For the 26-year-old content writer in this story, saving reigns supreme. She would know: her longest unemployment stretch was two years. Guess what gave her a soft landing?

What’s your oldest memory of money?

I started out saving a lot of the monetary gifts I got growing up. They went into my “kolo” — a wooden piggy bank. By the time I was 13, my family and the people from church knew they could trust me with money, and I was in charge of the church library. Not sure how much it was anymore, but I made quite a bit of money for the church from renting out books to the congregation.

Although I have two older brothers, my mum trusted me with some things very early and her business was one of them. In 2009, she put me in charge of her store where she sold thrift clothes. I was 15. This could count as my first job because I made some money from it.

How?

The goods were shipped in bulk and when we took stock of the inventory, I kept some of it for myself to sell. Also, if I thought a shoe or a bag was too good for the price my mum asked me to sell it, I added a markup price — usually ₦1k — and that was also mine. In the good months, I made between ₦10k and ₦15k. December was my favourite month because people shopped more and I could make double that.

Eyes on the bag. What was it like growing up though?

My dad was a risk-taker. Probably more than he should have been, and this affected the family a lot. He was one to put his last penny to finance an idea he thought would do well. These projects always failed. My mum had more success in her business dealings, so things weren’t as bad as they probably would have been.

But there were periods when the family was barely getting by. My time in the university was a struggle because of this.

Do you want to talk about it?

I got into university in 2011 and my mum borrowed money to raise my tuition. During my first two years in uni, my allowance was ₦2500 per week. Sometimes it was ₦4000 for two weeks, and I learned how to manage it.

My third year and final year were the worst. I hardly got any money from home. And when it came, I couldn’t do a lot with it. I had a boyfriend, and he was there whenever he could. But I learned to do a lot of things myself.

Perhaps, the most important thing I learned was how to be frugal because I didn’t know when the next money would come. It’s a miracle I survived university.

I’m sorry about that.

It’s fine. When I graduated from university in 2015 and went for my service year, the only thing I was optimising for was income growth. I kept rejecting the PPAs I was assigned to because they didn’t want to pay. I finally found a school that was open to paying me ₦10k per month to supplement the allowance I got from the government, and that was the offer I accepted.

However, I didn’t have access to the federal government allowance for six months.

What happened?

BVN issues. Very frustrating, but I just chalked it up to me saving money. I planned my expenses around the ₦10k I got at my PPA. I should add that I earned some more money from teaching some kids during the holidays, and the total I made from this was ₦14k.

It was easier to plan my finances during my service year because I knew to expect something at the end of each month. It worked out well, and at the end of my service year, I had about ₦200k saved up. It took some restraint to hit that number — I mostly lived on what I got from my PPA, but again, saving money has always been easy for me.

I finished NYSC in February 2017 and started job hunting immediately.

When did you get a job?

In the same month, and it was for this guy who had a website. I’d always known that I liked to write, so I figured I had nothing to lose if I applied for the job. I did, and I got it. The salary was ₦30k.

How did the job go?

Not well. For starters, my KPI was 15 articles daily. I had to leave home at 5:15 a.m. every day to beat the traffic and get to work before 6 a.m. to start working. When my boss saw how fast I worked, he asked me to start writing for another website he owned, promising to compensate me for the extra work. He didn’t.

It was a struggle before he even paid my salary. When he didn’t pay my first salary at the end of the month, I stopped going to work in March. After some back and forth, he paid me ₦15k, and that was it. I was out of a job again.

I wouldn’t find another job until October 2017.

What happened in between?

In April 2017, I took a loan of ₦80k from a microfinance bank, bought female clothes and travelled to a federal university in the southwest. I had a friend there who took me in. The plan seemed simple: university ladies loved good clothes, and I had an eye for them, so there had to be a market for me.

At the end of my first week, I had sold nothing and had only ₦100 left on me. I sold a blouse for ₦1400 — ₦300 less than the cost price in the second week. Later that week, I sold something worth ₦6500. The lady paid ₦3k and promised to send the rest later. She didn’t.

I realised that the business wasn’t going to work. I used the money I made to transport myself back home to Lagos.

With a loan hanging around your neck…

This didn’t hit me until I returned home. I cried my eyes out. I had agreed to a weekly repayment plan: ₦2700 every week, I think. My mum took it up and started paying it off gradually. Also, My boyfriend from university had travelled out of the country but we were still in touch. He sent some money so I could offset the debt too. Eventually, I paid about ₦42k myself spread over a couple of months.

How did this happen?

I got a freelance writing gig in May 2017. I was writing five articles a day for ₦10k monthly.

Omo.

I was desperate for a job and had a loan to pay off, so I took it. I did that for only two months though — I realised that the money was too little for the effort and the lady I worked for never paid on time. If it wasn’t a token issue, it was some network problem.

I got another job in August at a women-focused website. The pay was ₦50k plus a ₦5k internet allowance. After my first three months, my basic salary was increased to ₦60k. Around the same time, I got a writing gig on the side that paid me ₦25k.

Now you were averaging ₦85k monthly, what did that mean for you?

See, I started thinking about getting my own apartment. I had wanted to move out of my parents’ since 2017 but I didn’t have the means. I found a mini-flat in February 2018 and it cost ₦265k, which I split with a friend.

Ah, nice. Back to your job. How long did you spend there?

Nine months. I left for purely sentimental reasons. In May 2018, another website I had always liked and had even done some free work reached out to me and asked if I was interested in a full-time position. I took a ₦5k pay cut to join them. Not the best decision. During negotiations, my boss said that she couldn’t pay me the ₦80k I asked for because the company wasn’t making money. I joined and found out that the company was indeed making money.

Ouch.

Also, we agreed that my closing time would be 4 p.m. if I resumed work at 6 a.m. I kept my end of the deal but my boss didn’t. After five months, I decided the job wasn’t worth it anymore, so I resigned. I didn’t even have any plan. I just knew I would lose my mind if I continued working at the job. My safety net was my savings — I had gotten it up to ₦220k.

Sweet. When did you get your next job?

About two months later. In January 2019, I casually applied for another content job, and I got it. The offer was ₦100k. Omo, it felt like a big break but all the excitement went into the air after I was owed salaries at a stretch. My editor was also hard to work with.

It was easy to resign from this one when I got another offer in May. I hadn’t even been paid for two months at the time, but I was determined to get it. I went to the office one day and informed HR that I wouldn’t leave until I got my paycheck. They paid a month’s salary that day. The balance was paid three months later.

Energy. What about the new role?

I was hired as a creative writer at an enterprise business. The company had a couple of brands under its name, and I wrote for all of them. The salary was ₦160k and I loved the work I did here.

My salary was a big deal to me. I saw money in a new light and even started giving my parents an allowance. I was also saving a lot more than I had ever saved up until that point. ₦40k went into my savings every month. This was non-negotiable. After settling my bills and savings, I still had quite a bit left to spend on clothes.

However, the work culture was toxic. People were fined or fired for the most basic reasons. I knew it was a matter of time before I got fired too.

And that happened?

It did. On September 1 2019, I was handed a sack letter. I didn’t even do anything, but they said the company needed to downsize.

That’s brutal. I’m sorry.

I was relieved they let me go. I had started thinking about leaving too. My savings, again, gave me a soft landing. I had about ₦500k and wasn’t in debt, so I figured I could live on it until I got a new job. I had some interviews lined up, and I was confident that I’d get an offer from one of them. I didn’t find another job for two years.

Hay God!

See, I didn’t see that coming. I aced the interviews but for some reason, they didn’t go with me. Two months after I got fired from my last job, I started getting restless. I decided to start a clothing business again and opened an Instagram store. The focus this time was on corporate clothing items, and all my clients came from Instagram. I didn’t make any sales until December 2019 though.

Omo.

Thankfully, it started picking up after that. It got me through the pandemic in 2020, and I saved my first million before the year was over. God, I saved like crazy.

In the first three months of 2021, I saved another million. At this time, I was averaging at least ₦300k monthly in profit. I probably would have saved more if there wasn’t one bill or the other I had to settle at home. The last bill within that period was this ₦350k I loaned my mum.

Ah, I see. I’m curious: Were you still looking for a job?

I never stopped job hunting, although the momentum dropped at some point. I didn’t see the need to rush since I had my clothing business.

Fast forward to October, I finally got another offer as content lead at a startup.

Yay.

The salary was ₦140k. Less than what I earned at my last job.

But you took it. Why?

I needed to start leaving my house. I won’t lie, it was a relief. Shortly after I started working there, I got another offer. It was double my current pay, but I turned it down.

Oh?

I felt bad about leaving the place I’m currently at without a replacement. So yes, I stayed.

Sales are bad this time of the year, so I’m currently making between ₦60k and ₦80k from my business.

You’ve always been big on savings, how do you approach it these days?

The thought of being broke throws me into a panic. ₦50k goes into my savings every month. No compromises. Whatever I have left after settling my monthly bills goes into a separate savings account. So do the occasional money gifts I get.

I know one thing: I’m on my own and there may be no one to run to if I run into trouble, so saving money makes me feel safe. I save as little as ₦200 sometimes. A trickle eventually becomes a lot. But I’ve also realised that saving money is not always enough, so I started some investments in April.

What investment options are you in?

I started with crypto. I’m still learning how this works, but I haven’t made any significant losses. Also, I have a RiseVest account and they invest in stocks for me. That works for me.

What’s the value of your savings and investments the last time you checked?

Core savings — ₦427k

Crypto — ₦660k

RiseVest — ₦360k

I’m glad I have developed a savings habit, but I wish I could save more every month. ₦150k would be great and I know I can do it if I’m earning more.

This feels like a good place for a segue: how much do you think you should be earning?

₦600k from all my income streams would be great right now. ₦400k from a 9-5 job and the rest from my business. I have a feeling this will happen next year.

Energy. How would you say your experiences over the years have shaped your perception of money?

Money makes me safe, which is why I take savings seriously. My worst fear is having to rely on people for money. I saw my parents go broke a number of times, and it scared me. I never want my children to go through that or have to depend on others.

I also know that saving religiously is not enough, and that’s why I’m trying to figure out a way around making the right investments.

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

My MacBook. In August 2020, I realised I needed a computer, so I started saving heavily for a Mac. Luckily, someone I know wanted to sell theirs and what I had saved for five months was enough to buy it off them. It cost ₦325k.

Nice. But I wonder if there’s anything you want right now but can’t afford?

A car. I move around a lot but I’d probably spend less if I had my own car. I imagine I’ll need ₦2.5m for a Camry that works.

I started saving for a car already but I’m nowhere close. Rent is coming up, and I need ₦600k for that. After I make rent, I’ll restructure my savings to accommodate my car needs.

What part of your finances do you think you could be better at?

Investments! I need to figure that out as soon as I can. Sticking to a budget is something else I need to start doing. I made an impulse purchase recently and splurged ₦80k on some skincare products. They stopped working after a month. I’m still very upset about it.

Sorry. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your financial happiness?

It’s 3 at the moment.

I didn’t see this coming.

Let me explain. I know my finances are in much better shape than it was two years ago, and I wouldn’t call myself broke. However, I’m not close to where I want to be. I have a high taste. I’d rather not have an item than spend less and compromise on quality. This means I have to continuously earn more than I could spend. This hasn’t happened yet.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/naira-life/nairalife-shes-26-a-content-writer-and-saving-is-her-superpower/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.251021

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Boxer Shorts and Singlets are very popular birthday gifts for men. This is an interesting phenomenon, especially when you consider that these items are originally underwear.

How do these items feel about being used as cheap birthday gift ideas? How do they deal with this newfound fame? Today on Interview With, Boxer Shorts and Singlet tell us all.


Zikoko: Hello, welcome to Interview With! It’s so good to have you here today.
Singlet: It’s good to see you too. But if I may ask, what are we doing here? Why did you call us into your office?

Boxer Shorts: Maybe a king was born today in their office.

Singlet: I doubt it. These Zikoko people are earning big money. If a king was born today, it’s not our type they will call.

Boxer Shorts: Oh please. Have you forgotten who we are?

Singlet: How can I? I’m just saying that if somebody’s son will be receiving us as a gift today, they would have bought wrapping paper to put us in.

Boxer Shorts: True, sha. Oya tell us, Mr. Zikoko, what are we doing here?

Zikoko: Allow me to first appreciate your presence in our interview room today…
Singlet: Shey you will talk fast abi you will not talk fast?

Boxer Shorts: Today is Friday, and we have many places to be. Many kings were born today, and we are going to be presented to them as gifts. So, if you waste our time, you don’t know which relationship you might scatter.

Zikoko: Oh really?
Singlet: The entire palace will crumble.

Zikoko: But who are these kings you speak of?
Boxer Shorts: Nigerian men. Specifically Nigerian men in relationships with Nigerian women.

Zikoko: Okay… How did they become kings?
Singlet: You didn’t hear it from me, but word on the streets is that Nigerian men are cheap.

Boxer Shorts: Ahan, put it nicely, abeg.

Singlet: Okay, okay. Word on the streets is that Nigerian men are low maintenance.

Boxer Shorts: Haba. That’s harsh. The interviewer is a man too oh.

Singlet: How else do you want me to say it?

Zikoko: Don’t worry. I am trained to not pick offence on this job. Say it anyhow.
Singlet: Okay, I have found the right way to put it.

Boxer Shorts: Give it to us.

Singlet: Word on the streets is that Nigerian men are grandmasters of giving a lot and receiving very little in return.


Zikoko: Does this also apply to the men who can make women orgasm?
Boxer Shorts: They usually remove us before they do that kind of thing, so we really cannot speak to that area.

Zikoko: Alright, alright. Singlet, please continue.
Singlet: So, on their girlfriends birthday, Nigerian men will rent saxophone, send money, order cake and even give birthday sex.

Zikoko: In this same Nigeria that we are in?
Boxer Shorts: I’m telling you!

Singlet: Anyway, when it’s time for the man’s birthday, the girlfriend buys me and Boxer Shorts, puts us in a wrapping paper and sends to her boyfriend with the note, “A king was born today. How can I even begin to celebrate you.”

Zikoko: Wow. That’s bad oh.
Singlet: Same thing we said when we heard it.

Zikoko: But how did you two come to be roped into this kind of shady business?
Boxer Shorts: Shebi we were kuku on our own when they dragged us into it. It started like a joke oh. And then one Valentine’s Day like that, this lady came and picked us up. She added handkerchief, one roll-on and a greeting card that she wrote, “What can you give to a man who has everything? Please appreciate this as a token of my love for you”. Next thing, we found ourselves in the boyfriend’s house.

Singlet: We even thought the boyfriend would reject us, but he didn’t.

Boxer Shorts: You should have seen the way this man rushed to tear our nylon and put us on. Later when we heard that he took the girl out to a restaurant for Valentine’s dinner, we wanted to scream.

Zikoko: Scream about what?
Singlet: Why are men so cheap?

Boxer Shorts: The bar is very low. See ehn, this lady did not even pick quality. She chose Tommy Hilfiger boxer and BYC singlet. Aunty, look at 3-in-1 LUX singlets nau. Look at 3-in-1 GUCCI briefs in front of you.

Singlet: And because the man did not complain, when his birthday came, she went and bought him the same thing.

Boxer Shorts: And still had the guts to tweet “A king was born today.” May the king’s palace burn down.

Zikoko: Ahan, why the curse?
Singlet: Please let us curse. We deserve to. Do you want to know why?

Zikoko: Tell me.
Boxer Shorts: Nigerian men deserve all the singlets and boxer shorts they get. Some of them kuku don’t bother washing us.

Zikoko: Um, that’s TMI.
BoxerShorts: Timaya?

Zikoko: No, Too Much Information.
Boxer Shorts: Oh, so Nigerian men do know there is something called Too Much Wearing? You better talk to them. How can a man wear me for three days without washing me? And when he removes me and I think I am finally going to stop inhaling stale pubic hair, you know what he does next?

Zikoko: You tell me.
Boxer Shorts: THIS MAN TURNED ME INSIDE OUT AND WORE ME FOR ANOTHER THREE DAYS.

Zikoko: Ah.
Boxer Shorts: Some of them like to keep the Boxers Shorts on and remove their—

Zikoko: Alright, let’s keep it moving.
Singlet: Don’t move anything, please. I have not spoken.

Zikoko: Even you? What did Nigerian men do to you?
Singlet: I want to clarify that it’s not all Nigerian men oh.

Zikoko: Alright. #NotAllMen.
Singlet: I just want them to let me rest. These men will wear me till I slacken and change colour. And even then, they still won’t let me go. When their girlfriends ask for shoe rags, they offer me to them. A whole me? Ah, I have suffered.

Boxer Shorts: It is why these men are eager to accept singlet and boxer shorts from their girlfriends. They know they don’t wash us properly. “A king was born today” is an opportunity for them to renew their stash.

Singlet: I am actually sick of it.

Zikoko: I hope men do better.
Boxer Shorts: And women too! Let them step up their game and be intentional.

Zikoko: The Intentional Ones Are Not Yet Born.
Singlet: Ayi Kwei Armah was found shaking. Tell Wole Soyinka to hold his afro or we’re coming for it next.

Boxer Shorts: Please come off it oh. Intentional women are everywhere. Was it not you people that published the story of the lady that bought her boyfriend popcorn, zobo and puff-puff for his birthday?

Zikoko: Is it this article: 5 Nigerian Men Talk About The Best Dates They’ve Been On?
Boxer Shorts: Yes, that one. Didn’t the guy say it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him?

Zikoko: I see… So, are you now saying popcorn, zobo and puff-puff is what Nigerian men want?
Singlet: You are a Nigerian man. What do you want?

Zikoko: I want—
Boxer Shorts: Answer that by yourself, abeg. Or you can tell your partner. We have to go now. Another king has been born today.

[Boxer Shorts drags Singlet out]

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/life/interview-with-boxers-and-singlet-a-king-was-born-today/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.221021

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The subject of today’s “A Week In The Life” is a horologist. Horologists repair watches and clocks, and their job requires patience, focus/precision and very specific technical knowledge. This knowledge is usually learnt in informal settings like apprenticeships or through word of mouth.

With almost 10 years of experience, our subject tells us about being able to fix any watch, spotting fake watches, and takes us through one day in his life.

I pack my office keys, wallet and phone as I’m leaving the house. Halfway out, I turn back to pick an umbrella and a nylon that I stuff into my pockets.

Some days it rains heavily, some days the sun shines bright. You never know what Lagos will throw at you.

Regardless of the weather condition, my oga expects punctuality, so I resume my watch repairing job on or before 8:00 a.m. every day. I head to my oga’s shop inside the Onipanu market of Lagos. From my house, it takes me one bus and a 10-minute walk to reach the shop. I like the location of the shop because people are always passing the market so they can easily see us.

Sometimes, I find customers already waiting for me. Other times, it’s just me in the shop with my watches and soft music playing in the background.

No matter the kind of day I get, I embrace it. Today can be good and tomorrow bad or vice versa.

I set down my unused umbrella, shine my phone torchlight and struggle with my office padlock at exactly 8:00 a.m. From when I resume till 9 p.m., I’m either changing watch batteries or making general repairs. I can fix anything as long as it’s not a digital watch and you give me enough time to source the parts. But customers are never patient; they want their watch fixed immediately as if this job is sorcery. If you rush to fix their watch, it’s the same customers that will come back and shout at you when it stops working. So it’s just best I take my time.

I need customers today because yesterday was sort of slow, but this morning isn’t any better. I keep checking the clocks in my office. For the first two hours, the shop is empty.

That’s why I’m happy at 10 a.m. when an elderly man comes in asking if I can fix his watch. I pause for a minute and study the watch.

This work is not only about fixing watches. Customer satisfaction too dey inside. I always watch my client’s moods and gauge their reaction before saying anything. And I don’t talk too much. There are some customers who brag about the price of their watch, and I know it’s fake once I look at the chain or the engine. But I never say anything. I just face front and fix their watch.

The watch in front of me is an expensive Swiss model, so I tell the customer I need some time to fix it. Unlike a Chinese watch, I need a clear head to fix a Swiss. Misplacing one screw alone can affect the engine function and each screw costs about ₦12,000. This watch has 5. After fixing the watch, I plan to also clean and tighten the strap so it feels brand new.

I see the customer weigh his options before deciding to drop the watch. I just hope that the extra effort and attention to detail makes him a repeat customer.

By 12 p.m., more customers troop in. My oga is not around, and I’m the only one in, so I try to work as fast as possible.

First, someone brings a Seiko watch that needs fixing. I test the batteries with a battery tester and notice it’s the batteries that need changing. I charge them ₦300 for a replacement. Then, another person brings a Citizen watch with a slow seconds hand. I diagnose the problem, uncouple the watch and file off a few parts. Also, there’s a mother here to replace a watch she bought the other day. Why? Both she and her daughter struggle with setting the time when I’m not there. Then a customer comes in with a chain watch bigger than his wrist. One drill, two removed linking chains and a couple of nairas later, his watch fits perfectly.

It’s 6 p.m. when the last customer finally leaves. Even after 9 years and 10 months on this job, the busy days still leave me breathless. Yes, the work is hard; it requires precision, patience and focus, but I’ll have it no other way. Before this job, I worked as a welder. I also sold animals. My boss, who I call my egbon, trained and introduced me to this work and I haven’t looked back. Apart from the plenty standing and sitting in one place and impatient customers, I love the job. More than anything, repairing watches makes me feel like I’m solving problems and making people’s lives easier. That feeling alone is priceless. Hopefully, one day, I’ll start my own repair shop. But for now, I’m not interested in that because I’m learning every day under my egbon.

I still have enough time to fix the Swiss watch from this morning. It should take about two hours which means I’ll be done around 8:00 p.m. I’ve tried today, so I can close early. I just need to finish with this watch, then it is home sweet home.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/hustle/i-can-spot-fake-watches-just-by-looking-at-them-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-watch-repairer/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.211021

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NK*, 26, and Sarah*, 26 dated for two years. Today on Love Life, they talk about how wanting different things led to their breakup, transitioning to best friends and getting an apartment together.

What is your earliest memory of each other?

NK: In 2018, I had just come into my queerness and I was looking to meet other queer people. My friend told me about a Whatsapp group run by Sarah. She called her name like I should know her. When I said I didn’t, she told me that she was a writer. I remember thinking Sarah sounded like someone who has their shit together. I googled her and read her work. I wanted to be prepared when I reached out to her. In April, my friend got her to add me to the group and one day, Sarah and I started talking.

Sarah: You know how rowdy Whatsapp groups can get. That day, people were shooting shots at each other and someone was keeping score of the shots. That person was NK. I wasn’t online at the time it was happening, but someone else tagged me to their messages. I laughed about it and said, “Let’s talk privately.”


Ouuu. What happened next?

Sarah: We’ve been talking every day from that day till now. Our conversations were easy. Within a few days, we went from texting to sexting.

NK: LOL. Sarah sent me a picture of herself in bed and I complimented her. I don’t remember what I said but she said, “Are you trying to sext me because I will shamelessly indulge you.” I said yes and we started sexting as often as we texted. I was more flirtatious than I had ever been. It was so intense.

Meanwhile, we hadn’t met. She was in Abuja and I was in Lagos, but it felt like we had seen each other with all the conversations, pictures and calls.

In May 2018, she said she was coming to Lagos for a meeting. By this time, we had been talking for a month. Coincidentally, her meeting happened to be where I worked at the time. I was nervous because I was worried that our connection might not be as intense in person.

Well, was it?

Sarah: It was. I surprised them. I told them I was running late even though I was already outside the building. Seeing them made me smile so much my cheeks hurt. They looked so good. We kept complimenting each other for the first few minutes.

NK: We had the office to ourselves. I was caught off guard, so I didn’t have anything to offer her. I told her I was going to give her the best cup of water she had ever drunk. I turned around to fill a cup with water from the dispenser and when I handed it to her, she said she wanted to kiss me.

Sarah: It was an awkward kiss because they didn’t seem ready and also I was nervous. LOL. After that, we went on a date and ended up spending the rest of the day together. Later, we went to a bar and made out in their restroom. It was so hot. We started making plans to have sex.

How did that go?

NK: I lived with my uncle and his family and so did she. We had to book a room at a shitty hotel but gosh, the sex was worth it — it was as dirty as the hotel. We saw each other a few more times before she went back to Abuja and had more sex. The day before she went back to Abuja, we hung out at a restaurant and talked about what we were doing with each other.

Sarah: It was easy for me to decide that I wanted to date NK, but I needed time to tie up some loose ends — I had been talking to other women, and I wanted to end things with them before going into a relationship. It took about a month.

NK: In June, she sent me a card, a handwritten note and a ring, asking me to be her partner. She mailed via NIPOST, which was cheesy as Bleep. It was one of the happiest moments of my life at the time. I can’t remember how I communicated that to her.

Sarah: You wrote “YES” all over the letter and sent me a picture. It was so cute.

What was dating like?

NK: Intense. Passionate. We had an in-depth understanding of each other and even when we started to have issues, we were able to resolve them because we were able to communicate. We could be logical about our differences and talk about them. That’s something that has stayed with us so far.

Sarah: We started a business together and that also deepened our bond. Our lives seemed to compliment each other. We are both creatives. I write, and they are good with their hands. They work as a project manager and I always had projects to execute. Things were great.

NK: We had a honeymoon phase that lasted over a year. The distance didn’t seem like a big deal because every three months, she either came to Lagos or I went to Abuja.

And then what happened?

NK: In the beginning, we thought we were completely alike and had the same interests, but we had to come to terms with the fact that we were different people with different goals. For example, after our first year together, I realised that I was attracted to other women and wanted to explore that.

How did that make you feel, Sarah?

Sarah: It was hard for me because, before NK, I had only been in toxic relationships where exclusivity wasn’t defined. So in my head, nonmonogamy was trouble. When they said that they were attracted to other women, I felt caught off guard even though I was too. I felt like I was not enough and shouldn’t have gotten so invested in the relationship otherwise I would have seen it coming.

NK: We opened up the relationship in December 2019 and started to fight more than we’ve ever had.


Why?

Sarah: Mostly jealousy. I saw the whole thing as a win or lose situation where NK was winning and I was losing.

I also discovered that I was polyamorous and enjoyed having multiple lovers. This made things more complicated.

How?

NK: When I first told her I wanted to explore being with other women, I felt like I had betrayed her and our relationship and that put pressure on me. There was this girl I liked we kept fighting about. Although the girl and I had been flirting, nothing ever happened and I made this clear but Sarah couldn’t trust that. She felt like I wasn’t having sex with her yet because I was planning to fall in love with her. Meanwhile, she was talking to three women and had had sex with two of them.


Sarah?

Sarah: I knew that I wanted to be with other women, but I knew it was going to be casual. I was afraid that NK would fall in love with whoever they were with and leave me. LOL.

NK: I felt like she had answered questions about herself and her sexuality that I was yet to answer for myself. I needed to explore to find those answers without feeling guilty.

Eventually, navigating an open relationship became too difficult, so we closed the relationship. This was during the lockdown in April 2020. She had just gotten a job in Lagos and I had moved out of my uncle’s house, so she moved in with me.


What was spending lockdown together like?

Sarah: It was the longest time we had ever spent together. It was fun for the most part, but we could clearly see our differences. LMAO. One time, I was trying to lose weight and they were trying to bulk up. This made planning meals difficult. I would want a light meal for dinner, and they would want something heavy. I am also a nightcrawler and they sleep like 30+ men.

NK: LOL. Lockdown made us closer but the feeling of wanting to be with other women never went away.

Sarah: Also, we stopped having sex. I am a sexual person so that period was quite difficult for me. We talked about breaking up because of it but neither of us was ready so we stayed together.


How did the break up happen?

NK: In September 2020, at our friend’s house. The friend and I were talking about sugar mummies, and I said I would like to have one. I mean, the country is hard. LMAO. It was a casual conversation, but Sarah overheard and asked me what that meant for us. We both knew I still wanted to be with other women even though we had closed the relationship. A few more minutes into the conversation, we agreed to break up. I wanted to explore other women and she wanted more sex.


Wow.

Sarah: We laughed for the first few minutes because the breakup was random. Our friend was so confused. The crying started later that night and omo, e enter.

NK: I just want to add that I didn’t want to break up at the time. She asked me a question and I answered honestly, but it didn’t mean I wanted that experience immediately.

Sarah: Awww.

What was breaking up like?

NK: We continued to live together in Lagos because of her job, but we were fighting a lot. Instead of properly addressing how the situation was both for us, we were pointing fingers. I had to carry most of the blame because she made it seem like the breakup wasn’t a mutual decision. I wished she didn’t let me carry the responsibility of our break up alone because it wasn’t just mine to bear.

Sarah: I like to think I am a good person, and being a good person in my head sometimes means not stirring trouble. I had been thinking of us breaking up, but I didn’t want it to happen. That sugar mummy conversation was me ripping off the bandage so I could stop being so scared of it. I wasn’t exactly ready either, and I’m sorry for putting the blame on you.

What was your relationship like post-breakup?

NK: In many ways, nothing changed. We continued to live together, have sex and sleep on the same bed. Still, things changed. We started seeing other people. We talk about our experiences with other people. Sometimes, I make comparisons between myself and the person she’s with and get angry or jealous as a result. We are still adjusting to the new normal. I don’t know what label to give this relationship, but we remain best friends and lovers.

I am mostly comfortable with the way we are now. Mostly because I feel guilty when I don’t share my experiences with other women with her as soon as it happens. I usually like to sit with my feelings and process them before I tell anyone else but when I do that with her, it feels like I have done something wrong. We’re still working through that.

Sarah: Yes, we are. Also, breaking up meant shedding our rules from the open relationship like not going out with people to our special spots or doing certain sexual activities with them. The first few times I had sex with other women I felt like I was cheating on NK. Talking to them about how I feel helps me through the guilt. They encourage me to be present when I’m with other people and enjoy myself. I want them to enjoy themselves too.

Whew, so where are you two now?

Sarah: I went back to Abuja in July 2021. Before I left, we had a conversation where we came to the conclusion that no matter what, we wanted to be in each other’s lives. I love NK and watching them grow has been a blessing. It could be hard but only because I’m looking at the changes from how they affect me rather than what we both need to grow. The space helped me see that I had been navigating this with a tight grip on how things should be, and that’s something I’m learning to do away with.

NK: On my part, I am re-evaluating how much responsibility I allow myself to take on in my interactions with people and how much of myself I give. With our relationship, I’m taking each day as it comes. Currently, we are trying to get an apartment in Lagos.

Together? How would that work?

NK: She has another job here and I was thinking of moving out of my apartment, so it wasn’t a farfetched idea. We enjoy each other’s company and want to share in each other’s lives. However, we would have separate rooms and live separate lives unlike before the breakup.

Sarah: I know we would fight over things like bringing people over, but I also know we are capable of sorting it out and moving past it.

NK: It would be another journey for us to learn to respect each other’s personhood. What I would find invaluable is if after all is said and done, we are still there for each other. I believe Sarah and I can handle whatever comes our way. She’s someone I trust with everything, no matter what has happened. I know her and she knows me.

Sarah: Yup. You are my person, and I believe very much in our friendship.


Does that mean you would do this all over again?

NK: Of course.

Sarah: Definitely.

Sweet! Rate your relationship on a scale of 1 – 10.

NK: 7 because though we’ve had to navigate through a lot of turmoil, I don’t see it as a hindrance to our relationship. I say 7 because it leaves space for growth in places we are lacking.

Sarah: 8 because this relationship helps me grow emotionally, and I’ve always been able to come as myself 100%. I know that we can be better to each other.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/ships/love-life-we-are-broken-up-but-we-are-getting-an-apartment-together/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.211021

Read more stories like this here: https://www.zikoko.com/category/ships?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.211021

The first time the guy in this story tried to make money, he was beaten for it. Years later, he became a product manager and was slowly building up his wealth until a work mishap sent him out of a job and wiped out his life savings. Two years later, he’s building it back up and at $9800/month; it’s never been easier.

What’s your oldest memory of money?

It dates back to 1994 when I was in primary three or four, I stole ₦20 from my mum to buy some biscuits and sweets for a teacher so I could become their favourite student. I said it was from my mum. Unfortunately for me, the following week was Open Day and the teacher thanked my mum for the gifts. When we got home, she asked me to explain and I came clean. I got the beating of my life.

Wiun. Could you paint a picture of what it was like growing up?

My mum was a teacher in the civil service and my dad was a jack of all trades. What both of them made wasn’t always enough for a family of eight. Things were especially tough during periods when the government owed my mum salaries or times when my dad’s businesses didn’t do so well. We were pretty much alternating between plenty and lack for the longest time.

Do you remember the first time you made money?

1997, and I was about 10 years old. I had friends who worked at the local market. They helped people carry their goods for a fee. I asked to follow them one day to observe how they worked. After watching for a while, I joined them. I made ₦16 on that evening and was so proud of myself. Unfortunately, one of my church members saw me and reported to my mum. I got another round of beating for “embarrassing the family and making people think we were hungry.”

I don’t even remember what I used the money for anymore. But I stayed off trying to do anything for money until I got into university to study computer science. This was in 2005.

What was the next thing you did for money?

I helped someone write a math exam in the second semester of my first year, and I got ₦2k for it. I got over the guilt of what I had done when I got the money. For context, my allowance from home was ₦1k/month.

When I got to my second year, he introduced me to another guy who had missed out on school for the entire semester due to a personal tragedy. He was going to write six exams that semester, and I agreed to do it for ₦6k per course. That brought in ₦36k.

I knew it was illegal and could get into a lot of trouble, so I pivoted into something different in my third year.

What was this?

I started a tutorial centre to teach students in the lower levels. The centre caught on, and I was always booked and busy during the exam periods. On the side, I was writing final year projects and seminar papers for final year students. On average, I was making more than ₦150k per semester. I did these things until I left university in 2011. By that time, I had about ₦1m in savings.

Hmm.

One of my cousins was going to a university in the UK that year, and I started thinking about the possibility of going abroad for my master’s degree. He directed me to the affiliate centre that helped him with the whole process, and I went there to make enquiries. But I missed the floor and found myself at an I.T training centre. Somehow, the facilitator of the centre convinced me to get some certifications with them instead and showed me a pathway of how I could use this to get into tech. I thought it sounded good, so I paid for six certifications in software development and network engineering. It cost me ₦600k.

The courses lasted for six months. The centre retained me as a facilitator after I finished my programme and paid me ₦15k/month. On the side, I was also looking for a better paying job, but nothing came until NYSC in 2012.

Two weeks before my service year ended, I got a job as a systems and server admin with a contractor doing some IT work for the government.

How much was the pay?

₦90k. But I also had to be transferred to a state in the south-south. However, I was at the job for only three months. I resigned in May 2013.

Ah, why?

I found out that my chances of growth were low. On my team, there were people who had been working there for two to three years and were still at the same income level they were when they joined. I didn’t want that for myself. I’ll admit that I made the decision because I had a bit of savings. ₦450k.

Fair enough. What came after?

Unemployment. I was at home for five months.

Uh-oh.

I was getting interviews but I either didn’t think the companies I was interviewing with were the right fit for me or they were offering me ridiculous salaries. I was bent on not accepting any offer below ₦100k and these companies were offering me ₦40k or ₦50k.

By the fifth month, I had burnt through my savings and had ₦70k left. I was beginning to realise that saving money only works if you’re earning.

Thankfully, a company reached out to me in October 2013. Someone at my last job had referred me to them. I got an offer almost immediately after I did my interview. They wanted me to come join them as IT support staff and my starting salary was ₦90k. Not the ₦100k I was looking for, but it was close.

I get that. How long did you spend there?

Six months. I left in March 2014 after I got a better offer from an FMCG company. They brought me on as an IT lead and my salary was ₦150k. This was probably one of the most toxic places I’ve worked at.

Why, what happened?

First, an IT lead was the highest role for the Nigerians who worked there. The supervisor positions and other superior roles went to foreigners. So, there was no opportunity for growth for me. I spent six months there and left in August 2014 after an argument with one of the supervisors.

Here’s where it got interesting: they didn’t accept my resignation.

Why not?

A lot of the foreigners on the team were in violation of their visas, and they feared I would report them to immigration if I left like that. They gave me an offer instead: they would pay my salary for six months if I didn’t get another job within that time frame. I accepted it.

Sweet.

I got a new job lead at a fintech company about two weeks after I left. Two months and a series of interviews later, they offered me a senior IT role. My basic salary was ₦250k, but there was an extra ₦30k transport allowance, which brought my total monthly earnings to ₦280k. Another ₦150k was coming in from my last job. In total, I was earning ₦430k until November 2014. Somehow, my former workplace found out that I had gotten another job and stopped the payments.

Hehe. How did it go at the fintech company?

Oh, it was great. I spent three years there. A lot of growth and learning happened there, so I wasn’t in a rush to leave. However, I never got a salary raise even once. It probably wouldn’t have mattered much, but I got married in 2015, so I had to earn more. Ultimately, it was one of the reasons I left.

Another fintech company had been trying to bring me on board, but I didn’t give them a lot of attention. I accepted their invitation to interview when I made a decision to leave the company I was with at the time. They liked me, and I got the job. Like that, my salary grew from ₦280k to ₦650k. It was a massive move I should have made earlier.

It does seem that way.

Haha. Apart from my salary, there was at least one bulk payout in every quarter of the year: leave allowance in March, performance bonus in June, Profit from the previous business year in September, and end of the year bonus in December.

Could you tell me a bit about how you navigated money at the time?

I was saving 40% of my monthly salary. The remaining 60% was spread across other expenses, mostly household expenses and black tax. At the end of everything, my core savings was enough to cover house rent, which was ₦1.8m.

The bonuses I got on the job went into investments.

What kind of investments?

Bank investments. Treasury bills were hot and at an all-time high, bringing in 13% – 14% per year. I also had a fixed deposit account I was putting money into. By 2018, I had gathered ₦6m in core savings and investments.

Then something happened.

Uh-oh.

At the fintech where I worked, I was on a product team where we managed high network individuals. We helped them buy international portfolios and investments to reduce tax.

Everything ran smoothly until December 2018. I got a call from work and was notified that the infrastructure we used to facilitate these transactions had been exposed. What had happened was that the systems could not verify if the transactions we had made on that day to the BDCs — who were the middlemen — were successful, so we ended sending money to these people more than twice. And these were large volumes of money — $30k here, $20k there, some were more than that.

By January 2019, we had recovered most of it. But the other BDC agents went underground with the money. The total debt that was on our head was $2m.

Ehn? This sounds like a nightmare.

It was. The affected High Net Worth Individuals were on the company’s neck. Before long, the regulators got wind of it and everything spiralled out of control. My line manager resigned. I was next in line, so I had to be the fall guy.

When the regulators came knocking, they seized the assets of everyone on my team to recover the money. All the money I thought I had went up in smoke.

How much?

About ₦8.2m. They also took two cars belonging to me and my wife and some pieces of land I had bought. I was at level 0.

Damn.

The company asked me to resign, so I was without a job for the most part of 2019. Marrying my best friend saved me. My wife took over providing for the family on her ₦200k salary.

Seven other people were affected by the asset freezes, and we were fighting it in court. But I pulled out in 2019 because I realised how long court cases in Nigeria can drag on. I had to move on.

What did moving on look like for you?

For starters, I had to figure out how to make rent in October. Thankfully, there was something to look forward to.

What was that?

Before the whole situation started, I had been talking with some Chinese acquaintances about the possibility of bringing in Android POS machines into the country, and I had paid ₦700k for it. In March 2019, 10 POS machines were delivered to me. I had the infrastructure and configuration skills, but zero coding skills to integrate the POS into the Nigerian payment gateways and teach them how to read ATM cards. I went back to the same fintech company I worked at the previous year and convinced two friends to work on it with me, promising them 15% equity each. After five months, we figured it out.

Agent banking was already becoming popular in the country, so it wasn’t hard to find 10 agents. I got ₦120k in revenue from the 10 machines in the first month. It increased to ₦300k in the second month.

Then I ran into another problem.

What was it this time?

Regulators again. I got an email and they informed me that I was running the operation without a license. That’s how I was back to fighting for my life. I still had a relationship with the MD of the last fintech company I worked with, so I thought I could leverage it. After a series of back and forth, the company bought me out and paid me ₦10m for the POS machines and the solution I had built.

Whew.

I paid my guys ₦1.5m each per our equity agreement, ₦2m fine to the regulators and paid my rent, which had been due for a month. At the end of everything, I had ₦3m left. Things were beginning to look up again.

Did you ever get another job?

I did in the same month. My former boss came through again and referred me to a company that needed somebody to manage their payment gateway. The salary was ₦350k.

It was less than what I earned at my last 9-5, but it was either that or rely on the ₦3m I had left. I spent only three months there and left in January 2020. The people there weren’t open to change and preferred to stick with their old ways of doing things.

The same week I left, I got a call from an oil and gas company. They were looking to build a product for efficient fuelling for their fleet offshore and someone had referred me to them. I got a six-month contract as senior product manager for the product. ₦750k per month. When I left, I had built my savings to about ₦5m.

Then I got another job.

Tell me about it.

I wasn’t even keen on another 9-5, but it was a digital bank and the offer was good. ₦1.3m. It’s funny when I think about it now, but it took me about eight years to hit ₦1m every month.

Inside life.

The product I was building went live in December, but I stayed two extra months before I left in February 2021. The plan was to take some time off, build and ship my own product. But I couldn’t refuse the next offer I got.

Ghen Ghen.

One of the VPs of a digital bank in South America DMed on Twitter and asked if I was interested in a senior product manager role at the bank. I got an offer from them in April 2021.

How much?

$11k gross. $9800 net. That’s about ₦4.9m per month.

Omo. How do you move money in and out now?

Every month, I take $2k out for my monthly running costs, $2900 for short term investments, and I leave the rest in my international bank account. My wife and I should leave the country before the end of the year because of my new job, so I’m saving for when the time comes.

What about your short term investments?

Every month, $900 is spread across different crypto investments. $400 goes into my PiggyVest for any emergency expenses. I put $1k in mutual funds, and this is to raise the tuition for my two kids when it’s time every three months. I also put $600 across a couple of agritech investments.

What has all of this done to your perspective about money?

First, your risk appetite is directly proportional to how much you’re earning. I’ve realised that the more I earn, the more my interest in investments grows. A couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have considered investing in crypto.

Also, whoever says money doesn’t give happiness isn’t being fair. I would know because I was at my lowest point in 2019, and I know what that did to me. I developed high blood pressure during those months that I now have to manage for the rest of my life.

I’m sorry about that.

Thank you. I’m fine. But perhaps the most important shift is realising that people who depend on you will manage without you if you don’t have money. For the entire time I was down to zero, calls from members of my extended family were non-existent. The good thing about that is it’s now easier to say no to them when they come knocking. So, maybe don’t kill yourself so others could live.

How much do you think you should be earning now?

I don’t think I should be earning a salary at this stage. I feel like I should have launched a couple of products in the market and earn money based on their market valuations. That’s one of the things I’m looking to do in the next five years.

Let’s come back to the present for a bit. Is there anything you want but can’t afford?

I’m big on family houses. I’ve been thinking about a building that would accommodate my family, my parents, and my siblings and their families. I know the location I want for this project, but I’d have to buy old properties from the current owners and tear them down, and that alone will cost about ₦90m. It’s a huge investment I can’t take on yet.

That’s an ambitious project. Is there anything you’ve bought recently that’s improved the quality of your life?
An air fryer. I bought it for health reasons, and it’s been absolutely worth it. It cost only ₦120k.

Ah, nice. Is there a question you think I should have asked but didn’t?

My financial happiness.

I was coming to that, but let’s hear it.

It’s a six. 2019 was tough, but it could have been worse. I’m also glad that I’m bouncing back. I’m not 100% fulfilled yet because I haven’t built and shipped a product for myself — all the ones I’ve worked on have been for companies I’ve worked with. When this finally happens, I’m moving up to an eight or nine.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/naira-life/nairalife-product-manager-was-down-zero-in-2019-how-did-he-turn-it-around/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.211021

Read more stories like this here: https://www.zikoko.com/category/naira-life?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.211021

Originally posted on techcabal.com

With around 8,000 bank branches – most of them in big cities – in a country of 200 million people, formal banking services remain out of the reach of most Nigerians. A quarter of respondents in a 2018 survey by Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA) cited distance as one of the factors discouraging them from patronising formal banking institutions.

More Nigerians are now financially included compared to three years ago, however, thanks to the emergence of agency banking and mobile money models in the country. Both have been key to deepening access to financial services in a largely poor mass market.

Agency banking has particularly seen significant growth, driven by a group of fintech startups, including OPay, TeamApt, and Paga, that dominate the landscape as well as big telco players like MTN.

Commercial banks, too, have had to rethink their retail strategies with more focus on agent networks as a distribution channel, rather than the costly branch model. As of last year, two of Nigeria’s biggest banks, Access Bank and FirstBank, had around 59,000 and 100,000 agents, respectively. Both banks plan to further double down on agency banking.

In a conversation with TechCabal, Adesoji Solanke, Director of Frontier/SSA Banks & Fintech Equity Research at Renaissance Capital, talks about agency banking in Nigeria, relevant trends in the industry as well as challenges and opportunities for operators in the space.


Michael: Agency banking: What is it and what is it not?

Adesoji: Agency banking is a model that takes financial services to the last mile using human agent networks or merchants, equipped with point-of-sale (POS) machines. They’re like human ATMs. Essentially, agency banking brings the point at which customers can carry out financial transactions closer to them. While most people in cities like Lagos go to bank branches or ATMs, in most rural areas, people can find an agent much closer than they can a branch or ATM. For instance, Nigeria has about four bank branches and 15 ATMs for every 100,000 adults. But, as it stands, there are over 400 POS machines for the same rate. Agency banking enables customers to access financial services conveniently at the last mile.

Michael: Why is the agency banking model so important in the Nigerian context today?

Adesoji: For a financial institution, using agent networks is the right strategy given the current market conditions, compared to say digital-only or internet banking. The majority of Nigeria’s population remains offline, with mobile phone penetration at about 50% while smartphone penetration is at 15%. In addition, even though a significant number of people use internet banking, small businesses and merchants don’t have digital ways of accepting payments. This means that most people rely on withdrawing cash for transactions. If you operate a digital bank in the country and try to scale outside of the already banked populace, you need to think of an offline strategy like agent networks as part of your proposition. With digital banking, there’s a portion of the Nigerian populace that you can’t reach.

Michael: What factors are necessary for making agency banking successful for financial companies?

Adesoji: In order to make agency banking work, it’s important to fully understand the landscape. One factor that has helped industry growth is the relative ease of becoming an agent. While there are actual full-time banking agents, anybody with a shop can serve as an agent for a bank or a mobile payments company. Many existing stores and informal traders double as agent outlets with POS devices, and they only have to meet a transaction threshold every month.

There’s also the fact that an agent can serve multiple companies simultaneously. For instance, a single agent can have several POS machines from different banks. It’s up to the financial institution to introduce incentives to attract and retain agents – in addition to competitive pricing and a reliable platform that provides several services that’d make the agent use their device more. If the POS machine breaks down, how quickly can they get the problem solved? How many services does your platform provide beyond just cashing in and out? Those factors matter.

Michael: Can you speak more about the competitive pricing point?

Adesoji: Sure. Whenever an agent charges a fee on a transaction, there’s a sharing agreement between the agent and the super-agent, who is like the boss, on how the gains are shared. There’s a “price war” going on in the agency banking space in Nigeria, with OPay and TeamApt being the most active players in the war. By this, I mean the share of fees that go back to super-agents has been reduced significantly while agents get more, as super agents look to retain their agents. The agent is king. For every ₦100 charged, the agents’ margins on that have been growing, particularly when they use TeamApt (MoniePoint) or OPay machines. Meanwhile, some other players like Paga and Esettlements have decided not to actively participate in the price war. Their strategy is to focus on the quality of service, making sure they address softer dynamics that are also important to the agents beyond just the gains on transactions. It’s the economics behind the service, and companies have to get it right at scale.

Michael: What are the gains of agency banking to all the parties involved?

Adesoji: For financial institutions, there are more transactions and they’re able to offer more solutions at the last mile. FirstBank has the largest agent footprint of all the banks in Nigeria, and last year recorded $16.2 billion in agency banking transaction value. For agents, the fees are the major benefits, and when those agents are merchants, there’s increased foot traffic to the store of the merchant. Increasingly, with the price war going on, the profit margins of agents have been growing.

Banked and unbanked Nigerians also benefit significantly from the wide networks of banking agents. For instance, having an agent close by, especially in rural areas, makes it easier for the average person to consider opening a bank account. Access Bank added 4.46 million new bank customers through its agents over the last two years. People without bank accounts also sometimes use agent accounts to receive and send money.

Michael: How about challenges and risks associated with agency banking in the country?

Adesoji: There are a number of risks. Agents have to deal with unstable internet connectivity, especially in rural areas where broadband access is limited. There’s also the insecurity problem, although, in most areas, some agents have informal domestic security arrangements. The other potential risk is the switching dynamics. By regulation in Nigeria, POS transactions have to be routed through the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems (NIBSS), which is the initial switching point before it is passed on to other switches in the country, like Interswitch. With NIBSS being a choke point, any inefficiency in the network will affect the rest of the ecosystem and the quality of service offered to customers.

Michael: What role has regulation played in Nigeria’s agency banking boom?

Adesoji: Prior to 2018, the Nigerian government introduced a number of regulations for agency banking, but the most significant initiative came in 2019 in the form of the Shared Agent Network Expansion Facility (SANEF). It was set up by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), supported by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), NIBSS, and Licensed Mobile Money Operators/Shared Agents. SANEF has recruited, trained, and supported more people to become agents while also providing some funding to companies to expand agent networks in underserved Nigerian cities.


Michael: Do you see agency banking as a silver bullet to all current difficulties with access to financial services in Nigeria?

Adesoji: I wouldn’t call it that. It solves problems, for sure, but does it solve all the problems? No. It’s part of an ecosystem of solutions driving financial inclusion and cash to digital evolution.

Michael: Are there untapped opportunities within the agency banking space?

Adesoji: The low-hanging fruit has been captured, which is serving the already banked people at the last mile. In a lot of states where there’s a high concentration of branches in urban areas, agents have done a great job with last-mile penetration. Maybe there’s another 15% or 20% opportunity to drive that by pushing more agents into other parts of the country. But it’s maturing.

I think the next stage of evolution for agency banking in Nigeria is really driving financial inclusion. How do you leverage the agent networks to go even deeper where customers do not have bank accounts? Several agent networks have been rolled out since SANEF got involved in 2019, but the majority of people transacting on that network are already banked. That’s the next step in the SANEF network – figuring out how to leverage the networks to solve problems for the unbanked.

Another thing is, what else can agents offer beyond cash-in-cash-out? How do you add more financial services to the POS machine that make it a more valuable tool? Can you leverage it to facilitate lending, insurance, investment products? When you go to Kenya or Egypt, for instance, agents do more than just deposits and withdrawals. They facilitate loan repayment, credit card payments, registration for different services, etc. Nigeria has done really well over the past two years in terms of how agent networks and transaction values have grown. But there’s an opportunity for value-added services, particularly as cash in cash-out fees to the super agent potentially come under more pressure going forward.

There’s also a significant opportunity in the offline merchant payment acceptance space, particularly with SMEs and MSMEs. A lot of merchants in Nigeria still don’t have a way of accepting digital payments in-store, whether it’s POS machines to accept cards or QR codes.

The market is evolving. In the short term, we’ll see another step in the evolution of agent networks. Players will need to figure out what else they can do with the last-mile distribution networks that they’ve built and also think critically about the relevance of their networks as cash gets increasingly digitized and sector dynamics evolve.

Michael: What are your thoughts on the further growth of agency banking in the country?

Adesoji: Some of the technology that agency networks use today is a bit clunky. POS machines are a fraction of the cost of rolling out bank branches and ATMs but even more technological advancements will ensure that the cost and type of POS machines used are significantly cheaper than what is available in the market today and we’re already seeing smartphones being used as acceptance devices. Technological advancements are happening very quickly. The cost of devices and the internet are getting cheaper, and there’s a lot of capital coming into the venture space in Africa, which means that founders have more capacity to test new ideas. I think the next two to three years will be very interesting.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/10/12/untapped-opportunities-in-nigerias-agency-banking/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.141021

Read more stories like this here: https://techcabal.com/category/fintech/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.141021

Originally posted on zikoko.com

Chinasa, 26, and Ugo, 30, started having sex while they were in relationships with other people. Today on Love Life, they talk about coming together only to break-up, and the ways they have grown individually and as a couple.

What’s your earliest memory of each other?

Chinasa: We met on Facebook. I wrote a post complaining about people’s reactions to erotic posts, and he came into my comments to agree with me. That was the first time I noticed him. I clicked on his profile and saw that he was in Bauchi, where I was serving. I was looking for friends then, and to find someone in the same state seemed nice. I sent him a message saying I was in Bauchi and would love to meet up whenever he had a chance. We fixed a date to meet, he cancelled. We fixed another, and that’s where this whole story begins.

Ah, you have told me the whole thing na. Ugo, please take the stage.

Ugo: I first saw her on Facebook. She commented on somebody’s post, something about Bauchi. I clicked her profile and saw that she was serving in Bauchi — the same state I lived in. I sent a friend request, thinking we could hang out and be friends…

Chinasa: My dear, please add that it was my bumbum you saw.

LMAO. When you finally met, what was your first impression of each other?

Chinasa: I thought he looked taller in real life. Quiet too. But the most exciting thought I had was that he looked corruptible.

Ugo: She wears glasses, so she had this quiet appeal. I didn’t think of anything else. I was busy doing my best to avoid her eyes. It wasn’t until I moved in with her shortly after that my impression of her became clearer, better formed.

We’ll address that moving in soon. Chinasa, when you say Ugo looked corruptible, what did you have in mind then?

Chinasa: I was looking for someone to be my friend with benefits. I had just moved to Bauchi where I didn’t know anyone, and I wanted to rediscover myself after a tough relationship and a traumatic incident. After four months, I knew I wanted someone. But I got scared whenever anyone came on strong. So I was kind of looking for someone who would be a friend first, and the benefits part would be at my own pace.

Ugo had this gentle demeanour that made me feel safe having him in my house, and I thought the gentility hid a lot more things.

So, how did the moving in together happen, and when?

Ugo: We started hanging out and talking to each other a lot. Then I started leaving my things in her place one by one. It was a disguise sha, because I knew I liked her at this point. But then I found out she had a boyfriend.

Ahan. Another revelation? Let me keep this in my left hand.

Chinasa: Well, on the very first day he came to my place, I found that he had a girlfriend and they had been together for four years. So the gentility did hide some things.

Ahhh. What’s going on here?

Chinasa: Let me rearrange it for you. We texted; I liked him. We met up for the first time, and I was doing something with his phone when I saw someone’s name saved as Obi’m. I asked him about it, and he told me that yes, he was indeed in a relationship. Since he had a girlfriend, I started talking to someone that same month and a week later, I started dating this person online.

Okay then. Ojoro cancel.

Chinasa: First of all, he did not “find out” that I had a boyfriend. I told him myself. Also, after I found out about his relationship, I told myself that we could just stay friends and if the sex came, I was down to get it. The sex was not dependent on his girlfriend. I didn’t care about that.

Ugo: My relationship with my girlfriend at the time was nearing its end. Rather unfairly, I’d checked out of the relationship mentally — it was a chaotic three-year relationship and I was exhausted — but I never made this clear to my girlfriend.

When I met Chinasa and we started vibing, I felt that deeply satisfying feeling you get when you drink a glass of chilled water after running around a football pitch for 90 minutes. She was gentle with her words and touch, the sex was fucking awesome, and she listened.

So the sex happened after all…

Chinasa: And then his girlfriend showed up at my door with her friends.

Hay God.
Chinasa: It was a Saturday, I think. Ugo was at my place when someone knocked on my door. It was weird; I didn’t know anyone who lived nearby and could come visiting. When Ugo heard her voice, he went to the door. She claimed she wanted to talk, but it seemed to me like she came ready to create a scene. Ugo led her away.

For me, I was confused. I thought he had made it clear to her that they were done. When he came back inside, I asked him what happened, and he said that she came with her friends to beg him not to break up. She thought the talk of splitting up was a phase he would get over.

Ugo: I came out straight and told my girlfriend at the time that we were done the day she came knocking on Chinasa’s door. I wanted us to become a thing, so I had to act.

Chinasa: That incident caused my first fight with Ugo. I told him to fix whatever issue they had because I didn’t want to be accused of snatching someone’s boyfriend and getting beat up on the road for something I did not do.

Ugo: I understood her fear. She was in a strange land, didn’t speak the local language and had very few friends who didn’t even live in the same area.

But Chinasa and I were never officially in a relationship until towards the end of her service year. Her boyfriend was in the picture for much of it, and she too wanted things to come to a natural end with him.

But wait first. Chinasa, how did you feel about being in a relationship with someone else and still having sex with Ugo?
Chinasa: I felt nothing. My “boyfriend” and I vibed a lot, but the sex was so terrible, it couldn’t even be remedied. Because I liked him as a person, I made the mistake of not establishing strong boundaries with him. When he started referring to me as his girlfriend, I didn’t feel alarmed; there was a long-distance between Enugu where he was and Bauchi where I was.

When I count my relationships, I don’t count him as part of it. I knew that the relationship, or whatever I was doing with this guy, was not feasible and it was a problem to be dealt with so I could face Ugo squarely.

Ugo: And I broke up with my girlfriend so I could also face you squarely too. I chose you. I will always choose you.

Chinasa: And I choose you too. But I will be honest, the girlfriend coming to the house made me very anxious.

I had no idea that they didn’t officially break up. The girl was living with someone, and I assumed she had moved on before they officially broke up. So, to see her come knocking was a bit shocking. I think it’s one of the reasons my relationship with Ugo didn’t fully take off till I finished my service and left Bauchi.

How did the take-off happen?

Chinasa: Two days before I left, I told him I wanted him to be my boyfriend.

Ugo: And I said yes and went to meet her in Enugu.

Chinasa: The Enugu meeting was a mini vacation. We spent the weekend together, and I showed him a few places. His showing up indicated that he would make the effort to make this work despite the distance.

And you were right?

Chinasa: Yes, he was solidly there. But between my master’s and his service, things became crazy. I started my master’s, and he was posted to Taraba for his NYSC service. He later relocated to Jos.

I was going through a lot of changes, and I kept him out of it because I felt he wouldn’t understand. Wrong move.

Ugo: We had to break up.

I’m sorry that happened. What led to the break-up? What changes were you going through?

Ugo: She didn’t care about my career. I started taking my writing seriously, and I wanted her to care about it as I did. I would send her my work, and it seemed like she wasn’t reading or paying the required amount of attention to it, and I felt hurt by this. I thought I could live with the hurt, but I couldn’t. And so I called her one day and asked that we break up.

Chinasa: Leaving Bauchi threw me out into the real world, and it was cold, discomfiting. Before Bauchi and in Bauchi, I had done a lot more growing up. One of the things that happened was that I quit the church, which was a large part of my identity, because religion didn’t work for me and there was a lot of hurt I was dealing with.

Also, I didn’t get a job on time after service. It felt like I was floating, and there was no landing pad of any sort.

And in all of this, you still had to read his work and give comments…

Chinasa: But it was more than that, I’ll be honest. He had a lot of free time and was expecting more attention from me. He was used to seeing me all the time and thought it would continue like that. But I was in the east, grappling with everything, and it didn’t work. Whenever he complained that I wasn’t calling or texting, I would think, “Oh please, not now. Not now. Not with everything I am going through.”

Master’s admission came through and it was hell too. I felt like I was floating along, not understanding anything and trying my best to stay afloat. And in all of this, we were both broke.

When he called for a breakup, I felt like he was the most insensitive person. You knew I was going through this much and you chose to break up? Wow. But even with the hurt, I still felt the relief of no longer having to deal with the burden.

And you people ended up cancelling the break up.

Chinasa: After we broke up, we started talking more. He came to Enugu too, and it was easier to explain things to him without feeling judged. I owned up to my inadequacies, and I felt more equipped to name the things I was going through, more knowledgeable about what I wanted from life and how I needed him to help.

It would also be nice to mention that my master’s results came in around this time and it was all A’s. Other things started falling into place.

How’s the relationship now? Where’s your head at?

Ugo: I feel more secure now in our love than I used to be. There’s a kind of assuredness; a feeling that whatever happens, we will both always make an effort to genuinely understand each other. We are in a good place. The relationship is sort of open, if I can call it that.

How did it become open?

Chinasa: I told him I wanted an open relationship when we were long distance because I didn’t want to be sneaky about being with other people. I learnt fast that I wasn’t a monogamous person, and in the spirit of being more honest with my choices, I told him.

The first time, he rejected the idea. The second time, it felt like he was trying to please me. When I had my mental health episodes, my sex drive nosedived, but I met someone, felt a spark and told Ugo. He agreed I could pursue it.

That first stint didn’t end well because we didn’t have boundaries. We realised we had shit we were avoiding and being with other people wasn’t going to fix it. So we agreed to focus on fixing our issues after some time.

We are open again, but for me, it’s just about honesty. For over two years now, I’ve just been meh about things. I live in a remote place now and make no effort to meet people, so it’s open in the sense that we are both open if it happens. But on my side, I’m not actively looking.

Ugo: It’s the same for me really. If anything happens I’ll let her know, but I’m not actively looking.

What do you love most about each other?

Ugo: That will be her gentleness, kindness and the effort she makes to try and understand my perspective. The latter is part of the reason we’ve come this far.

Chinasa: Ugo is kind, steady and cares for me. Using care here is deliberate. I’m not good at saying what I need, but he’s patient enough to wait till I figure it out and also make things happen before I ask.

Ugo: My heart.

Chinasa: Being with him has been one of the highlights of my life. It’s the first time I’ve fully been myself without apologies in a relationship. People who know us tend to have this idea that he loves me more. I think it’s because they are not familiar with relationships that don’t fit gender stereotypes. For instance, he has moved cities more to be with me because I’m not domestic at all and usually forget to feed myself. He had to move some months ago, and it was hell for me to adjust. It still is.

But the truth is that he’s the one who truly anchors me and us. His steadiness calms down my own scatter-scatter attitude to life. And, Ugo, you are home.

What are the things you both do that you don’t like and would like to see improvement in?

Chinasa: Our biggest fights used to be about ambition. He has a really laid back approach to life that I don’t understand, especially because I’m impatient. I love the thrill of pursuing things. So sometimes, I wish he was more assertive instead of waiting for everything to align first. His process works for him, so I’ve learnt to leave him alone. Doesn’t mean it’s not annoying.

Ugo: Exactly this, but on the flip side. She sometimes forgets that not everyone is like her. There was a period I started to feel that she was on my back breathing down my neck even though I knew she meant well.

She’s already improving on this though.

How would you rate this relationship on a scale of 1-10?

Ugo: 8. Most of our issues happen when somebody isn’t being completely upfront. I want us to reach a place of honesty where it isn’t hard at all to tell each other anything; where it simply comes.

Chinasa: I’ll say a strong 8 with room to be even better. We really grew this year, worked on ourselves and are working towards more things to help us be in the best capacity for ourselves and each other. I don’t intend to get married, but we are doing this long term so I believe we should have long term plans (building our finances, achieving our life and career goals, etc) in place.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/ships/love-life/love-life-love-life-we-make-it-work-despite-the-distance/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.141021

Read more stories like this here: https://www.zikoko.com/stack/lovelife/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.141021

Originally posted on techcabal.com

Eden Life, a Nigeria-based startup digitising home service for homes across Africa, has raised a seed round of $1.4 million to ramp up more market share, bringing its total investment to $2 million.

The investment round was led by LocalGlobe with participation from Africa-focused VCs, Future Africa, Samurai Incubate, Village Global, Rising Tide Africa and Enza Capital.

Eden Life was founded in 2019 by three ex-Andela staffers, Nadayar Enegesi, Prosper Otemuyiwa and Silm Momoh, on a $600,000 pre-seed round from friends and family, to target millennials and Gen Zs who are too busy to juggle house chores with their jobs, especially those in the tech space.

According to Enegesi, Eden Life’s CEO, who relocated from Canada to co-found Andela, Eden Life was founded to help improve people’s lives even as they struggle with hectic Lagos realities. Enagasi himself, who usually had long hours of work, had a frustrating experience hiring people to take care of his home.

“It was difficult at first finding trained people who could handle house chores properly,” he told TechCabal in an interview. So he and his co-founders built Eden Life not only to help people manage their house chores but use well-vetted and well-trained professionals in doing that.

Currently, the Eden Life app allows users to outsource their laundry, house cleaning and meal delivery to the vetted professionals, called “gardeners”.

Quality assurance is key

Quality assurance is a big concern in home service delivery. Enegasi said Eden Life’s quality assurance processes are well documented for all their verticals: for food, customers should get delicious, healthy food that is on-time; for laundry, customers’ clothes should be clean and delivered to them in 48 hours with integrity; for cleaning, customers’ living spaces should be cleaned and arranged to taste.

Eden Life’s platform allows its users to continually give feedback on all aspects of its services. They then use the data to compile preferences for their customers and offer them suggestions that rightly serve their various feedback.

Eden’s users pay an average subscription of ₦42,000 ($100) monthly to either access a daily food delivery plan, weekly cleaning or bi-weekly laundry plan. Eden Life reportedly has over 600 users with a 92% monthly retention rate and over 70% of new users onboarded via referrals. The company said it has delivered over 60,000 services since its launch.

The startup said it will use the new capital to build and scale its in-house technology and train and expand its team.

This seed funding will fuel Eden’s vertical integration strategy as it plans to own and manage its entire supply chain and deliver its services without the need for third-party providers. The startup wants to have physical facilities where chefs prepare meals, laundry is processed quickly and cleaners receive training to provide a high-quality service.

Speaking on their investment in Eden Life, Remus Brett, LocalGlobe general partner, said: “We fell in love with Eden Life’s vision for the future of home services in Africa. The combination of this advantage with a core team who has proven experience building African tech to unrivalled levels sets Eden Life on an exciting path of growth.”

On the topic of expansion, Enegasi said they’ve been getting lots of requests from cities across Africa—Nairobi, Cape Town, Tel Aviv, Cairo, and even Sokoto that’s in northernmost Nigeria. He however said that the startup will continue to scale in Lagos, the country’s most populous city, for now.

“Right now, our focus is just making this work really smoothly in Lagos. Lagos is a very tough city to operate in,” Enegasi said. “So we’re learning a lot, and as our platform gains more resilience and maturity, we can talk about what’s next.”

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/10/13/eden-life-raises-1-4m/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.131021

Read more stories like this here: https://techcabal.com/category/startups/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.131021

Originally posted on zikoko.com

CW: SOME OF THE THEMES DISCUSSED IN THIS ARTICLE MIGHT BE TRIGGERING FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES.

When it comes to navigating relationships, some external factors like mental illness affects the dynamic of said relationships. What’s it like being in love with someone that wants to commit suicide? Who finds it difficult to start each day? We ask seven Nigerians what it’s like being in love with people having mental illnesses:

Kayode, 24

As someone who is also mentally ill, it gives me a sense of comfort. I know that this is a space in which there will be no judgement when I have episodes or when life does what it does. It’s comfortable but scary. Scary because I know that death is an option. I don’t know which of us will go first, and it makes me worry.

Yinka, 28

Honestly? It can be exhausting, but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Someone I fell in love with had anxiety and bipolar disorder. I knew she couldn’t always control her actions, but some of them hurt me as well. There was a time she cancelled on a date I had planned because she was super anxious that day and was unable to leave the house. It hurt. I wasn’t equipped with the facilities to understand or deal with it, and I don’t think I still am.

Amina, 20

A guy I was in love with has terrible anxiety. It gets so bad that sometimes he can’t go outside. He’s always thinking of a million and one possibilities and he always came up with the worst possible option. If I go without texting him for a few hours, he could assume the relationship is over. This led to me constantly over-explaining myself so he wouldn’t make assumptions. He was afraid of me triggering his anxiety and that was a lot of pressure on me. Loving someone with a mental illness is having to constantly be aware of your every action and inaction because of how much it directly or indirectly affects how they feel mentally.

Tobi, 22

As someone that thinks of committing suicide a lot, dating someone who probably thinks of it even more than I do is hard. Very hard. When he takes breaks, I get scared. I worry that this time he has to himself might cause him to hurt himself. I’m really worried and scared when he makes statements like “I just need a break from anything and everyone”. Also, when I am having an episode, I can’t really bring it up because he might be having one too. I don’t want to feel self-centred. However, everything is nice when mental illness gives us a chance to breathe. It just doesn’t give us a chance to breathe often.

Jumoke, 20

My current partner and I are both depressed, but I don’t think it affects the quality of the relationship. It’s just that when the low points happen, they’re really low and can be really scary. Sometime this year, my partner tried self-harming and that really broke me. I was far away at the time and all I could do was panic. I know how bad it can get and I want to protect him from everything but I can’t do a lot.

Depression is shit, and having to keep going because of someone is hard. I’m grateful to be dating someone that goes through the same stuff as me because it makes us very kind and understanding towards each other. Also, it allows me to see things from both sides. As loving someone that has a mental illness and also by navigating your own mental illness while loving someone. I worry that my love is not enough to keep him happy, but I know that I alone can’t be the only source of his happiness and it’s a combination of varying factors. We are mentally struggling, but we manage to keep each other afloat with practical and emotional support.

John, 22

It’s not fun. You love your person with everything in you, but when they get manic, it takes everything to love them twice as hard. Being equally mentally ill doesn’t make it easier to deal with. Sometimes, you’d be going through things too but they are in a worse condition so you suck it up and be there for them. If you are in love with someone suicidal either passively or not, you wake up every day wondering if this is the day they die. You will listen to them talk about how much they want to die even though all you want is a long life with them, but you can’t tell them that. You know that’s not what they want to hear, so you listen because that is all you can do. Loving someone with a mental illness means you will learn to leave your insecurities at the door and be softer and kinder while dealing with people.

I think for me, knowing that she goes through so much makes me want to keep some of my own things from her because I don’t want to add to her problems. I’m just glad that when she needs someone, she knows I am there. I’m not her therapist or a mental health care provider and I know that there’s so little I can actually do, but I do it regardless. I encourage her to seek help and just be there for her.

Anu, 21

Being in love with someone with a mental illness means I have to make a lot of sacrifices. You sacrifice your sleep, your own mental health, your peace, and so many other things. I try to remind myself that love is sacrifice, but does love sacrifice so much? I’m mentally ill myself and whenever I feel overwhelmed and unable to love my partners anymore, I ask myself if I’d want them to give up on me. It’s hard. It’s extremely difficult and it’s not something just anyone can do. At the same time, it’s also safe. It gives me a space where I can live without judgement. My mental illness means I already play life on hard mode, but it’s not all bad. There are days where it feels soft and everywhere is filled with laughter. Loving someone with a mental illness means I have to enjoy each day as it comes because you can lose everything in a second. It’s reminding myself that at the end of the day, the illness is not about me. They’re the ones suffering.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/ships/7-nigerians-talk-about-being-in-love-with-someone-with-a-mental-illness/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.131021

Read more stories like this here: https://www.zikoko.com/ships?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.131021

In 2016, 34 plaintiffs filed a suit against Uber Kenya Limited. Their claim? Uber’s group of companies had violated an online contract signed by drivers in Kenya.

According to court documents, the contract stipulated that the plaintiffs would transport Uber’s Kenya customer base at a minimum of $0.54 per kilometre, with a minimum fare of $2.71. Under this agreement, Uber Kenya Limited retained a 25% cut of overall profits from each ride.

In July 2016, Uber reduced the minimum rate per kilometre to $0.32 and the minimum fare to $1.81 per trip. This, claimed the drivers-turned-plaintiffs, was a breach of contract that left them unable to earn profits as Uber drivers and maintain vehicles purchased to adhere to Uber standards.

Uber Kenya Limited had a different story. They claimed that the group of 34 drivers had not entered into contracts with them but had done so with Uber BV, a private LLC registered in Amsterdam. Because of this, Uber Kenya Limited said they were not liable for the breach of contractual obligations.

After years-long litigation in the High Court of Kenya, during which the drivers fought to prove that Uber Kenya Limited and Uber BV are one and the same, the High Court of Kenya has finally issued its ruling on the issue this week highlighting growing contradictions between faraway multinational tech companies and the growth of Kenya’s tech industry.

The Corporate Veil

Uber BV is an Amsterdam-based company that owns the rights to the Uber app. Uber Kenya Limited acts as a subsidiary that contracts Uber drivers in Kenya. While Uber BV claimed it was a separate entity from Uber Kenya Limited, the High Court of Kenya concluded that there was an intricate link between both companies.

Evidence presented to the court revealed that the group of Ubers shared the same email address and hired the same council to litigate disputes in court.

This, stated Milimani court justice, Francis Tuiyott, lifted the “corporate veil” off of the conglomerate, making Uber Kenya Limited and Uber BV liable to the plaintiffs.

Uber and Its Drivers

Uber, as a company, maintains the claim that it does not employ drivers but acts as an intermediary between the drivers and clients. This murky relationship has landed the company in court cases across the world.

In April, a group of South African lawyers partnered with a UK law firm to file a class action suit against Uber that would force the company to recognise drivers as employees with benefits rather than independent contractors.

Uber has also been in and out of UK courts over how it classifies its drivers. In February, the company finally agreed to treat drivers as workers after losing in front of the Supreme Court. More recently, The Court of Amsterdam struck down Uber’s intermediary status ruling that drivers are, in fact, employed by the company.

In Kenya, the line between Uber as an intermediary and employer becomes even blurrier.

Uber employed over 12,000 drivers in Kenya as of November 2020. While some of Uber’s fleet owns their vehicles, many do not.

Drivers who cannot afford their own cars are employed by private sub-contracted companies that run their own group of cars. Others act as private chauffeurs whose employers allow them to drive their vehicles as Ubers between pickups.

This sub-contracted third-party relationship means that returns to Uber drivers in Kenya are even lower than the cut they receive from Uber itself.

Fuel to the Fire

Adding to reduced incomes are Kenya’s ongoing petrol price hikes that have placed fuel prices in Kenya at a historic high.

David Muteru, Chairman of the Digital Taxis Association of Kenya, claims that after the fuel price hike, Uber failed to cushion the financial blow for drivers

“They did not raise fares. Instead, they introduced new cheaper products,” said Muteru in an interview with TechCabal.

As of the time of writing, Muteru claims he has been deactivated from the Uber app as a result of his activism.

Uber has consistently lowered its prices to suit the needs of the Kenyan market. For over two months, the rideshare app has been offering weekly 25% discounts to loyal customers, competing against Bolt who is also making inroads in the Kenyan market. The reduction in fare is then shirked to the driver.

Bottoms Up
Uber cannot be blamed for this alone. Its strategies in rapidly expanding African cities are permitted by policymakers who see Uber’s entry as a red stamp of approval for on-track development. The ability for a city to Uber everywhere also delays the need to address and urgent need for reliable public transportation.

Kenya’s Uber drivers recognise the company’s important presence in the nation’s transport infrastructure. David Muteru and his colleagues do not want an all-out ban of Uber in Kenya but better regulation that yields a more transparent relationship between the company and its contracted drivers.

“it’s opaque,” said Muteru of the current situation. “Uber should start by recognition of driver representation from registered bodies…the end goal is compensation for losses incurred”.

But, will it be worth it in the long run? While powerhouses like Uber can keep up in a foot race, local tech companies with little capital in their early stages cannot. If this trend continues, large multinationals may price out drivers, as well as local tech companies hoping to cash in on Kenya’s digital revolution.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/10/13/kenya-landmarking-ruling-against-uber/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.111021

Read more like this here: https://techcabal.com/category/business/

What’s your oldest memory of money

It was realising that not having a lot of money didn’t mean I couldn’t be comfortable. I grew up with my mum and my grandparents in a state in the east. My mum was a teacher employed by the government and my grandfather was a worker at the Anglican church — they weren’t earning much, however, they provided everything we needed.

Do you have an idea what your grandfather and your mum earned at the time?

My grandfather retired from the mission in 1987, and his pension was ₦47. Before his retirement, his salary was about ₦44 per month. My mum joined the civil service in 1981, but I didn’t know how much she earned until the late 80s or early 90s. She got into the university and couldn’t always make it to work on salary day. Whenever I was at home, she’d inform her boss, the headmaster, that I was coming to get it on her behalf. I found out her salary was a little over ₦1000.

Around this time, I was also in secondary school and lived in an Anglican boarding school. My pocket money was ₦2 per term. The school provided feeding and almost everything else, so there wasn’t a lot of reason to spend money.

What could the money get you though?

Mostly snacks, especially 10 kobo worth of buns or groundnuts at a time. There was barely enough money left to save when the school closed for the term.

I left secondary school in 1992.

What happened after?

My mum wanted me to go to the Teacher’s Training College. I bluntly refused.

Why?

I didn’t want to become a teacher. I wanted to go to university and try something else. I wrote JAMB once or twice and didn’t get into any, so I started looking for a job.

When did you find a job?

1993. I worked as a salesgirl in a shop at a filling station, and it paid ₦80/month. There was no need to keep the money because I still lived with my family, so I always handed my salary to my grandmother the moment I got it. I was at the job for about 11 or 12 months. My uncles and aunts asked me to quit.

Did they give you a reason?

A lot of it was because we were active members of our church community They said I couldn’t be serving people who were not one of us. It wasn’t a big deal.

I applied for more jobs and got a few interviews. I wasn’t earning, but money wasn’t a problem. There was always food on the table. There was still a plan to return to school, but that didn’t happen immediately. At least, not until after I got married and had a child in 1996.

I was married to my ex-husband for about a year before we dissolved the marriage for reasons I don’t want to share. By 1997, I was out with my one-year-old daughter. Thankfully, I got a job in the civil service with my SSCE certificate less than a year later. I was hired as a forest attendant in the agriculture unit in a local government.

Yay! How did it happen?

They put out a job advertisement and I applied. I was put on Grade Level two and my starting salary was ₦1200.

I don’t know what would have happened if I wasn’t earning something because my daughter was about to start pre-nursery school. My salary went into paying for rent, which was ₦500 per month and her school fees. Whatever remained went into feeding and transportation. There was nothing left by the end of the month.

Fortunately, an increment happened a year after I joined the civil service.

What happened?

The government of General Abdulsalami Abubakar increased the minimum wage to ₦3k, and this brought my salary to ₦3200.

The year 2000 was tough though. The local government owed salaries for 13 months.

That’s a whole year. Did they explain why?

They said they were getting zero allocation from the state government. This is what they did: If they paid 50% of our salaries in one month, they wouldn’t pay anything for two or three months, then pay another 50%

That’s hectic. How did you survive this period?

My appointment at the local government had been confirmed, and that meant I was eligible for a state-government-sponsored diploma in public administration at a university in Enugu. The government was paying me a stipend every month, and the money was a bit higher than my salary.

My mum was also earning more than I did, and she was consistently supportive.

I finished the diploma in 2002. By this time, President Obasanjo had come into the office and increased the minimum wage to ₦5500, bringing my salary to ₦6500. I also got promoted that year. I moved from Grade Level Two to level four, and my salary was revised to ₦7k.


This was probably when I realised that a minimum wage review was the only way civil servants could get a significant increase in salary. Moving between grade levels only added some little change to what you were previously earning. Even though those little changes can do something.

What did these increments mean for your standard of living?

It was a big relief. It meant I could afford to pay for a better school for my daughter. Before this, she was in a school owned and managed by the church. Subsequently, I transferred her to another school. Although the school fees per term were close to ₦10k, it was totally worth it.

My next promotion happened in 2003, and my salary grew to ₦7400. By 2007, I was in Grade Level seven and earning ₦36k.

Were you still the only one raising your daughter?

I remarried in 2008. I met my husband in the local government where I worked, and he was earning a little less than I did. However, he had a couple of side hustle that brought in extra money for the family — at least enough to cater for my daughter who was now in secondary school and afford some other things.

Three years later, I gave birth to my youngest daughter. My husband passed a month after her birth.

I’m so sorry.

Thank you. He was ill for a while. At the time of his death, we had some debt, which I now had to figure how to sort out. I took a loan of ₦350k from the bank to repay the debt. I paid the bank back for three years.

I also had two daughters to take care of and was barely making enough. Thank God my mum was there to share some of the load with me. Her salary was ₦76k at the time, which was significantly more than what I was earning.

Ah, the support system.

On the work front, I couldn’t go higher than Grade Level seven if I didn’t get additional qualifications. Subsequently, I went for a six-month diploma, which cost me ₦50k. My next promotion came in 2013, and I moved to grade-level eight. But it didn’t go into effect until 2014. The minimum wage had also been increased to ₦18k. My salary was ₦43k.

I realised later that there had been a mistake. I was supposed to be promoted to Grade Level nine. It took a year before they corrected this and two years before it became official. Eventually, my salary grew to ₦47k in 2016.

Must have been a relief.

Oh, it was. However, my bills had also risen. My eldest daughter had just gotten into a polytechnic and my youngest had started primary school — their tuition was about ₦60k and ₦25k per semester/term.

How did you navigate this?

Hm. It wasn’t easy. Once I got my salary, I’d take out the rent first then pay part-payment fees of one of my daughters, depending on the one that’s more urgent. By the time I cleared everything, a new semester or term would have started. Rinse and repeat.

My eldest daughter took a lot of the load off me. During her IT at the end of her ND programme, she learned how to sew clothes, and that brought in money for her when she started her programme. The only thing I had to worry about was paying her tuition. She has since graduated from the polytechnic and gotten a job. That makes me happy.

That’s so great. What else has happened between 2016 and now?

I got my next promotion in 2019, which increased my salary to ₦65k. Although the new minimum wage is ₦30k, it hasn’t been implemented yet in the local government — only state government workers currently receive it in my state.

Also, I had enrolled in an ND programme in 2018 because I needed additional qualifications to move up from Grade Level nine. Once I finish this by the end of the year, I will get to at least grade level 14.

What do your monthly expenses currently look like then?

My eldest daughter also supports me a lot, especially with feeding and her sister’s school fees. It depends on which is more important at the moment.

Sweet. Do you have enough left to save after all of this?

Right now, what I have kept aside should be about ₦20k. I save whatever I can in the months I can. Typically, this is between ₦5k and ₦10k. However, I can’t help but touch my savings sometimes.

How much do you think would be great for you right now?

About ₦200k/month. I’ve been working in the civil service for more than 20 years. I don’t have a problem with the career path — it’s only that the money is not much. The local government is even owing us three months salary at the moment.

Wow. When did this start?

Last year. They didn’t pay in November and December. They resumed payments from January 2021 until July. August salaries came in September. Now, I’m looking forward to getting paid for September. Coping with this hasn’t been that bad though. My daughter makes sure of that.

You’ve spent more than two decades in the civil service now. Do you ever think about retirement?

Yes, I do. I’ll retire in 2033, and I’ve started thinking about what I could do after that. I think I may go down that academic route after all. I do some part-time teaching already, and I enjoy it. I could find work in a private school after I stop working for the government. Or if God permits, I can start my own school.

That sounds good. What about a retirement fund?

I have a retirement account with a bank, but I stopped putting money in it in 2016 — I changed my salary account. At the time, I had less than ₦200k in it.

It would be great to have about ₦4m or ₦5m in it before I retire. But with this inflation, that probably won’t be a lot of money in 2033.

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

I’m tired of paying rent. A piece of land where I can build a house and farm will be nice. But a plot of land in the township where I live in Abia state costs about ₦3m and is close to ₦2m in neighbouring villages.

Oof. I’m curious about how these years have shaped your perspective about money?

It’s important to know that you can’t kill yourself for what other people think. Not having enough money can make you look selfish, especially to people around you who think you have it. And it’s not even like you don’t want to help; you just can’t afford to.

I try as much as possible to be transparent. When the money comes, I extend a hand of fellowship to the people I can. It’s not how I’d have liked this to work, but it’s the best I can do.

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

It’s a 5. I’m really happy that I’ve raised my eldest daughter to this point where she has a job, can take care of herself and even offer help sometimes. This makes me happy so much.

Source: [url]https://www.zikoko.com/money/naira-life/nairalife-shes-a-civil-servant-on-grade-level-nine-and-her-salary-is-%e2%82%a665k/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.111021[/url]

At the first-ever Google for Africa event, held virtually on Wednesday, Google announced the launch of a 50 million-dollar Africa Investment Fund, through which it plans to invest in African startups.

Selected companies will be provided with access to Google’s employees, network and technologies, to help them build products.

Targeted at early- to growth-stage startups, the new investment fund is equity-based, marking a significant shift in Google’s approach to investing in African startups.

Over the last three years, the company’s existing initiative – Google for Startups Accelerator Africa – has provided more than 80 African startups with equity-free finance, cash awards as well as other benefits, including working space and access to expert advisors.

Meanwhile, the Google Black Founders Fund will invest in black-led startups in Africa by providing cash awards and hands-on support.

“In the last year, we have seen more investment rounds into tech startups than ever before,” Nitin Gajria, Managing Director for Google in Sub-Saharan Africa, said in an official statement. “I am of the firm belief that no one is better placed to solve Africa’s biggest problems than Africa’s young developers and startup founders.”

The new fund is part of a larger $1 billion that the US tech giant plans to invest in Africa over a five-year period, which CEO Sundar Pichai said will “support the continent’s digital transformation”.

The investment focuses on enabling fast, affordable internet access for more Africans through advanced infrastructure; building helpful products; supporting entrepreneurship and small businesses, and helping nonprofits to improve lives across Africa.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/10/06/google-launches-equity-based-50m-investment-fund-for-african-startups/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.111021

In 2013, M-Pesa, Africa’s largest mobile money platform, was faced with a major challenge: Its users couldn’t settle insurance premiums and make bank payments in real-time. Payments made to Kenya Power took 48 hours before reflecting in the company’s systems; other payments, like the one to the National Hospital Insurance Fund, experienced longer delay times, often taking three days before they were acknowledged.

Among the many reasons for these lengthy settlements and transfer times was the fact that M-Pesa’s mobile money platform could only handle between 200 to 300 transactions per second. But that needed to increase by at least tenfold to make transactions more seamless.

Desperate for a way out, the Vodacom and Safaricom-owned M-Pesa turned to Chinese tech giant Huawei, which helped migrate M-Pesa’s 12.8 million active users over the space of 18 months to a better-performing mobile money platform.

Eight years later, M-Pesa has scaled operations to cater for its 50 million active users in the seven African countries it operates in – Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mozambique and Egypt. It now processes over a billion transactions every month.

Mostly working in the background, Beijing Murong Technology, a Chinese financial software company, also collaborated with Huawei over the years to introduce some features to M-Pesa.

Success begets success

M-Pesa’s success meant that when Ethiopia’s state-owned telecoms company Ethio telecom decided to build the country’s first mobile money platform, TeleBirr, they turned to Huawei.

Launched in May 2021, TeleBirr caters to the 115 million people in Africa’s third most populous country. In just two months since its launch, TeleBirr has added six million users to its mobile payment system without a hitch.

For Huawei, these feats highlight its shift from providing solely telecommunications infrastructure to now providing its network customers with technology to run mobile payment applications in as many as 19 African countries. Encouraged by its accomplishments, Huawei also recently announced its intention to build an innovation and research centre in Tunisia, head of the company’s North Africa region.

The success of M-Pesa and Telebirr has enhanced Huawei’s reputation as the poster child for China’s enterprising tech sector. Meanwhile, the collaboration between Huawei and Beijing Murong Technology highlights a bigger trend: Beyond building bridges, rail lines, airports and roads across the continent, Chinese companies are increasingly building digital infrastructures in Africa.

Why Africa? The African market offers Chinese companies and investors a growing young population expected to reach 1.7 billion by 2030. Presently, about 50% of this growing population is excluded from the financial system and less than 40% have access to the internet. This presents a massive opportunity to boost financial inclusion and connectivity.

The indispensable player

The presence of tech companies like Huawei and ZTE in Africa dates back to the 1990s. Their expansion to Africa was fueled by the desire to fill a vacuum left by the growing disinterest by Western companies and countries to invest in Africa. These Chinese tech companies decided to establish a stronger presence in Africa despite the political and economic instability. In the long run, this move has paid off and the results are glaring.

“The fact is that you wouldn’t have a thriving African tech ecosystem today without the Chinese,” said Eric Orlander, Managing Editor of the Chinese Africa Project, a media organisation dedicated to exploring every aspect of China’s engagement with Africa.

“If the Chinese were not there, Africa would be 15 years behind at least. Think about it, about 50% of the phones in Africa are controlled by one company: Transsion.”

Orlander cites the success of Transsion, Africa’s leading mobile phone maker which went public on a $7 billion valuation, and more recently Opay, a fintech platform with over 5 million users, which raised $400 million at a $2 billion valuation from investors like Softbank.

“These Chinese companies are challenging the assumption that you can’t make money in Africa and that the African tech ecosystem isn’t really that big.”

Beyond just making money, once these Chinese companies strike gold, they go on to invest in other upcoming Chinese startups. In 2018, Transsion led a $40 million seed investment in PalmPay, a digital payment service, with participation from China’s NetEase and Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek. PalmPay offers peer-to-peer money transfers, airtime purchase and bill payments in Nigeria and Ghana with plans to expand to other African countries.

Riding on Transsion’s wings, in 2020, PalmPay came pre-installed on about 20 million units of Transsion phone brands – Tecno, Infinix and itel. Likewise, from June 2021, Huawei Mobile Kenya users were able to make in-app purchases via M-Pesa.

Chinese tech giant, Alibaba Group, hasn’t been left out of the action. Its online and mobile payment platform Alipay collaborated with Vodacom to develop VodaPay, a super app positioned to drive financial inclusion and economic growth in South Africa. In June 2021, VodaPay was unveiled, with 70 companies already signed up on it.

Notably, Wapi Pay, a Singapore-based Kenyan fintech startup powering the Africa-Asia cross-border payment, uses Huawei’s mobile money services. An indication that contemporary fintech startups are also relying on Chinese tech.

“Chinese technology is the foundational technology in Africa. I call it the indispensable player in the African tech space. You take the Chinese piece out and African tech falls apart,” Orlander said.

Caution, concerns and the reality

The proliferation of Chinese enterprises in Africa has attracted a great deal of scepticism from academics, policymakers and other observers in recent years. Of particular concern is the relationship between Chinese companies and the Chinese communist party as well as how the data from Africa is used.

Jili Bulelani, a South African researcher at Havard with research interests in Africa-China relations, is concerned about this.

“The question a lot of the time is how deep Chinese companies like Huawei are involved,” he said.

“At some level, we can see them supporting fibre optics, cloud storage and mobile money projects. But there are questions around who owns this data and the legal ramifications around people securing themselves and their data.”

These issues around data usage are worsened by the fact that there aren’t effective data laws in Africa to protect its citizens. About 50% of countries on the continent don’t have data protection laws backed by legislation.

While Orlander agrees that the answer to these questions about Huawei’s practices is relatively opaque, partly because Huawei does not communicate well enough about this, he also clamours for a practical look at the situation.

He believes that, from a practical standpoint, African countries are better served by these Chinese companies because their products are cheaper and more tailored to the African market. Africa is a difficult place to do business, and as such, most African countries and companies are not in a strong negotiating position.

“When the Americans told the Kenyans that they should not use Huawei for 5G networks, the answer from Safaricom was, ‘Okay, but what do we do?’” he said. “For African countries, the choice at the end of the day is not between Nokia, Alcatel, Ericsson, Samsung and Huawei. Oftentimes, it’s between Huawei and nothing.”

He also points out that the accusations against Huawei aren’t about the performance of their products and services. A testament to the fact that they make quality products that meet the needs of their clients.

Henry Tugendhat, a senior policy analyst with the China team at the US Institute of Peace, is of the opinion that if Africans are really concerned about cybersecurity then they have to start with the assumption that everybody is interested in our data and communications.

“Until African countries manufacture their own equipment, they’ll always be susceptible to international organisations having access to their data,” Tugendhat said. “To manage the situation it’s going to come down to how African countries can legislate and how they enforce that legislation.”

Is there room for competition?

Despite the immense contribution of Chinese tech to the African fintech space, there’s still room for growth. Per the GSMA report 2020, less than 50% of the African population have a phone. This pales in comparison with the US (81%) or even China (63%).

The race is still on for the different players building digital infrastructure for the African fintech space. Iginio Gagliardone, author of China, Africa, and the Future of the Internet is of the opinion that there might not be much room left for competition in the next few years.

“China tends to approach projects with a longer time horizon. With it making headway in the physical and digital infrastructure space, it could use its pervasiveness to lock in standards against competitors,” he said.

“If they keep creating at this momentum, it’ll be difficult to unbundle and pull the plug. I’m a bit more worried about the future,” Gagliardone added.

In the past decade, China has become a central player in Africa’s development. Having a strong Chinese presence in African tech has clearly been very beneficial; a monopolistic dominance is what’s worrying.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/10/07/chinas-growing-influence-is-transforming-african-tech/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.111021

Parenting is tough work and no one can tell you what or what not to do when you have children. Except us. One of the things you can’t control as a parent is whether or not your child is going to disgrace you in public which is why we’ve come up with a list of things you can do if and when that happens.

1. Change your name.

Change your name so no one will associate you with that child.

2. Disgrace them first.

You get extra points when you disgrace them first. There’s nothing they’ll do that’ll take you by surprise since you’ve already done it and you know the blueprint.

3. Put them up for sale.

Make sure you sell them to the lowest bidder, so the person can experience a bit of what you have experienced. Make sure you sell them at a price you are willing to pay back for them.

4. Buy them oversize clothes to fit their wings.

Any child that tries to disgrace you in public has clearly grown wings and needs clothes that’ll be big enough to accommodate those wings. Suits are a more advisable option for children like that. They’ll fill into it and so will their wings.

5. Roll on the floor when you are out with them.

Don’t just roll on the floor, add a few tears too. You won’t only disgrace the child, you’ll confuse them too and make them understand what you go through when you are out with them.

6. Scream and beg strangers to pray for your child.

Make sure the strangers are also as confused and afraid as you are, so they can bring a cane and some holy water to help the child get their senses back.

7. Tell the child to try Jesus and not you.

Let the child know that Jesus forgives faster than you do and you won’t wait till the child is in heaven to pass your own judgment on them.

8. Announce that they’ve been disowned in every Nigerian newspaper.

Make sure you buy a lot of copies of the newspaper and share it with everyone that knows the child. Let the world know you are ready to correct your mistakes and focus on other positive things.

9. Give them their inheritance with a note.

Make sure the note says “We’ll meet at Jesus’ feet” so they know you are very serious.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/life/how-to-make-a-herbal-medicine-advert-in-nigeria/?utm_source=nairaland_reshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=nairaland.111021

Nigerians want natural remedies for everything. From minor issues to things that may need surgery, agbo or some well-packaged variation is all they need.

So if you’ve been wondering how to sell your latest herbal product, let Zikoko hook you up with a guide on how to market herbal medicine to Nigerians.

1. The packaging must be green

How else will people know that it was made with natural ingredients? Green signifies health and growth, Nigerians like things like that, just look at our national flag. Okay maybe not that flag, that’s a red flag.

2. It must be affordable

If your herbal medicine isn’t affordable, and by affordable, we mean ₦50-₦100, you’re deceiving yourself because who will buy it? Times are hard, dollar is rising and we’re saving for japa. If your medicine is not affordable, what is small sickness that we can’t manage?

3. It must cure Staphylococcus aureus
And all the aureuses [pronounced arus] in the world. You don’t even have to know what it means but it is guaranteed to make your advert stand out. Nigerians like to hear big words.

4. It must have an Interesting name

If you want to capture the hearts and pockets of your customers, make the name of your herbal medicine interesting. Think “Dr Kehinde’s fast relief”, “Blessed Miracle cleanser”, “Ajase-Ipo tonic super powder.” “Ojuelegba low sperm count destroyer.” “Professor Emmanuel’s womb cleanser’ ”. Be creative!

5. Your product must use buzz words

You have a lot of competition and people have short attention spans. You have to use words and illnesses that will quickly catch their attention. Words like “infection, rheumatism, waist pain, low sperm count, jedi jedi” The more the merrier.

Nigerians love it when one drug can cure many things, especially headaches and body pain because being a Nigerian is tiring.

6. It must be useful for people’s sex lives

Don’t overthink this and don’t ask why. Just make sure your herbal medicine can cure low sperm count, fix erectile dysfunction (which you MUST describe as ‘weak erection’), thicken watery sperm, etc. Nigerians can be hush-hush about sex, so when people rush your product you might think it’s because many people have headaches. That’s not what they’re buying it for. At all.

7. Have a funny jingle

Remember, there’s no need to pay for radio or TV advertisements. Just buy a big megaphone, place it in the middle of a major market and have someone market your herbal medicine wearing a blazer over a t-shirt no matter how hot the sun is. If little kids can’t recite your wildly inappropriate jingle unprovoked, you need to change it.

8. Make sure it contains ginseng and moringa

This guarantees that older Nigerians will buy your product. Ginseng is ginger that studied abroad and Nigerians believe that ginger can cure everything. Moringa helps lower your blood pressure. The lower it is, the less likely you are to fight people on the road for no reason.

9. Be incredibly graphic when describing the diseases that your medicine treats.

Who gives a shit that you’re in a public bus where people might be eating things like gala and yoghurt? You have medicine to sell, and you will scream at everybody in that danfo about the milky discharge that comes with staphylococcus aureus until they either buy what you’re selling or throw up in disgust. It’s their call, to be honest.

10. Now you’re ready to sell your own herbal medicine

Go forth and froth. Whatever your eye sees, we’re not there.

Source: https:///3oTNllc

When Kemi*, 26, received a rejection email from Twitter about a software engineering role she’d applied to, she was devastated, and she cried. She’d previously aced Palantir’s recruitment process for the same role and was going to travel for the final interview, on-site, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and thwarted that plan.

Before all of these, Kemi had applied to Google, Amazon and Apple but didn’t scale through their recruitment processes. These initial rejections didn’t faze her like Twitter’s, though, because, by the time she applied to the social media giant, she felt she’d already acquired enough skills to land the job.

Yet she didn’t. The common response she got across these companies was that she’d submitted her coding assessments later than required; they thought she was slow in coming up with solutions. But she had a demanding, full-time job, and that took up most of her time.

She decided, then, to take a break from applying for international jobs and focus on her current job at the time. The job paid her enough to sort out personal and family bills, after all.

And yet, her ambitions wouldn’t take a break. So it was only a matter of weeks before she was back to applying again to these international jobs.

So, how did a girl like her – who came from a poor background – go from selling fufu and dried fish on a university campus to almost working with Google, Amazon, Twitter and Palantir, and finally landing a software engineering role at the world’s biggest financial data and news company, Bloomberg?

It all began in Lagos, Nigeria, 26 years ago.

Kemi was the first child of her family, born in 1995, in the Akowonjo area of Lagos, Nigeria. Her mother, Mrs Adeoye*, was a schoolteacher and fabric trader. But not the kind that owned shops. Mrs Adeoye sold fabric to her colleagues at school and neighbours. On weekends, she and Kemi hawked them on the street.

Due to their inadequate salary, it’s common in Nigeria for teachers, especially female ones, to double as traders. But it’s not common to see a schoolteacher hawking on the street.

Mrs Adeoye collected the fabrics on credit from wholesalers and could only restock after paying for the previous wares. She embodied steadfastness and diligence – values she has passed down to her daughters.

Kemi watched her mother juggle two jobs to provide for her and her sister and that influenced her decision to work hard and smart. “My mum raised us alone, and I just got the memo, from a young age, that if I didn’t want to suffer, I’d have to hustle.”

It was a lonely journey for a single mother raising two daughters alone in Lagos with the little money she made from her teaching job and side hustle.

But where was her father?

“Bold of you to think my dad is dead,” Kemi said, when I asked when her father had died.

Her father had left her mother when her younger sister, Ayo,* was a year old. There was no reason for his disappearance – at least not any Kemi or her mother knew of. Kemi was five when he left and never looked back.

The next time Kemi saw him again, she was 12.

Her father’s return was bad luck

In 2007, Kemi’s sister Ayo fell seriously sick and Mrs Adeoye had to send for her daughters’ father. He showed up, surprisingly, like a hero who’d come to save the day. He spent some months with his earlier-abandoned family and ended up turning everything upside down before he left them yet again. Kemi, her mother and sister had gone out one day, and when they returned, found that he had disappeared with Mrs Adeoye’s goods and put her in debt.

This event marked the beginning of a negative turn for the family, throwing them into a state of penury that would last over three years. Those goods had been collected on credit and now the wholesalers were upset and wanted their money.

Mrs Adeoye had to repay her debts in bits, from her meagre salary, leaving her with almost nothing for feeding and housekeeping. Sometimes, her creditors stormed the school where she taught to embarrass her about their money. By now, things had gotten so bad that Kemi and Ayo used polythene bags to carry their books to school.

School fees were the least of the Adeoye sisters’ problems, however, because they both attended schools where their mother taught. There was a staff discount for teachers’ kids at these schools, and sometimes, a complete fee waiver.

Excelling in school

Amid all this chaos, Kemi remained one of the most brilliant students in her class. Being a teacher’s kid may not have come with life’s best comforts, but it gave her something: strict supervision that drove her to excellence.

Two years after secondary school, Kemi was admitted into the Faculty of Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife.

Things had gotten better for her family while she was in SS 3, her final year of secondary school. Her mother got a new job in another school. The job came with accommodation, free lunch and better pay. Mrs Adeoye bought Kemi her first laptop and was able to pay her university bills.

But their problems were far from over.

A few months into Kemi’s freshman year, terror hit again. Her mother lost the new job, and the family was back to square one. Her mother never found her feet again after that.

For five years, Kemi struggled through university. In her second year, her friend’s father paid her school fees, and in her third year, her fees would come from money she made hawking food on campus. In her third year, she took fufu, eggs and dry fish from one hostel room to another, calling on her fellow students to come buy.

She stopped selling food after her internship at a tech firm in Lagos. And she used part of the money she made during the internship to sort out her fees for her fifth year of school.

Writing code changed Kemi’s story

Kemi started writing code in her freshman year. Some guys at her school had organised a coding bootcamp, which she passively attended. At OAU, it was easy to get into coding as there were always coding camps going on, on the campus.

But it wasn’t easy to continue coding. After the bootcamp, Kemi wasn’t really excited about the skill and discontinued further development in that area – until her third year when she started working as a software development trainee in a tech company in Yaba, Nigeria’s biggest tech hub. The company picked up students, trained and paid them a stipend for learning.

While that was going on, one of her lecturers organised a coding training and, at the end of it, a hackathon, which marked the beginning of it all.

If Nigerian universities were to be graded based on the number of top tech talents produced, OAU would be in the top three. The school is popular for this, and the Nigerian tech ecosystem testifies to this.

“I like to say I officially became a software engineer during my internship at Konga,” Kemi said. “That was the turning point for me.”

Since her internship at Konga, all the jobs she’d gotten had been based on recommendations.

During her time at her first job out of school, she got an offer from a company based in Germany, but her Nigerian company made a counter-offer and she remained with them. However, when Bloomberg called, it was a case of not every offer can be countered.

“Getting into tech wasn’t really about passion. It was more about getting stability in life,” Kemi told me. “A career as a software engineer has allowed me to do things I could only dream of [before].”

Kemi’s reality is the same for most Africans, especially young people going into tech; many available jobs can barely cater for their own immediate needs, not to talk of catering for other family members.

Kemi wants to continue supporting her mother and sister, not only by clearing their bills but also helping them to be independent of her. “I want to help my family build generational wealth, and you know that can’t happen if I’m the only one giving.”

Kemi graduated from OAU with a first-class. This revelation was enough to start an entirely new conversation. There were so many more questions I wanted to ask her, but the answer to them all, she told me, was grit, ambition and a staunch fear of poverty.

Source: https:///3oKMIdN

Body count means the number of people a person has had sex with. The body count concept has a lot of its roots in purity culture with women being the most judged for it. People have had their relationships end after finding out their partners body counts. Although it’s a valid reason to them, we thought to ask other people whether or not a high body count is a deal-breaker in a relationship.

Here’s what they had to say.

Habiba, 21

Having a high body count is not a deal-breaker for me. As long as they get tested regularly and have no diseases it’s all good. What might be a deal-breaker for me is caring about body counts in the first place. I don’t have a high body count, but my partner caring about it tells me that the person is probably steeped in purity culture and is quite conservative. I don’t need all of that.

Jumoke, 21

The answer is no. It is not my business who they’ve slept with and how many they have been with, as long as you play it safe and use protection. I won’t ask, except you’ve been with someone I know. Asides from that, I don’t really wanna know. Sex doesn’t define a person, so why make it a big deal? At the end of the day, everybody na ashewo.

Karen, 20

It is not a big deal to me and I am sure I don’t want to know my partner’s body count. I also won’t talk about mine if I am not asked. All that matters is being free from all sorts of diseases and getting tested regularly.

Kunle, 25

Honestly, it doesn’t think it matters to me. It just means they’ll be more experienced. And for someone like me who has little to no experience, you’ll be a guiding light in bed.

Emmy, 26

It doesn’t matter to me. I used to care about it in the past, but now, I’d rather not know. There are many other things to focus on in a relationship than the number of people my partner has slept with.

The most important thing when you have multiple sexual partners is practising safe sex, getting tested regularly or getting on PrEP. People who have reservations about being partnered with people with high body counts are allowed to feel that way. To each, their own.

Source: https:///3Ambzqr

During this season’s BBNaija show, many people focused on the housemates, while the housemates were focused on their tasks. But even with all this focusing, no one was prepared for the new superstar that emerged on the scene. That superstar is the BBNaija Emblem. It was worn by Pere during his week as the Head of House ,and it changed everything for the housemates.

Today on Interview With, we sat down with the Emblem to get the gist of its experience in the hands of Pere and other Heads of House. Especially Pere.

Zikoko: Hello, superstar! It’s great to have you here.
BBNaija Emblem: Thank you for having me.

See how you are glowing! What’s the secret?
Emblem: Rest. That’s the secret: rest.

What do you mean “rest”?
Emblem: Since the show ended, I have had more time to rest. It’s why I am glowing.

Does this mean you did not have any rest while the show was on?
Emblem: Shebi you watched it? What did you think? From the moment I entered Pere’s hands, how could I have found rest?

Okay, let’s backtrack a bit. Can you tell me what your life was like before you got into Pere’s hands?
Emblem: If you remember, Peace was the first Head of House.

Yes…
Emblem: Ah! That babe was my favourite. Peace of Jesus. She didn’t stress me. I just sat on her neck and followed her about. There was really nothing to stress about. She was just concerned about how some of the housemates did not take proper care of the toilets.

And how did you feel about that?
Emblem: Am I the toilets?

No, I—
Emblem: Please interview the BBNaija toilets if you want to hear their side. You called me in to discuss life as an emblem, and that’s what I came here for.

Sorry. Please continue your story.
Emblem: Like I said, Peace’s reign as Head of House was peaceful, and I thought things would continue that way. Until Pere came in.

General Pere.
Emblem: It was a military regime. During Peace’s time, I thought I was a simple piece of jewellery. You know, an ornament to tell the Head of House apart. I didn’t even think I had real power. But Pere became head of state, and—

Head of state?
Emblem: Oh, sorry. Head of House. Pere became the head of house and the next thing I was hearing was, “If you don’t respect me, at least respect the emblem on my neck.”

Me, a gold chain, is what they should respect? I had to sit up.

And what was it like?
Emblem: To be honest, it felt strange. I would enter a place with Pere and everybody would start forming serious. The whole thing was funny, but I had to play along. And then Pere started causing trouble, and I entered serious hard labour.

What trouble did Pere cause?
Emblem: Oh, please don’t act like you don’t know. You yourself referred to him as General Pere some minutes ago. Don’t irritate me.

No, no. Don’t get me wrong. You know we watched from outside. I just want to know what it was like in the house…
Emblem: It was tough oh. Pere rationed noodles. Only him, he banned WhiteMoney from the kitchen. And it was all on me because, “Respect the emblem on my neck.” At some point, I wanted to shout and say, “Pere, do your evil acts with your chest. Don’t use the emblem as a cover.” But I kept quiet. Imagine if I had spoken and everyone fled because an ordinary neck chain dared to open its mouth and speak.

Wahala.
Emblem: Now you see my dilemma.

But was it only Pere that stressed you? What about the other Heads of House?
Emblem: I didn’t say it was only Pere. I said Pere made me sit up, and he brought attention to me. That’s all. The other housemates stressed me when they became Heads of House too. I can name them if—

Liquorose?
Emblem: Ah, Liqourose was a sweet babe through and through. I won’t even lie.

Cool. What about—
Emblem: It was the unexpected movements that nearly killed me.

What unexpected movements?
Emblem: I’m sure you know Liqurose is a dancer.

Yes. She’s a member of the—
Emblem: GGB dance crew. Sometimes, it’s like she forgets that she is already in the house and that she is wearing something on her neck. I could be sleeping, and suddenly, the whole place will just shake. Once, I thought an earthquake was happening in the Big Brother House. When I opened my eyes, I saw it was just Liquorose practicing her legwork for the Saturday Night Party. I wanted to cry. This babe did not care about my blood pressure one bit.

But how was WhiteMoney’s reign as Head of House?
Emblem: [Hisses] That one spent more time with the pots than he did with me. He should have just worn a pot or a cooking spoon around his neck. Yes, I enjoyed the aroma of his food, but he could have had more time for me.

Aww.
Emblem: Anyway, I’m glad it’s all over. I’m happy that he won. I hope he invests in a kitchen or something.

Is that jealousy I detect in your tone?
Emblem: Please dear. Why should I be jealous? I have become famous, and I am happy. Which of the winners have secured this interview with Zikoko Magazine?

None, if we are being honest. You are the first.
Emblem: Very good. When one of them lands on Zikoko frontpage, we can revisit this discussion again.

[BBNaija Emblem sashays out]

Source: https:///3ahuMyP

The Bank Verification Number, a.k.a. BVN, is a must-have for anybody who wants to access robust financial services in Nigeria.

What’s BVN?
The BVN is like a security number, but for banks and other financial institutions to identify an individual with their bank account details. It’s a unique 11-digit number allocated to you upon biometric registration.

Biometric registration refers to the identification of an individual based on their physiological attributes: fingerprint, voice, facial features, etc.

To address the increasing compromise of customer security data like passwords and PINs, and the challenges banks face with identity management, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in collaboration with all Nigerian banks launched a centralised biometric identification system called the Bank Verification Number (BVN), on February 14, 2014.

Since then, the BVN has been used to identify customers. But many people have issues obtaining their BVN and accessing financial services because they forget or don’t have them saved.

Luckily, you don’t have to enter the banking hall to obtain your BVN. You can check your BVN number wherever you are, on your phone, without compromising your security. Then you can save it for future use.

All telecom providers in Nigeria enable users to perform this task.

How to check BVN on MTN, Airtel, GLO, and 9mobile
The first thing to do before using this service is to ensure that whatever line you wish to use is the one you registered the BVN with. If you registered with MTN, you can’t use an Airtel line to check your BVN.

After that has been established, you can now go ahead and check your BVN with these simple steps:

1. Dial the USSD code *565*0# t check your BVN
2. Go to your phone dialer and dial the USSD code *565*0#.
3. Wait a bit until the 11-digit number pops up.
4. Copy the number. You can either copy it for immediate use or save it for later. However, the service is not free and you’ll be charged 20 naira for the transaction. So, saving for later use is advisable for people who can’t afford to tip telcos a whole 20 bucks every time they check their BVN.

Note that checking your BVN is not only the same process across all lines, it’s also similar across all the banks. You use the same code to check your BVN as a GTB or UBA customer because everyone is allocated one unique BVN that’s used across all the banks. This means, if you have accounts with all the banks in Nigeria, you’ll still have one BVN that links all of them back to you.

Source: https:///3Fl2mSX

How much do you know about Nigeria’s coat of arms? You probably know that it’s one of the country’s national symbols, but do you know what the features represent?

Let’s have a quick history lesson.

We can’t talk about Nigeria’s coat of arms without talking about its history.

The concept of a coat of arms can be traced back to medieval Europe, where they were used as a means of identification during battles. Its uses continued to evolve as the years passed, most notably to show family descent, property ownership, and alliances. Now, among its many other uses, the coat of arms is a country’s symbol of national unity, state power, and authority.

Nigeria’s coat of arms

Nigerian became an independent nation in 1960 and subsequently a sovereign state in 1963. Slowly, the country began to wash off its colonial past, which meant the adoption of new symbols to reflect this change.

The country had designed a new flag in 1959 and hoisted it for the first time on October 1st 1960. Although the coat of arms was designed and recognised in 1960 in accordance with the national flag and coat of arms ordinance, No. 48, 1960, it wasn’t adopted until 1975. The coat of arms designs went through a series of changes, during this time before the final designs were approved and adopted.

Here’s something interesting: the designer of Nigeria’s coat of arms is not known or officially documented, which is a departure from some of the processes that led to the creation and adoption of the Nigerian national flag — Taiwo Akinkunmi, the designer of the flag is credited.

Features of Nigeria’s coat of arms

Nigeria’s coat of arms has seven features, and each one represents a unique quality attributed to Nigeria. Let’s take a look at them.

1. The black shield: The black shield is a reference to the country’s fertile soil.

2. The wavy white pall: This occupies some space in the middle of the black shield. The symbol that forms the shape of the letter “Y” is a nod to the country’s two main inland rivers — River Niger and River Benue. Both rivers meet at a point in Lokoja to form a confluence, hence the “Y” shape.

3. The two horses: The horses on each side of the black shield are symbols of Nigeria’s dignity. Nigerians are proud people, so this is very fitting.

4. The red eagle: This represents the country’s strength.

5. The green and white wreath: This rest on top of the shield and beneath the eagle. It is a reference to the agricultural potentials of the country.

6. The grassy field and flowers: The flowers at the bottom of the coat of arms are called Costus Spectabilis, and they were Nigeria’s national flower. The decision behind the inclusion of this flower is that it is found all over the country. It represents the country’s beauty.

7. The National motto: It reads “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”.

That’s everything to know about the features of the coat of arms and their significance. Interesting, isn’t it?

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/citizen/everything-you-need-to-know-about-nigeria-coat-of-arms/?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=nairaland_reshare&utm_id=nairaland.011021

Apple released the iOS 15 on September 20, 2021, and it’s a super-smart operating system.

We think Apple is taking a minimalist approach to building a more effective operating system. Unlike the flashy update that happened from iOS 6 to iOS 7, iOS 15 debuts with subtle updates that form a more significant upgrade of iOS 14. iOS 15 is the perfect example of being loud without screaming: the new operating system improves your overall experience without altering your phone visually.

iOS 15 has a lot of hidden updates that are easy to miss and that’s why we’ve compiled some of our favourite features below:

Focus mode in iOS 15 is a gift to humanity

This has to come first because it is transformative and will make the human race more productive. Sounds dramatic, but you can quote us on that.

iOS 15 Focus mode lets you filter notifications based on your current engagement. It arranges apps and widget pages on your home screen to align with your activity.

Setting up or editing a Focus can be done in your iPhone’s Settings. You can edit your Focus to be anything – work, exercise, study, or game night. You can also schedule a Focus for a particular time of the day or when you enter a location. For instance, you can set Work Focus mode to start by 10 a.m., or when you enter your office.

Once you enable Focus mode, it automatically displays your status for friends to see so they know not to disturb or interrupt you. Deep work just got better. You can also set your Focus not to notify anybody like you’d turn off a new job update on LinkedIn.

In iOS 15, third-party apps like WhatsApp and Slack can integrate Focus status in their messaging apps if they choose. So when your boss scolds you for not meeting deadlines, you can just tell them to provide you with an iOS 15-enabled iPhone.

Your iPhone’s camera can now copy text off images

How many times have you wished your camera could scan letters off an image and turn them into editable text? Well, iOS 15 says, “Wish no more!”

iOS 15 allows you to point your camera at an image or piece of paper and have its text automatically identified and copied into an email or a document.

How to use the new Scan Text tool:

1. Long-press inside a text field as though you want to copy and paste. You’ll see a Scan Text button. You may also see a button that uses just the scan icon, which looks like a piece of paper with brackets around it.
2. Tap the button, which will replace your keyboard with your iPhone camera’s viewfinder. Point your camera at the material you want to scan, and then follow the prompts on the screen. Wait for the best part. If you’re moving the camera too fast, you’ll see a Slow Down message flash on the screen. Cool?
3. As you try to fit the camera and text, a live preview of the text your iPhone is identifying will be displayed.
4. Tap the Insert button when you’re ready.

Notification Summary removes constant beeping noise

Managing notifications is almost impossible; you either receive them or you don’t. But iOS 15 gives you control by gathering your notifications in one place where you can view them at your own convenience.

Instead of constantly being distracted by beeps or pop-ups, Notification Summary collects notifications from apps or websites you’re interested in and delivers them to you at a time you’ve chosen.

Portrait mode for FaceTime is a beauty

iOS 15 is taking portrait mode monopoly away from pictures. It then lets you turn on the mode for your FaceTime calls, bringing with it the ability to place an artistic blurry background behind you.

Say bye to annoying backgrounds! Your pictures can now appear as though you’ve just had them taken with a professional mirrorless camera and fast lens.

Safari’s address bar can be at the bottom or top of the screen

Since 2007, Safari’s address bar has stayed up there on the screen. But that’s changed now because, why only up? Why not down, too? The whole idea of freedom is to have options and Apple is giving us that.

iOS 15 now allows the Safari address bar to be moved to the bottom of your phone’s screen to make it easier for your thumbs to reach. If you want that tab bar back at the top, you can tap the AA button and select Show Top Address Bar.

You can now add a background image to Safari

Safari has gotten a really nice facelift in this new iOS 15, and one of them is the ability to add backgrounds to the Safari app on your iPhone. This feature was first added to macOS Big Sur but was limited to only the macOS. Not anymore.

Not only can you customise the Start page, you can also select a background image to use as well as choose new sections to display on the Start page.

How to use this feature
1. Launch Safari on your iPhone.
2. Open a new tab in Safari.
3. Scroll down and tap Edit.
4. Tap the toggle for Background Image to ON.
4. Select one of the preset images or tap the large plus (+) button to choose an image from your Photo Library.

Change the size of text used in specific apps

Currently, you can set the preferred font size to be used across your iPhone. With iOS 15, there’s a tool that lets you have different font sizes for different apps on your phone. That means you can have your WhatsApp and TikTok in different font sizes.

To use this new feature:

1. Open your iPhone Settings
2. Go to Control Centre
3. Scroll down until you find the option labelled Text Size. Tap on the green plus sign before it.

If you want to adjust the size from the app:

1. Open Control Centre (swipe down from the top right corner of the screen, on an iPhone with Face ID; or up from the bottom of the screen, on an iPhone with Touch ID).
2. Tap the Text Size button.
3. Slide the button at the bottom of the screen to the left side of the toggle to indicate that you only want your changes applied to the app you’re currently using, and then adjust the font size up or down.

There are a few features that weren’t launched with the new operating system but will be added later. One example is SharePlay, a feature that lets you listen to music or watch a video in sync with your friends on FaceTime calls. You could say movie night just got better as it allows you to broadcast SharePlay media from your phone to a TV equipped with an AppleTV device.

Though it’s only the newly launched iPhone 13 series that comes with the new operating system, iPhone users with models starting from iPhone 6S can upgrade to iOS 15 by downloading the software.

Source: https:///3A0oNca

The website of Nigeria’s official digital currency, eNaira, went live on Monday, four days before its planned launch on October 1, as disclosed by Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Developed by Barbados-based fintech company Bitt Inc., eNaira is a legal tender just like the naira. According to the apex bank, it must be accepted by all merchants and business outlets as a form of payment in Nigeria.

A welcome note on the website describes the eNaira as a “Central Bank of Nigeria-issued digital currency that provides a unique form of money denominated in Naira.”

The website is a central repository where users can find comprehensive information about the official digital currency, but it offers much more than just details of the eNaira. TechCabal reviewed the website and here are at least five other things Nigerians can do on the platform.

1. Download the eNaira application

The eNaira app (termed “Speed”) can be downloaded from either the Google PlayStore, Apple App Store, or by scanning a QR code on the website. The app is expected to be available for download from October 1, 2021, and will serve as the official wallet for smartphone users.

2. Manage your wallet

eNaira users will be able to fund and manage funds in their wallets on the website once the digital currency is officially rolled out on October 1. According to information on the platform, the wallet offers a “great way of making purchases with retailers on-site, transferring or sending money”. The e-wallet can also be linked to bank accounts and used for pay-as-you-go services.

3. Join the eNaira community

The community is a social hub where, according to a note on the website, eNaira users across the globe can connect with one another, share their experiences using the digital currency, offer as well as request help.

There are four community rooms, each designed to host conversations about eNaira regulations, merchants, wallet, and registrations. Nigerians who are interested in joining the community can sign up using their email addresses.

4. Stay up to date with news on CBDCs

The news hub on the website curates content relating to the eNaira and other Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) across the world for users to stay updated with relevant developments on official digital currencies.

“CBDCs are being developed all over the world for differing national objectives. Being an eNaira user naturally transports you to the world of CBDCs and this space is your guide to that world,” a note on the website reads.

5. Read and share eNaira insights and experiences

Nigerians who choose to put their experiences with the eNaira in writing or want to share important insights can reach out to the authorities and have their feedback published on the Insights/Users Speak page of the website.

The eNaira website is loaded with very important information and instructions as well as answers to potential questions in the FAQ section. It’s generally a good foundation to build on, ahead of the official launch of the digital currency on Friday.

Source: https:///3mbZsau

The subject of today’s “A Week In The Life” is a forklift operator. Forklifts are equipment used in lifting heavy loads from the factory to the warehouse and from the warehouse into trucks.

Our subject talks to us about working two different jobs as a forklift operator, working flexible hours at both jobs, and making more money than the typical forklift operator. How does he do it? Read more to find out:

Unless I’m on the night shift or something as unpredictable as Lagos traffic delays me, my day typically starts at 10 a.m. The first thing I do is to lay out my plans and assess my level of preparation to achieve them. Both companies I work for — company A and B — require operators at the start of their shift, to go round their machines, assess their readiness for work and document their findings in a logbook. I equate planning my day with assessing my machine, but in this case, I am the machine, and the machine is me. Once I’m done with this, the day begins.

As a forklift operator, I’m half part an engineer who operates an industrial machine and half part an operator who has to lift loads. I mostly do this using a machine called a forklift — an industrial machine with a forklike mouth used for lifting heavy loads over short distances.

Think about it like this: in the absence of a mobile crane machine, you can use a forklift. Although, a crane is taller and safer because the load is carried at a distance from the operator, compared to forklifts which are quite close.

I work part-time with two companies that produce and sell drinks, and my job typically involves stacking these drinks into the warehouse after production or loading them for sale into waiting trucks.

People say knowing how to drive a car means you can drive a forklift. They aren’t entirely wrong but they are also not right. Knowing how to drive a car makes things easier, but you still need to learn the rules of the forklift from scratch because it has functions a car doesn’t have. The tyres have a turning pattern that ensures that the front tyre can be reversed to face the back, and vice versa — this means that you can navigate through extremely tight spaces.

In addition, the forklift has three levers — which a car doesn’t have — and that’s why we’re called operators, instead of drivers. One lever helps with lifting and putting down the load, another helps with balancing the load on the machine, and the last helps in manoeuvring tight corners. You also can’t drive a forklift with both hands. You need the right hand to perform the function of operating and carrying the load while the left hand is used in wheeling the steering, which is usually smaller/thinner than the steering of a car.

All these require their own special training.

I work part-time for a couple of reasons: Firstly, because it frees up my time. Full-time operators start their day at 7 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. However, as a part-time operator, I resume by 10 a.m. and I work for seven hours. During this time, I cover for seven full-time operators [as a break reliever] for one hour each, while they rest or eat. Sometimes, I’m lucky and someone tells me not to bother covering for them so this frees up an extra hour or two for me. Whether I work for seven or two hours, I still get paid at the end of the month. And the salary difference between a full-time and part-time time operator is just ₦9,000.

Money is the second reason I work part-time. I observed that Nigerian companies, especially forklift companies, are greedy and not deserving of my time. The drink companies pay ₦50,000 per day for each forklift machine and yet, the forklift companies don’t pay operators [especially full-time] well. However, by working two part-time jobs with flexible hours I outearn a full-time operator. For both jobs, I work two mornings, two nights and get two days off. I’ve timed my schedule such that when I’m on the night shift in company A, I’m off duty in company B. And when I’m off at company A, I’m on the morning shift in company B. This ensures that I have adequate rest and I work like someone who’s not working.

The last reason for part-time work is the benefits. Company A has health insurance but company B has a more comprehensive [covers more treatment] health plan. Company A has a better pension scheme than company B. Both companies give paid leave. Irrespective of whatever direction they take, I win in both places and get to customize my benefits. I laugh when people say, “this boy, you don’t have sense,” because I don’t have full-time employment. I know what I’m doing.

As a child of God, I don’t believe in using all my strength to work. I believe in grace and not in how hard you work. You’ll catch me spending my free time either reading my bible, listening to Christian music, or spending time alone rediscovering myself.

But with the good also comes the bad side of a job, like supervisors insulting you to get things done. At job A this morning, a supervisor screamed at me: “guy, carry this thing for me now abi you dey mad.” I just smiled calmly without reacting. I’ve learnt not to get angry because I understand that people are frustrated and so they transfer aggression. Therefore, it’s not your fault if someone mistakes you for the cause of their problems.

That was in the morning. Now, it’s afternoon and I check my watch to see that time is crawling. It should be almost close of work but now, it’s barely 3 p.m.

I’m glad when my last two covers for the day tell me they’re forfeiting break time because they’re behind schedule. My watch says 3:15 p.m., and this means that I can leave work before traffic starts to pile. I can’t emphasise how much I love that this job gives me control over my time alongside other benefits. Even though driving a forklift wasn’t always the plan, it will suffice until I can raise enough money to finally escape this country. It also helps that the job is fun and I love driving. Ultimately, my goal is not to be a billionaire but to be comfortable and both jobs are helping with that.

At the end of the day, I’m grateful for this job but I’m also looking forward to more. I’m not worried because, at the end of the day, my life is in the hands of God; from clay I came and to clay I shall return.

Source: https:///3kVDmtl

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.

The 26-year-old in this #NairaLife YOLO’ed her way through some years of her adult life until eight months of unemployment stopped her in her tracks. Now, she’s all about financial security. How does she navigate this when her 9-5 pays her ₦70k?

What’s your oldest memory of money?

This would be in the early 2000s. My dad used to give me and my siblings some money to take to school at the beginning of the week — I don’t remember how much, but we would end up not spending it. Whoever saved the most money scored some bragging rights. At the end of each week, we pooled our money together to make a big purchase.

My dad was an accountant, and I think his job influenced his relationship with money. He’d never give us the money he didn’t believe we needed. He always said children who were exposed to too much money had a tendency to steal. But as we grew older, he started giving us our allowances based on the classes we were in. In 2006, when I was in JSS 1, my allowance was ₦10. This increased to ₦20 when I got to JSS 3 three years later. The money was barely enough to do anything. Guess what I decided to do?

What?

I went to a boarding school for my senior secondary education to force my dad to give me a lump sum amount every term. My allowance at the beginning of the term was ₦1k. My dad would also keep ₦500 with one of my teachers. I would live on ₦1k for the whole term and at the end of the term, I’d collect the extra ₦500 to take home.

Interesting.

When I got to SS 2, my parents separated and that translated into more money for me.

How?

My dad got custody of us. My mum was no longer physically present and she tried as much as possible to make up for it with money gifts. Whenever she visited me at school, I got ₦10k. When I graduated from secondary school and got into university in 2011, the ₦10k became my monthly allowance.

But that stopped in my second year — my mum was relocating, so she resigned from her job and didn’t have as much money anymore. I wasn’t getting any allowance from my dad because the university was a short distance from my house, so I didn’t live in a hostel. Once my mum moved, I knew I had to figure out what to do to make money.

What was the first thing you did for money?

Does working on my dad’s fish farm count? My dad ran into problems at work in 2012 and quit his job. Subsequently, he started a fish farm and put us, four kids, to work. When we made big sales, he paid us about ₦2k at least once a month.

Simultaneously, I was working with a friend’s dad. He owned a lottery kiosk and he hired me to work on Saturdays. Typically, I worked from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and got paid between ₦1500 and ₦2k. Later in 2012, I started ushering and making between ₦5k and ₦10k every two months.

The biggest lumpsum amount I’d make in uni came in 2014.

Tell me about it.

It was the buildup to the 2015 general elections. Some campaign organiser hired me and some other girls to work on their campaign train. The job paid ₦10k per week, and I got ₦40k in the first month. In the second month, I got ₦70k — I worked an extra three weeks before the project was cancelled. bought a second-hand Samsung phone for ₦35k. I’m not sure what I did with the rest.

How was your relationship with money at this point?

I wasn’t big on saving anymore because there were things to use money for this time. I struggled to find a balance between earning and managing money and thought I could always make more.

So what happened after?

I wrote my final exams in December 2014 but didn’t graduate until a year later. ASUU strike happened. During the time I was at home, I worked on my dad’s fish farm. In 2016, I was finally mobilised and moved to Abuja to serve. My PPA paid me ₦7500/month and the federal government paid ₦19,800. I had a constant source of income now. But I made a money decision that could have gone wrong.

What was it?

MMM. Some of my co-workers introduced me to it. I put ₦15k in the first time and got ₦33k. Afterwards, I invested ₦10k. The thing casted on my third try, but I got my capital back. However, I’d introduced my mum and my brother to the scheme and they lost their investments. It was my first reality check about putting money into things I didn’t understand.

Anyway, my service year ended in May 2017. Hello, unemployment. This was when it first struck me that I could have done better with my finances.

Omo. How long were you unemployed?

Eight months. Those months were horrible. My mum came through whenever she could, but the frequency was far and in between. I was living with my brother and living off him. He didn’t mind that I couldn’t pull any weight, but the guilt ate at me. It’s one thing to be broke, but it’s another to be broke and knowing that your choices got you there.

I got my first job post-NYSC in January 2018 as a content developer. ₦40k a month. But I only got paid ₦10k once.

Ah.

All I heard was “Sorry.” or “Don’t worry, take this small change for transport.” Nobody could have prepared me for the helplessness I felt. After three months, I quit the job. I didn’t even turn in a resignation letter — I just stopped going to work.

Phew.

Two weeks after I quit the job, I had to travel home. My dad had fallen ill. Cancer.

Oh wow. I’m so sorry.

I won’t lie, it was one of the toughest periods I’ve had to deal with. My eldest brother wasn’t making a lot of money. My younger sister had just finished her youth service. My youngest brother was still in school. And there was me, unemployed as well. The family had only one source of income, and we were dealing with a terminal illness.

What was it like navigating that?

Tough. I stayed home from March until September 2018 to work on my dad’s fish farm, so we could get money to buy his drugs. There’s no nice way to say it; we were at ground zero.

Thankfully, a graduate trainee job I had applied for at a bank came through in September, and I started making money again.

How much did the job pay?

₦100k and I worked as a bank teller. For the first three months, more than 80% of my salary went into my monthly running costs, including the money I sent home for my dad’s medication. But I was making sure I saved ₦10k every month. Things got a little better in December because I started making more money at the bank, but it wasn’t from a raise.

What was it?

Tips from the bank customers I had built a relationship with. On average, I was getting between ₦1k and ₦3k daily in tips from people who had business to do in the bank. This took care of my feeding and transportation expenses for the day.

I had more money to save now, so I joined a contribution scheme with nine other people, and we saved ₦50k every month and took turns to cart away the money.

I also had my personal savings — ₦10k per month. I’d seen what not having money could do and saving money seemed like the best way to avoid it.

For the first time in forever, things were looking up. Then my dad passed away in December 2019. Cancer finally got him.

I’m so sorry.

Thank you. Funerals are expensive. The whole thing cost me about ₦800k, and I think the whole family spent up to ₦5m. We were broke oh.

How did you raise the money?

A lot of it was cash gifts. I had to take a break from work for a few days when he passed, and the bank customers with whom I had a rapport noticed. They found out the reason I wasn’t at work and started sending me money. ₦20k here. ₦50k there. Also, I got my ₦500k from the contribution scheme. It was in January 2020, in time for his funeral.

After the funeral rites had been completed, I had about ₦250k left. More money gifts came in when I returned to work, which shot my savings to ₦450k. The contribution scheme cycle had passed, so I was back to earning my full salary. But I was still channelling most of it into my savings.

Fast forward to March 2021, I lost ₦250k in some investment scheme.

What happened?

My contract with the bank was going to expire in September 2020, and I knew I didn’t want a promotion to full staff. I wanted a stronger safety net. Someone told me about the investment opportunity and I went in. The term was that I’d get 10% of my investment in the first month and subsequently receive 20% for six months. The first payment came through right before the lockdown. Then the whole thing came crashing down. That was the last payment I got.

Omo.

I was in worse shape than before, and I had only a few months to spend at work. I doubled down on my savings and made it ₦20k/month. When my contract with the bank expired in September, I had ₦300k in savings.

But you were out of a job again. What was that like?

It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. I got a gig as a freelance content writer with someone I know. Then I got similar jobs with two other people. The rates were ₦1.20k per word. On average, I was making between ₦10k and ₦18k per week from each person I was working with. But it was also a lot of work for little reward. I did this for two months, then I got another job.

I was hired as an executive secretary at a forex management company for ₦50k/month. It wasn’t a hectic job, so I had time to continue freelance writing and making money on the side.

What has happened between then and now?

I got tired of writing for people and earning so little money in return. In February this year, I turned my sights to Fiverr. Later that month, I got a job on the platform, which paid me $20. Subsequently, the client put me on a retainer — $100 per month to create content for their Instagram page.

By this time, I had spent up to six months at my job, and they reviewed my salary to ₦70k. In May 2021, another client put me on a retainer, paying me $5 per hour. I was making $80 per week.

And how has your relationship with money evolved?

I’ve been saving most of what I got from my 9-5 and my side gigs. It’s been easier to do this because I always get money gifts from men these days. It’s hard to put a number to it but a ballpark amount would be ₦50k – ₦60k, and I put most of it into my savings.

I’m open to taking more risks too. In April this year, I took ₦300k out and put in an investment opportunity at my place of work. The terms are that I’ll get 15% of my investment every month, so it’s been bringing in an extra ₦45k/month.

Hmm. What does your savings chest look like at the moment?

₦800k sitting in my PiggyVest and $1200 in my dollar account. My goal was to have ₦1m savings goal by the end of the year, and it looks like I’ve surpassed it already.

Yay. This sounds like a good place to talk about your monthly running expenses.
I get ₦115k from my salary and my investment. The first thing I do is to save ₦30k – ₦35k. The other running costs look something like this:

What have your experiences done to your perspective about money?

I’m a lot more responsible with money now. I know what it feels like to be stuck as an adult, and I know that a constant source of income brought me out of it. So it makes sense to respect money and be responsible with it. Money has also become a safety tool for me. Knowing that I have it saved up somewhere is enough for me to have a good day.

Fair enough. How much do you feel you should be earning right now?

From my 9-5? ₦180k seems like a fair amount, but I stand a higher chance of making that from freelancing than from my day job. And that’s how I plan to increase my income.

How?

The plan is to double down on freelancing and figure out how to get better-paying gigs. I recently paid $120 for a course that should help me leverage freelancing platforms. The plan is to make enough dollar earnings by January next year, so I can quit this job.

Rooting for you. I imagine there’s something you want right now but can’t afford.

I don’t know. Maybe a car. It would definitely make moving around easier, but I don’t have ₦1.8m – ₦2m to splash on that right now.

What about something you bought that significantly improved the quality of your life?

I recently splurged on some human hair, and it cost me ₦80k. Not sure if it improved the quality of my life, but it made me feel really good.

Fair enough. On a scale of 0-10, how would you rate your financial happiness?

6 ½. I’m not making enough and it makes me anxious. It’d be great to unlock more streams of income. That’s why I need this freelancing to work. My target is to make between $1k and $2k per month. When this happens, I can move up to an eight.

Source: https:///2WiRD9X

Wondering how to end the short weekend? Here are 10 quizzes you can have fun, taking. Don't forget to share it with your friends when you're done.

1.How Mischievous Are You?
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-how-mischievous-are-you/

2.Make Some Music Choices And We’ll Grade Your Taste In Music
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-make-some-music-choices-and-well-grade-your-taste-in-music/

3. Plan A Birthday Party, And We’ll Guess Your Hobby
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-plan-a-birthday-party-and-well-guess-your-hobby/

4.Only Smart Nigerians Can Score 9/13 On This Inventors Quiz
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-only-smart-nigerians-can-score-9-13-on-this-inventors-quiz/

5.If You Get 10/21 On This Quiz, You Were A Troublesome Child
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-if-you-get-10-21-on-this-quiz-you-were-a-troublesome-child/

6.Which Ice-cream Flavour Matches Your Vibe?
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-which-ice-cream-flavour-matches-your-vibe/

7.Can You Unscramble These Fruits In 2 Minutes?
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-can-you-unscramble-these-fruits-in-2-minutes/

8.Are You Smarter Than A Primary 6 Student?
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-are-you-smarter-than-a-primary-6-student/

9.Only Nigerians Younger Than 25 Can Unscramble These Musicians In 1 Minute
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-only-nigerians-younger-than-25-can-unscramble-these-musicians-in-2-minutes/

10.Which BBNaija Housemate Are You Like In Relationships?
https://www.zikoko.com/quizzes/quiz-which-bbnaija-housemate-are-you-like-in-relationships/

If you’ve been anywhere around Nigerian Twitter, Instagram or TikTok, then you’re familiar with Small Yansh. After a viral video of hypeman EmmyBlaq saying “See Small Yansh dey shake oh!” went viral, Nigerians have adopted the anthem.

Seeing how Small Yansh has become the subject of fame, we decided to invite it to our office for an interview to tell us how life as a celebrity feels.

[Small Yansh shakes in]

Zikoko: Ewo, see Small Yansh dey shake oh!
[Small Yansh shakes faster]

Zikoko: E dey shake! E dey shake!
[Small Yansh shakes even faster]

Zikoko: Okay, okay. Oya stop. Let’s do the interview first and you can shake later.
[Small Yansh shakes to its seat]

Zikoko: Thank you so much for coming in today.
Small Yansh: Let’s be fast please. I have an interview with Vogue by 12.

Vogue? Anna Wintour’s Vogue?

Small Yansh: Yes oh. In fact, I would not even have answered you, people. But my fame came from a Nigerian hypeman, and it won’t speak well if I carried all that fame to Vogue. After all, when I was nobody, just an ordinary Small Yansh roaming the streets, the people at Vogue did not know me.

Let’s talk about this your new-found fame.

Small Yansh: When God says it’s your time, it’s your time, that’s the only thing I can say. I mean, who would have thought that I’d one day be asked to suffocate someone? Me, Small Yansh? Ah.

Can you tell us how it happened?

Small Yansh: So, I was in the club that day, doing my own thing.

What is “your own thing”?

Small Yansh: I was just clenching together. When you are small, there is nothing else to do. Especially when I am covered in jeans. Jeans is an enemy of Small Yansh. Anytime they put me in jeans, I completely disappear. That is when I pass and people will call me bad names.

Please tell me some of these names…

Small Yansh: Ironing Board, Wall of Jericho, Pelebe, Smallie, Ten Naira Buns.

Wow.

Small Yansh: Sometimes, people even go further to compare me with other things. One day, someone said I looked like cardboard.

Ahan. As how?

Small Yansh: My brother, even me I was shocked. I didn’t know when tears started dropping from my eyes. What did I do to these people asides being small?

Ehya, sorry. But back to that night at the club… You said you were doing your thing?

Small Yansh: Yes, I was. Just moving sideways and shaking what mama gave me. And then from nowhere, this bright light fell on me. At first I froze, because I thought the hypeman wanted to insult me. Next thing I heard was, “See Small Yansh dey shake oh!”

Omo. I don’t know where that shaking ability came from. The way I started moving ehn!

Ahan, Tiger Generator.

Small Yansh: Yes oh. I had to show them that I better pass my neighbour. I was vibrating seriously. And then, the hypeman now finished me by saying, “Suffocate them with your bumbum!”

Only me with that level of power. Mr. Interviewer, I wan crase.

Wow. But do you have plans to suffocate them though? Also, who are the “them”?

Small Yansh: The “them” are my haters and people who thought I would never reach this position of influence. It’s not that I have any plans to suffocate anybody, sha. But to be given that level of power is intoxicating. Now, I can walk the streets and people will think, “This thing is small but mighty. It has the power to suffocate me if I misbehave.”

But is all that shaking not stressful? Do you have time to rest?

Small Yansh: It is stressful oh, let me not lie. With great power comes great responsibility, but I am learning to manage it. Now, I have hired an agent to take phone calls for me. I have also learnt not to appear anywhere I will be disrespected.

Interesting. When you stepped into the club that night, did you foresee that this would happen?

Small Yansh: For where? I said I just went there to chill. I even stay away from places like that because I know that someone will surely ask what I went there to do. But that hypeman was my guardian angel. He called my name and everything changed.

Thank you so much for honouring us, Small Yansh. Should we expect anything from you in the future?

Small Yansh: I cannot promise anything at this time, but one thing I know for sure is that you’ll be seeing me around a lot. I am aware that Asaba Nollywood is currently producing a movie titled Small Yansh Dey Shake.

Wow. So quick? Do giveaway, abeg.

Small Yansh: Me, I’m not even hyped. What I’m waiting for is Netflix. I want a documentary from them.

And what would the title of this documentary be?

Small Yansh: Small Yansh, Big God: Shaking My Way Into The Spotlight.

Ambitious!

Small Yansh: That’s me!

So, do you—

[Small Yansh checks time]

Small Yansh: Oops, I have to leave now. They are already calling me at Vogue.

[Small Yansh shakes out]

Zikoko, screaming: E dey shake oh.

Source: https:///39Jxc97

Read more stories like this here: https:///39DUpK4