₦airaland Forum

My very first reward on this forum was a seven year ban.

When I joined Nairaland back in 2013 as a student, I was not looking for any business opportunity. I just wanted to relax, argue about phones and enjoy the comedy here. But those who were around in those days know how ruthless the bots could be. One mistake, and a seven year ban landed squarely on my head.

Seven full years.

I knew I could not wait that long, so I abandoned the account. By the time I eventually returned with a new profile, my reality had completely changed.

I was now out of school, working a low paying job and facing the harsh reality of adulthood. I was thinking very seriously about my future. I needed a way to improve my situation, and slowly, Nairaland shifted from being my relaxation ground into a hunting ground for opportunities.

I kept digging through different sections until I stumbled on a thread about freelancing on Fiverr:
https://www.nairaland.com/2947212/exclusive-how-make-level-2

That topic was 102 pages long. When I say I read it, I mean I sat down and read every single one of those 102 pages.

What kept me reading was the honesty. It was not just a thread of people bragging about success. Many people had tried the methods, failed heavily and returned to share their mistakes, complaints and frustrations.

Instead of scaring me away, those painful stories prepared me. I learnt what to do, but more importantly, I learnt exactly what not to do.

I had absolutely no digital skills I could confidently sell at the time. Writing seemed like something I could attempt, so I chose the writing niche.

Let me be honest. Nothing happened magically.

I had to learn on the job, keep trying and exercise extreme patience. But gradually, the late nights started paying off. Over the years, writing became a very meaningful source of income for me. Eventually, my monthly earnings crossed into six figures in naira. That was a financial reality that once felt completely impossible to me.

But Fiverr was a rollercoaster. I faced sudden account setbacks, bans and dark periods where it felt like I had to rebuild my life from scratch. I kept fighting back with tenacity, but the stress taught me a very clear lesson. Depending entirely on one platform or a single source of income is incredibly risky.

I am not saying everyone who opens a Fiverr account today will suddenly become rich. The platform has changed drastically. But I still believe that anyone who approaches it with patience and a genuine willingness to learn a skill can find a way.

Because Fiverr was becoming unpredictable, I began searching for a second stream of income.

I had always loved gadgets, so another Nairaland thread caught my eye. This one was created by Mikkyangel, and it was about importing phones and laptops:
https://www.nairaland.com/1257506/california-los-angeles-pickup-services..online

Just like before, I read the discussion completely and decided to take a leap of faith.

Along the line, a Nairaland member created a dedicated group for those of us selling gadgets through the forum. The goal was simple. We needed a place to build trust, keep each other accountable and resolve business disputes.

I joined them, and I still cannot fully explain how successful that business became for me.

I would buy laptops from the United States and ship them down to Nigeria. Most of my buyers were based in Lagos, even though I did not live anywhere near Lagos. I had no physical shop and no online store. Everything happened entirely on the internet. In fact, I rarely even saw the laptops I was selling.

Most of my goods were paid for before they even landed in Nigeria. The few I could not pre sell were kept by a trusted friend in Lagos while I posted them here on Nairaland to find buyers.

Over time, total strangers became comfortable sending me as much as 1 million naira without ever seeing their item, visiting a physical shop or meeting me in person.

All they had was my username and the reputation I had carefully built.

That level of trust is never an accident. I made it a strict rule to expose the true condition of every gadget. If a laptop had a tiny scratch, I pointed it out before taking their money.

If a problem arose, my personal policy was to refund the buyer long before they even had a reason to get angry. If I made a mistake, the buyer never paid for it. I preferred to lose my own money rather than destroy the deep trust a stranger had placed in me.

The business thrived for a good period. But then, the instability of the naira began to choke us.

There was a sweet period when 1 million naira could easily buy about three gaming laptops from the United States and still leave room for a solid profit. A while later, that same 1 million naira could barely buy one.

Purchasing power was dropping, and the exchange rate became a nightmare. You could buy an item at a high rate today, and before the laptop even arrived in Nigeria, the market would move wildly against you. After a few painful losses, I realised it was time to close that chapter and let the business go.

I have other things going on offline now, but looking back, this forum directed some of the most important turns in my life.

I am deeply grateful to Seun for building Nairaland. I am grateful to Mikkyangel for the gadget thread. And I am forever grateful to the person who created that Fiverr topic. That user has deleted their account today, but their impact on my life remains permanent.

Someone sat down and created a Fiverr thread, totally unaware that a silent reader would consume 102 pages and rewrite his financial story. Someone created a gadget discussion, never knowing it would teach another young man the true value of trust and shared knowledge.

But here is where the story takes a turn.

Even as I was gradually stepping away from the gadget business, I started noticing something very strange happening inside our seller group.

It was meant to be a place for gadget vendors, but members had quietly started doing something else entirely. At first, it looked like random chatting. But the closer I looked, the more I realised they had stumbled onto a solution for a massive Nigerian problem.

What exactly were they doing? I will reveal the full picture in my next topic. I need to drop my phone right now and go face my landlord over a serious issue.

If you are still looking for what to do, I urge you to dig around topics on this site.

Bayoonanuga:
Do payment on delivery oooo

Do payment on delivery ke?
Do you know the price of what she's asking for?
Something of 1.3M she's looking to buy for 750K, you suppose dey advise am cos she will obviously get scammed looking for cheap DJI Osmo pocket 4P

verminnel:
750k

LOL you will be scammed. I assure you that.

verminnel:
Please I need a very good deal on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P. Lagos Island preferably 🙏

I have a 4P creator's combo. Barely used, I bought it out of curiosity. What's your budget?

Days of propaganda are over

God1000:
So Donald trump the Master war planner has ran out of ideas after the claims of defeating Iran for 33 times

One dangerous situation is being in war with a presumed smaller opponent who refuses to give up. You'd exhaust all your strategies and they would still be fighting.

This same Tinubu rented fake priests

demstone:
240MILLION NIGERIANS WANT CONSTANT ELECTRICITY BUT DONT WANT TO PAY

DEN WONDER WHY WE'VE WAITED FOR OVER 65YEARS WITH NO RESULT..

NOBODY CAN GIVE NIGERIA POWER WITHOUT REMOVING SUBSIDY

Here's a 30K APC keyboard warrior.

Godfullsam:
How does this translate to more hardship for an average Nigerian who doesn't have regular power supply?

I know your lots would think an average Nigerian without electricity won't be affected but companies running on electricity would pay more for production, the poor also said the same thing about the TAX the govt would likely activate after elections. All these would be included in final prices of products for the average Nigerian to pay.

Chummynoni:
Lol. If not for this guy's pictures , I would have said all these never happened 🤣🤣

You never know that guy. Try read his topics you go shock.

More like Nigerians has forgotten but the govt hasn't.

When Nigeria's new tax reforms were being introduced, they dominated national conversations. Government officials repeatedly appeared in the media explaining why the reforms were necessary and encouraging Nigerians to embrace them. The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, , was particularly visible, passionately defending the reforms and outlining their expected benefits.

Then, almost suddenly, the conversation faded.

Today, there is noticeably less public discussion about the new tax regime. The urgency has disappeared, public explanations have become scarce, and many Nigerians are left wondering whether the reforms are still moving forward.

That silence should concern every Nigerian.

History has shown that governments sometimes avoid aggressively implementing unpopular policies during politically sensitive periods. Elections often influence not only what governments do, but also when they choose to do it.

This raises a legitimate question.

Has the government simply gone quiet because it does not want the tax reforms to become a major political issue before elections? If so, could Nigerians be facing far stricter enforcement once the elections are over?

There is no evidence that this is the government's plan. However, the absence of clear communication creates uncertainty, and uncertainty often fuels suspicion.

If the reforms are still on course, businesses need time to prepare. Workers need to understand how the changes may affect their income. Entrepreneurs need to know what new obligations may be coming. Families deserve enough notice to adjust their finances instead of being caught by surprise.

Silence is rarely a good communication strategy when major economic reforms are involved.

Whether one supports or opposes the new tax law is beside the point. Every Nigerian should want transparency. Citizens should not have to speculate about policies that could affect their livelihoods.

If the government has paused implementation, it should say so. If enforcement has merely been delayed, Nigerians deserve to know the timeline. If nothing has changed, then regular public updates should continue.

The purpose of this article is not to create fear but to encourage preparedness.

If the current silence is simply administrative, then there is nothing to worry about.

But if it is political, Nigerians should begin asking questions now rather than after the elections, when any major enforcement measures would be much harder to challenge.

A well informed public is always in a better position than a surprised one.

Adebisi444:
Who God don blessed.. no one can curse.

Mentality of average Nigerian. Paper money made by men for men's use has nothing to do with God.

Quality time until she stay with you 4months straight or get pregnant. That time you'd prefer texting.

Foolishness. No security No election is in whose favour?

Oh, are they terrorists now? I thought they are bandits.

This is to discredit the good works of the he-goat Tinubu

numericalguy:
Apart from insults what else can you do

Check my profile you'd see a lot of things I can do better than you.

numericalguy:
You have conditioned your mind to hate that is why you will never ever see the positives gains he has made in our economy, security, agriculture,education, international relations, medical and other sectors

No let me insult you. People are dying daily, terrorists kidnapping left and right, there is hunger across the country, fuel is N1400, food prices are high yet you spill rubbish

Houseofglam7:
He’s a politician extraordinaire.

But a poor governance extraordinaire

Imagine say na another tribe do this.... All hell would be let loose.

Desusi:
You're not wanted here.we have too many people here.Thank you.

Unfortunately you have zero say. If I want to be there tomorrow and live in the best area I would but that's a place I never wish to live. You think life begins and end there? The joke is on you.

erico2k2:
says who, I disagree with that, have you seen the walls of the flats in London or newyork?If you shout anyhow your next door person go hear you

In Africa

neutralmind:
This statement makes no sense

Travel and see neighborhoods where houses are as expensive as Banana Island and you will see understand my point.

YesDaddyTill203:
Yet una dey rush to Lagos on a daily basis.
It's oxymoronic to hate something yet keep rushing it like air you need to breathe to stay alive.

God forbid. I hate Lagos and I have no business wanting to live there.

The quality of houses won't even match those at 10th position

Dennisochampa:
If you're not OK then it's good....

It's ok for u to pray to Jesus or Allah who existed before your ancestors were born but when people talk about things of the olden days, u begin to ask stupid questions.....

Show me one country that prayed their way out of poverty and bad governance and I will give you 1M, @mods this is a bet.

You now have an opportunity to make yourself 1M. Don't come here qouting a religious book.

Dennisochampa:
If he could have people in sodom and gomorah... Then I think Nigeria still has a chance to be redeemed

Are you guys even okay? You are talking Sodom and Gomorrah in 2026..... SMH

Dricker:
leave them,I just dy laugh people wey carry God matter for head..seven days declaration we never wake up yet for this country...God doesn't help those who doesn't help themselves..the government are behind the insecurities and we as a nation can come together to remove the government but we rather pray to God to come and scatter the bandits..mugulity at its finest

Even Israelites had to fight when it was necessary. What I understand is that religious leader are part of the Govt, they really don't want the country to get better, they want more problems so more people would come to them for spiritual solutions.

Dennisochampa:
God I believe in You... Please destroy every bandit, every corrupt politician, every cultist... Every kidnapper, every yahoo boy and everyone making our nation difficult.... I join hands, hearts and prayers with everyone who mean well for Nigeria... We pray that you destroy them for good.... Amen

God has no business with a nation of docile people.

Nonsense.

Name me one country that prayed their way into a better nation.