 2023, I met a lady in a hair salon; she’d just come into the country. The next thing I heard about her was that she wasn’t in the right mind and couldn’t work anymore. Her sponsor eventually called her family to pay for her return ticket back home.

I see. So, where are you at now?

I’ve collected my full salary without having to pay anyone for two months now. I left my former employer’s house recently because they claimed I didn’t complete my work one day and refused to pay the full salary. I’m at another job now, cleaning and managing the house for a family of three. My salary is EGP8,000/month, which is around ₦300k.

What are your monthly expenses like these days, since you don’t have to pay your sponsor?

I know I can’t do this work forever, so I’m saving for whenever I need to leave and look for something else to do. Right now, I have about ₦350k saved in a separate account.

Have you considered when you might stop?

I  think I’ll do this house girl work for another two to three years to gather money. It’s one of the easiest jobs to get in Egypt. That doesn’t mean it’s not hard o. It’s really difficult. 

There’s also the risk of the police catching and deporting me. I was supposed to get a one-year work permit when I got here which would be renewed every year, but my sponsor didn’t do it. I hope to do that next year. 

It costs $1k to get the permit and about $200 to renew it every year. I’ll also have to pay for the two years I’ve already spent here.

What do you imagine will happen after?

I plan to take a software development or cybersecurity course after the third year. Maybe I’ll also look for a job I can do thrice a week, so I have more time. I can’t do much about future career plans now because my work doesn’t give me any extra time. 

Do you plan to return to Nigeria?

It’s in my plans, but I have to learn a skill first. Even people who finished university don’t have jobs in Nigeria. Not to talk of me who didn’t finish. Dropping out of school is my only regret, but I have to move on.

What’s something you want, but can’t afford right now?

Land. I feel like owning land in Nigeria is a good investment choice.

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

4. I’m making good money, but I’m not satisfied with the level I’m currently on. That number would be a 6 if I was in another country like the US or Canada and making like $5k/month from software development or working as a travel nurse. 

That’s another thing I want to do if I had the money — study nursing. I believe I can do that well. I just generally have big dreams, and I hope I can achieve them someday.

Find all the past Naira Life stories here.

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