It’s official, people. BBNaija 2021 has started. The show began by welcoming the male contestants into the house first, and twenty-four hours later, the female housemates were welcomed into the house.

In the short time the men have spent in the house, we have spotted the first red flags.

1. The collective red flag: the silent prank.

We don’t know who exactly began the idea, but someway somehow, the men of the Big Brother House convinced each other to prank the ladies by keeping quiet when the ladies are welcomed into the house. At first, the ladies were confused when they came in and said hello, only to be met by silence. A number of them must have thought it was Biggie’s rule, and so they followed suit.

And guess what? The prank fell flat. A bunch of men, trying to prank ladies and failing woefully at it. Tell us, WHAT WAS THE REASON??


2. Another collective red flag: wearing boxer shorts as headgear.

Again, wherever this idea originated from, nobody has a clear idea. But the men of the house suddenly believed that it would be “interesting” to welcome the ladies by wearing boxer shorts on their heads. This is in addition to their silence prank. Imagine how awkward it must look: a bunch of grown men wearing boxer shorts on their heads and staying mute while you, a new contestant, entered the house, happy to meet your fellow housemates. Whew, the ghetto.

Individual Red Flags

3. Yousef.

When Yousef came into the house, everyone must have looked at him and thought, “Ah, a fine man.” But then he made a big goof when he said he’s a teacher in a junior school, and that his students have a crush on him. As if that was not horrendous enough, he followed up with, “Thank God I’m not a paedophile.” Oga, who asked you?

4. Jay Paul.

This one came in by saying he belongs to everybody and he belongs to nobody. A modern day Buhari. Oga, please and please.

5. Cross.

In his introductory video, Cross said he wants women to fight over him. That’s how we know that a wire is sparking in his head. A big red flag

6. Yerins.

This one is a medical doctor. Our first question for him: “What about your housejob, sir?” He calls himself a polymath, but really, we think he’s just a potential ITK. We love you and we know you are brilliant, sir, but please try to be reducing it. Just

7. Pere.

This is one of the masterminds of the silent prank. Sir, you are pushing 30. Act your age, please.

8. Niyi.

Niyi is married with a son. Ordinarily, he should not make this list of red flags, but we are including him for the sake of those thirsting after him. That man is a married man. In other words, military zone, keep off.

9. Saga.

This man came and won the hearts of a number of people. But it looks like he is a motormouth and an abebelube—always jumping into every matter when he really should maintain beauty and keep winning our hearts. We love you sir, but please don’t fall our hands.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/pop/9-red-flags-already-spotted-in-this-years-bbnaija-male-housemates/

Yesterday, Africa’s biggest reality show Big Brother Nigeria announced its two main sponsors: Abeg App and Patricia, both Nigerian Fintech companies. In last year’s edition, the show recorded 900 million votes, generating an estimated 27 billion naira ($71million) from the votes. While Nigeria accounts for fifty percent of the viewership; a third of the viewership is from South Africa and the rest of the viewership shared between Kenya Ghana, Namibia, Botswana, Uganda and other countries.

Patricia is a returning sponsor. Founded in 2017, the crypto company claims to have over 300,000 customers. In February, it was one of the many crypto companies affected by the ban on cryptocurrency trading in Nigeria. In response to the ban, many crypto exchanges announced plans to expand into other African countries in a bid to reduce the risk of running a business that’s solely reliant on the Nigerian market. While Patricia’s expansion plans are known, it could benefit from exposure to a wider African market via this show.

And Abeg

The more surprising sponsor is the recently launched Abeg App, which was named the headline sponsor for the show. According to a source within Multichoice, It costs $2 million to be a headline sponsor.

Inspired by the US-based mobile payment service, Cash App, Abeg is a fintech platform that allows users to request and send money using unique usernames. It was launched just seven months ago. It’s rumoured that Abeg is a product of leading fintech company, PiggyVest.

Read our conversation with the founders of Abeg a few days after their launch last year - https://techcabal.com/2020/10/06/abeg-app-growth/

Has Abeg raised money? How is Abeg able to afford this sponsorship? We will keep digging deep to find answers to these questions.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/04/27/techcabal-daily-big-brother-says-patricia-abeg/

Not a lot of people would consider the idea of using cryptocurrency to buy clean energy a possibility. But it’s a model that Lagos-based OneWattSolar (OWS) has used to provide Nigerians with access to electricity for more than two years.

The clean energy company allows its customers to pay for solar energy using blockchain tokens. Users also don’t have to pay for the solar system infrastructure, as it is funded through financial backers.

After installation, OWS uses technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to facilitate services like payments and monitoring.

How does it all work together? TechCabal caught up with the company’s co-founder and COO, Jubril Adeojo, to find out.

An innovative concept with many layers

Like the typical solar company, OneWattSolar (OWS) supplies and distributes panels for private individuals and residential estates in Nigeria. What makes OWS different is the payment system it offers to customers.

When using OWS’s clean energy solution, customers do not have to pay for the configuration of the solar panel system, which is funded by financiers. Instead, they purchase tokens called “green coins” using naira to pay for the electricity supplied. The tokens are built on the blockchain platform, Ethereum.

The solar configuration is also fitted with an internet-enabled router that automatically collects data on energy consumption to ensure that customers pay exactly what they use – charged monthly on a pay-as-you-go basis. Likewise, it will also alert OWS to any potential problems with the systems in real-time.

Using blockchain for its solar solution helps OWS enable transparency between all stakeholders as well as reduce costs between all parties. “With this system, customers are charged for exactly what they use,” said Adeojo.

On a traditional service using fossil fuels, energy usage is nearly ₦70 ($0.20) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in Nigeria. However, the blockchain system costs 50% less ($0.10) compared to diesel, as the expensive maintenance costs of generators are avoided.


In addition to the blockchain tech, OneWattSolar has IoT embedded into its inverter and smart meters that allow for automated switchover of the system, even remotely. Meanwhile, the AI on its platform enables customers to set commands for anything they want to be alerted about.

“For example, if someone else is using your washing machine, the owner of that house will know with the help of our AI-powered platform, which sends an alert. This enables the customer to effectively manage energy consumption. Also, appliances can be switched on/off automatically and remotely. So even while you’re away, I can switch off my AC at home,” Adeojo said.

From just another solar company to “Uber” for energy services

OWS hasn’t always been the company it is today, Adeojo explained. It’s part of GoSolar Africa, a renewable energy company that’s been in operation since 2010.

“We’ve been in business for more than ten years. We started out selling solar systems to homes and businesses that could afford them upfront as well as pioneered a number of mini-grids in partnership with international agencies.”

After operating for a decade, the company’s founders decided to pivot into the off-grid commercial and industrial (C&I) solar space starting with a pilot project for a commercial bank.

On the back of the successful execution of its debut commercial project, the company’s founders started working on what Adeojo calls the “Uber model” for energy services using the name OneWattSolar, which was eventually launched in January 2019.

Since then, everything has changed.

OWS now offers on-demand energy-as-a-service (EaaS) solutions to individual and corporate clients in partnership with solar companies.

The startup provides hardware such as solar panels and inverters and then contracts one of its aggregated companies that carry out installation and maintenance for clients. The latter earn from the project as long as the installed hardware is in use.

Potential customers can sign up and make a reservation on the OWS platform, which has an inbuilt blockchain-powered payment system and wallet.

Although Adeojo calls it the “Uber model”, the company does not exactly match clients with installers. Instead, OWS operates like a consumer-facing contractor (and supplier of hardware) but with a tech-enabled platform.

“We told ourselves to re-launch but not as a solar company competing with other solar companies. We decided to adopt the Uber model and come out as a tech company opening up the market for other players and as Amazon did with bookstores.” Adeojo said.

In addition to solar companies that install hardware, there are also “power brokers” that source for commercial clients.

In between this multifaceted business model, Adeojo claims that OWS creates jobs for young engineers who can also be part of and earn from the installation and maintenance process.

“We also have over 1,000 young people – graduates and undergraduates – that work with the solar companies and women make up 10% of the community at the moment.”

The big vision

Since its launch, OneWattSolar has installed 50 megawatts systems that are fully operational.

The company’s vision 2030 is to deploy 14,000 megawatts of off-grid renewable energy across sub-Saharan Africa starting with Nigeria, where it has partnered with many solar companies and installers.

OWS recently issued the first series of its ₦10 Billion ($24.33 million) Green Bond in Nigeria. The issuance comprises a ₦2 Billion ($4.9 million) 7-year Green Bond Issue and a ₦1 Billion ($2.4 million) 7-year Green Sukuk Issue.

“This issuance has enabled us to commercially roll out our two flagship products – CHI OMA being the IoT-enabled Digital Assets & Hardware Technology, and AMINA being the Advanced Artificial Intelligence Software Technology,” Adeojo said.

The bond issuance is the first of its kind in several categories. In Africa, it is the first corporate green bond for off-grid renewable energy projects, corporate green Sukuk, and corporate joint green bond and green Sukuk. Globally, it is just the 13th green Sukuk – a sharia-compliant financial instrument that is like bonds and used in Islamic finance.

Issuing bonds isn’t common practise among startups but Adeojo explains that it is a “logical move” as the kind of OWS projects requires long-term funding. “The issuance will also attract institutional investors interested in investing in the green economy.”

Despite being a startup, OWS qualified for the bond issuance due to a number of reasons Adeojo cited: a “bankable” business model, track record in Nigeria’s renewable energy space, sound corporate governance, a strong and experienced team, and several international advisers that offer technical assistance.

The fresh capital injection should help the company power its ambition of connecting up to a million homes across the continent that are without electricity.

“As a tech company, we look forward to developing and rolling out new customer-centric products, alongside the issuance of more green bonds and Sukuks, as we use this issuance to commence the first step of our journey of a million miles,” Adeojo said.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/26/this-tech-company-allows-nigerians-pay-for-solar-using-cryptocurrency/

Read more stories like this here: https://techcabal.com/category/renewable-energy/

Do you remember that article about Nigerians not buying phones or the one about Africa almost running out of new smartphones? We covered those stories & spotlighted how the pandemic slowed the production of smartphones and increased the prices of phones in the market. There were a lot of scary numbers speculating the great smartphone decline in Africa—*waves hands dramatically*. Well, turns out Africans found a way around that problem: Second-hand phones.

Here’s a simple truth: Africans are resourceful and resilient people.

And according to the Counterpoint Research report on Financial Express, we were exceptional in the resold phones area during the second half of 2020. As a result, Africa may dominate the refurbished phone market—alongside India of course.

Look at us go!

PS: We’ve laid out some tips at the end of the article. So stay with us till the last paragraph.

What’s with the second-hand smartphone trend anyway?

I would go on a long spiel about how the global lockdown made phones scarce and expensive, but that’s pretty obvious. The truth is, we just got better at refurbishing used phones!

“…developing regions like India and Africa are showing a higher proportion of new businesses and improvements in domestic tech and repair capabilities,” said Glen Cardoza, senior research analyst at Counterpoint Research.

Better skills? We love to hear it.

But there’s the big question:

Why should you care?

The fact that second-hand smartphones are becoming better, may mean that you might decide to turn in your old phone for a second-hand phone at some point this year or the ones after it. After all, if I can get a fairly used top-tier Samsung phone at the price of an Infinix phone, I just might jump at the opportunity—and you might too.

If that happens, then you will need all your wits about you because these streets can be mean.

Luckily we can help with that. So get your notepads ready, we’re about to lay down some second-hand wisdom—okay that came out wrong.

Rule 1: Always use an OG source

It doesn’t matter whether you’re buying your phone online or offline, you have to ensure the seller is trustworthy. If you aren’t careful, you’d probably be sold a much older model, or worse still, a stolen phone!

Shady shops will always give you shady deals. It’s science.

There are two options when looking to buy refurbished phones. You can buy from major phone repair companies like Carlcare or the manufacturing company. These phones look better and usually come with a warranty and accessories. However, there’s not much wiggle room where price is concerned.

Or you can buy a second-hand smartphone from private sellers, local shops, and even your friendly neighbourhood WhatsApp group. However, these second-hand phones typically don’t come with accessories or warranties.

Either way, you should always DYOR (Do Your Own Research), keep an eye out for warranties and return policies. You also have to physically inspect the phone before buying. That brings us to the second rule.

Rule 2: Check. Check. Check

The camera, the ports, the battery, everything! Check it all.

You can do this manually, or you can go the easy route and run a diagnostic test on your second-hand smartphone. These days smartphones have secret codes and features that run diagnostic tests so you know what’s wrong and whatnot.

Every smartphone model has its special diagnostic code, you can google it. Or you can just check this helpful PCmag guide.

Rule 3: Hands of Esau, Voice of Jacob

Sometimes cheaper second-hand smartphones equal origin stories murkier than Frankenstein’s. Your precious fairly used flagship phone might have been stripped and put back together so many times that it’s probably traumatised.

Don’t fall for that shiny exterior. That gadget might be an iPhone on the outside but a fake on the inside. Always check if it’s an original or a knockoff.

This is when IMEIs come in. The IMEI is like a barcode, but for phones. It stores info about the make of your phone, the year it was released, and other specifications.

To get your IMEI, dial *#06# on your phone. A popup with a 15-digit number will appear, copy it and paste on an IMEI checker site like IMEI.info to make sure your phone’s the real deal.

If there’s no pop-up, then…

Rule 4: Make up your mind

This should have been first on my list.

Never enter the game of second-hand smartphone purchases with indecision, you might get torn to pieces.

You need to focus on the phone model and the specs you want before searching for a used phone dealer. Keep your price range in mind too, so you don’t go over your budget or compromise.

It’s great that Africa is upping its tech repair game, but it also means it may be much harder to spot fake refurbished or second-hand smartphones. So, you need to keep your eyes open when buying your pre-owned smartphones. Have you ever bought a second-hand phone before? What sellers do you recommend? And how did you check if it was original? Please share, you might be helping someone, somewhere.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/22/buying-secondhand-smartphones-in-africa/

Read more stories like this here: https://techcabal.com/category/consumer-tech/

The 30-year-old in this #NairaLife got his big break in 2016 when he started working in tech. When was the last time he worked though? 2020. Does this bother him? No. A lot of it has to do with a $70k payment he got in equity at the last place he worked at.


What’s your oldest memory of money?

It has to be when I tried stealing money for the first time and got caught. My parents had a policy of not giving us money; whatever we wanted, they got for us. But I needed some money to be like the cool kids. The cool kids in my primary school bought fancy stuff from the school’s stationery shop to impress the girls. I liked that and wanted it for myself too. So I decided to go into my mum’s room to take about ₦200 from her purse. My mum walked in while I was doing that. I tried to play it down but it didn’t fly. She reported me to my dad, and I got a beating. I don’t remember the year anymore but it was between 2000 and 2002.

The most embarrassing bit of the whole experience was my parents talking about it when my siblings were around. It made me want to have my own money so I wouldn’t have to ask anyone for it.

What were the steps you took after that?

I didn’t do anything for money until a couple of years later. I earned money for the first time in 2006 when I was in JSS 3. My school was registering the students for an internal mock exam, and we could use the computers in the computer lab to complete the process.

I used to bring my laptop to school, so I started to help people register for the exam in return for a small fee. I was selling convenience. If you didn’t want to go to the computer lab, pay me and I’d do it for you. I don’t remember how much I charged, but it was very little.

When it was time to write the UTME exam in 2009, I replicated the same formula for people who wanted to register for the exam. Rather than going to registration centres, people came to me to help register them, and each person paid between ₦1k and ₦2k.

Mad. I’m curious, when did you start using computers?

In primary school. There’s a backstory to it too. My dad started out working in the armed forces. But he got frustrated with the bureaucracy and corruption, so he retired and joined the private sector. When he was in the army, the family struggled. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment, went to public schools and my dad could only manage to own a motorcycle. He left the army for a company that produced consumer goods, and we became financially stable. We moved into a bigger house, switched to private schools, and my dad bought his first car.

It was around this time my dad started a computer business centre, and he set the place up with six desktop computers. Unfortunately, the person he left in charge of the place wasn’t being straightforward, so my dad closed down the business and brought the computers home. He set one up in the home library, and doing stuff and looking up things on the computer became my favourite pastime. By the time he got me my first laptop, I had become good at using a computer.

Lit. Back to 2009.

I wrote JAMB that year and got into a university in the country to study economics. By the end of my first year, I had gotten bored of school. I was constantly ahead of the class. A lecturer would come in and start talking about something I had studied two weeks earlier. It was killing me.

I told my parents that I didn’t want to study in the country anymore. Surprisingly, they didn’t object to it. My dad called me a few days later and asked me to go and meet an agent he found. We started applying to schools outside the country and a private college in Europe came through. I was offered provisional admission to study Electronics Engineering. I moved in 2012.

Do you remember how much it cost to move?

I have no idea what it took to get me out of the country because I wasn’t involved with my dad’s financial dealings with the agent. However, my tuition was €14k per session. Accommodation was €12k every year, and my parents put me on a monthly allowance of €1200.

How did it go in Europe?

My first month was rough. My parents gave me €4k when I was leaving, and I lost everything.

Ah! How?

It happened between the time I was trying to open an account in the bank and getting my documentation done in school. I couldn’t dare tell my dad. I told my mum though, and she sent me €500, which I used to sort out a few things I needed immediately.

Then I went to look for a job.

I found a part-time job at the administrative block on campus to help with paperwork documentation for international students. I worked for 11 or 12 hours a week and was paid €8.50 per hour. That job got me through my first month.

Until the next allowance came in, right?

Right. I quit immediately my next allowance came in. I didn’t do anything for money until the summer of my second year because I wanted to focus on my studies. In the summer of 2014, I started working in an upscale restaurant. It cost between €65-€70 to eat there while it cost between €20 and €45 to eat at most of the other restaurants.

Because of this, the pay was a little high-end too. I was earning €14 per hour and working an average of 40 hours a week. I didn’t make less than €2k a month and my parents were still sending me a monthly upkeep allowance.

€3200 a month. Must be nice.

I was literally balling, man. I had two days off in a week, and I’d use the time to fly to cities in neighbouring countries, spend a day or two there and return to school. The only project I did with my earnings at the time was buying a car for €4k and sending it home to my parents as a surprise gift.

In my final year, I realised that I had no interest in staying in Europe once college was done. The idea was to return home and start a business, so I needed to return with a good amount of money to get myself off the ground. However, I didn’t have much in savings.

What did you do?

When my parents sent me money for tuition, I went to my college director and told him that I was having financial challenges and would not be able to pay my tuition fees in full. I proposed offering my services to the college in return for a reduced tuition fee. He agreed, and the college assigned me to work on a research project on solar electricity in North Africa. It worked for me: it ended up being my final year project, and I paid half of my tuition and saved the rest.

What were your finances looking like after your final year?

I returned to Nigeria with €11k in 2016. It was a few million naira, which was pretty cool.

I agree. You were back in Nigeria now, what came next?

Job hunting. I wanted to get a job without having my parents call anyone. I left home and moved to a new city. I paid for an apartment and started to job hunt. While I didn’t have a lot of expectations, the salary offers I got were laughable.

Haha.

The first offer came from a media company where I interviewed for a marketing role. When they said they were going to pay me ₦120k, I was like “What?” I got four other job interviews and the highest offer was ₦250k. I didn’t get a single interview in the three months that followed.

Frustration started to kick in. I was alone in a new city and without a job. It didn’t help that I was always on instagram and seeing how my mates from college were moving to major cities around the world and seemingly doing good for themselves. It was a tough period. I wouldn’t say I was depressed, but I wasn’t happy.

I eventually got a job at an IT consulting firm in August 2016. I was hired to work in their IT support department, manage internal databases and provide network support.

Yay.

The salary was ₦50k.

Omo.

After deductions, I was going home with ₦43k. I worked there for nine months before I realised that I couldn’t do it anymore. I resigned from the job in May 2017.

What did you do next?

I moved out of the city and returned to where my parents lived. Remember I said I had always wanted to do business? I thought it was time to get on that. I took ₦2m out of my savings and rented 15 hectares of land to plant rice somewhere in Nasarawa State, close to River Benue. I rented another plot of land and planted 10,000 heaps of cassava. In my mind, I was going to be the biggest farmer the country had ever seen. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to afford insurance for my rice farm.

And that became a problem?

River Benue flooded and washed away more than half of my rice farm. When it happened, I just left my dad in charge of the farm. We ended up harvesting less than 2 metric tonnes of rice from the farm when the initial projection was 150 metric tonnes.

That sounds rough. I’m sorry.

Thank you. Luckily, I got a break shortly after the farm flooded. I randomly checked my mail one day and saw an email that had been in my spam folder for two weeks. It was from a tech company in Nigeria, and they had reached out to me because one of their engineering directors saw a presentation I had sent in when I returned to Nigeria and was applying to jobs. I reached out to them, and the role was still open. After a series of interviews, I got a job as an engineer on the team. The salary was ₦350k, and I started work in August 2017.

Must have been a relief.

Yes, it was. Also, I easily did the best work of my life at the company. I got promoted after four months and my salary increased to ₦600k.

However, I resigned towards the end of 2018.

Why?

I had a clash with my manager, and it became clear that it was time to leave. The good thing was that working at the company helped open my eyes to possibilities I didn’t know existed. When I started job hunting again, I was looking for opportunities in international tech companies. A friend from college referred me to an American tech company, and I spoke to their director of engineering who passed me off to their HR team. I did the interviews and got an offer to work on their development team as a developer/engineer in December 2018. My new salary was $75k/year.

Nice.

I started working at the company in January 2019. I got a raise few months into the job, and my salary increased to $100k per year.

My income had changed and so did the quality of my life. I realised that I wasn’t overly worried about price tags anymore. This was the period I started to invest in real estate.

Tell me about this.

My parents are originally from the north central, and I started to buy properties in my hometown, mostly old houses and lands. I currently have six landed properties worth about ₦10m. These are long-term investments. I don’t expect to make anything off them in the next 5-10 years. But they will eventually pay off.

Ah, I see. Back to the job?

I was there until the second quarter of 2020 when I decided to take a break from working. I haven’t worked since that time and have been living on returns on stock investments. Let me explain.

Please.

I had vested equity at the company I last worked at, and I exercised it. This means that I bought the equity at a discounted price available to employees. The company also went through a 409a valuation, and the value of the stocks increased. The total value of my equity on paper was $1.4m. I sold 8% of my equity to the company, and I got a lump sum payment.

How much?

$70k after administrative fees and other deductions.

Man.

I knew I could afford to quit my job before I did. I made more money from stock trading in 2020. Most of it came from buying Tesla stocks.

How?

I took stock trading up as a hobby during the lockdown because I wasn’t working and couldn’t travel. Tesla stock price crashed in April right after countries started to go on lockdown. It crashed again in June and went down to about $300 per unit. I bought as much as I could and bought more in September. In total, I put around $10k into this.

The stock rose to $800 shortly after. I sold everything and made about $6k in profit from that one sale.

I’ve been making money from other stock investments since that time. But this one was quite memorable. I was purely lucky by the way. It didn’t happen because I had great stock picking skills.

Whew. What has happened between then and now?

Not much. I’ve been living. At the beginning of this year, I got bored and thought it was time to return to work. I spoke to a few companies, but I didn’t think any of them was the right one for me. I finally got an offer worth considering last month. It’s with a tech startup in San Francisco, and they are offering me $190k per year plus stock options. I’m dragging my feet because it’s their initial offer, and I feel like I could earn more.

How much do you think you should be earning?

Anything above $200k/year. Not to sound entitled, but I should be earning that much because of the kind of companies I’ve worked for. I think I can get it if I really push for it.

Fingers crossed on that. Let’s talk about your monthly expenses and what it currently looks like.
I don’t really use a budget. My monthly expenses depend on how I’m feeling in a month. This is what I can think of right now.


I live in an AirBnB because I could move cities anytime. My miscellaneous expenses include tips and money gifts, airtime recharge and internet.

How do you approach saving these days?

For starters, I don’t save my money in naira. I have less than ₦800k in my Nigerian bank account at the moment. I save my money in bank accounts in Europe and the US. From my last count, I have about $110k in cash savings and stock investments on different platforms.

I have to ask, is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?

Haha, there is. I still want to do something in agriculture. The plan now is to build a crude palm oil processing plant. It costs less to produce a barrel of crude palm oil than it costs to produce a barrel of crude oil, but the profit margin is great. I’ll need between $200k and $250k to purchase and install a plant that does 10 metric tonnes per hour. That’s not even an industrial plant, but it will get me going. In addition, I’m currently talking to agriculture consultants to figure out how much an oil palm plantation will cost. I don’t have the money for either of them yet.

I hope you get it, man. What was the last thing you spent money on that improved the quality of your life?

It’s a recurring expense, and it’s probably funny. I don’t like the thought of laundry, so I buy shirts and wear them until they get dirty. Then I give them out and buy a new set. However, I don’t do this to my Kaftans — they go to the drycleaners.

Mad. What was the last thing you bought that required planning?

Nothing, actually. At least not in a while. If I need to spend money on something, I’ll probably think about it for a while, then make a decision.

God when? How have your experiences shaped your perspective about money?
I’ve always looked at money as something you must have to make your life easier. I saw how much the quality of my family’s life changed as my parents’ financial situation got better. It reaffirmed my belief that making money was absolutely necessary.

While I think it’s beautiful to have money, I don’t allow it to influence my orientation on anything. Ordinary things no dey move me again. I see how people respond to me differently when they find out how much I have, and it makes me very uncomfortable. It doesn’t have to be that way. Money is only money. Nothing more.

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

9. There were a couple of rough months along the way, but I’m in a very good place now. I don’t need all the money in the world to be happy. I’m doing just fine with what I have. I’m incredibly satisfied with the quality of my life, man.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/naira-life/nairalife-how-could-tech-bro-afford-a-year-break-from-work-equity-and-stocks/

Read more stories like this here: https://www.zikoko.com/stack/naira-life-interviews/

In Ghana, it would be an “anomaly” for a supermarket, small store, or business merchant to not use a mobile money service for transactions. Daniel, a colleague at TechCabal, who visited Ghana two weeks ago said the same during a recent meeting.

Mobile money was first introduced in Ghana in 2009. However, it took some time for it to gain traction due to a restrictive Branchless Banking policy of the Bank of Ghana.

New agent and electronic money guidelines were released in 2014, allowing network operators to run mobile money services, with supervision from the banking regulator.

Ever since, players such as MTN have invested heavily in mobile money operations with great success. The telco giant launched its MoMo service in January 2017. By January 2019, over 100,000 merchants were using the service.

Uptake in mobile money services and financial inclusion have equally increased across the country. A March 2020 Summary of Economic and Financial Data published by the Bank of Ghana showed that the country had 14.7 million active mobile money accounts and 235,000 active agents.

On the other end of the cardinal point is M-Pesa’s success in East African countries, particularly Kenya. The mobile money service, owned and operated by telco Safaricom, has significantly contributed to improving the financial inclusion rate in Nairobi.

In Ethiopia, the government is banking on a mobile money service run by the state-owned network operator, Ethio Telecom, to increase financial inclusion among low-income groups. The service soared to more than 1 million registered users in one week, 4 million in a month, and 6 million in two months.

Despite being home to Africa’s largest unbanked population, Nigeria has not witnessed the same exponential growth in mobile money adoption and lags behind its regional peers when it comes to penetration.

Chasing financial inclusion

Financial inclusion for 200 million Nigerians has been a much-touted priority of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and the central bank under governor Godwin Emefiele’s leadership. Still, it’s a goal that has been elusive.

Nigeria has a significantly large population without access to financial services. In 2017, it was home to 3.4% of the world’s unbanked people despite contributing 2.6% to the global population.

Some progress has been made over the past decade to bring more Nigerians under the formal financial system, according to a report by EFinA, but the figures remain disturbing.

At the end of 2020, over 36% of the adult population (or 38 million adults) were unbanked as the central bank missed out on its 80% national financial inclusion target. In addition, just over 40 million out of an estimated 105.5 million Nigerian adults have bank verification numbers (BVN), an important metric for gauging how many people have access to financial services.

The CBN has adopted several measures – such as the creation of special Payment Services Banks (PSBs) in 2018 – to drive financial inclusion.

However, the apex bank has shown reluctance towards adopting a framework that has proved to be very effective in improving financial inclusion in many African countries: telecoms-driven mobile money services.


Payment service banks, not mobile money operators

In 2018, CBN announced a new regime that would allow non-financial companies to apply for mobile banking licences – either as PSBs or Mobile Money Operators (MMOs).

Under the guidelines, mobile network operators are allowed to provide financial services to millions of unbanked Nigerians. However, they can do so only as payment service banks and through a subsidiary separate from their core operations.

Payment service banks are like small-scale banks. While they’re similar to typical banks, the scope of their license is strictly to deepen financial inclusion and the regulator forbids them from engaging in credit risk and foreign exchange operations.

More than two years after the CBN’s announcement, just three companies (including mobile operators 9mobile and Globacom) have been granted PSB licences. The two other network companies in the country, MTN and Airtel, are yet to get a regulatory nod to launch their Payment Service Banks. Although the former launched an agent network for money transfers in 2019.

The lack of progress on licences – particularly for two telcos that have significant mobile money experience in other markets in sub-Saharan Africa – calls into question how dedicated the central bank is to really broaden access to financial services in the country.

MTN is talking up its mobile money business in hopes of a future IPO

Some industry stakeholders blame the issue on lobbying by traditional financial institutions said to be wary of telco-led mobile money services. Banks perceive that network operators would claim their territory if allowed to offer standalone financial services.

According to one telecom industry expert who asked not to be named, the “big banks are fighting back behind the scenes to ensure telcos don’t come to have their lunch.”

Will telcos ever lead?

In Nigeria, the mobile money landscape is dominated by banks, technology, and financial services companies. Contrary to what is seen in Kenya and Ghana, telecoms operators are not allowed to apply directly for mobile money licences and are instead restricted to the provision of network infrastructure for the use of mobile money operators.

The regulatory framework is one of the core reasons why mobile money uptake has been relatively slow in Nigeria. As of 2019, there were just over 15 million mobile money accounts in the country, compared to nearly 60 million in Kenya, which is home to fewer than 55 million people.

Fintech companies have recorded significant strides towards advancing financial inclusion in Nigeria. Companies such as Paga and Teamapt democratise access to financial services through their agent networks and mobile payments infrastructure.

But telecoms companies are more positioned to deepen mobile money services due to their subscriber numbers, available infrastructure, and broader agent networks, which outnumber those of banks and fintechs. MTN and Airtel agents can be seen selling recharge cards in nearly every corner of the country.

“The telecoms industry has ready infrastructure and resources to push financial inclusion all over the country. If you truly want to deepen the use of mobile technology for financial service, the last mile to reach the people is through network operators,” the expert said.

There have been calls for a more liberalised regulatory framework where telcos lead. However, if the CBN’s latest mobile money regulatory framework published July 9 is anything to go by, network operators will continue to play the second fiddle in Nigeria’s mobile money space under the current administration.

In the new framework, the banking regulator reiterates its long-held stance that Nigeria will not adopt the model in which telecommunications companies are the drivers of mobile money services.

“The CBN recognises the importance of Mobile Network Operators in the operations of mobile money services and appreciates the criticality of the infrastructure they provide. However, the telco-led model (where the lead initiator is an MNO) shall not be operational in Nigeria,” the 40-page document reads.

Mobile money operators can issue cards but not loans or insurance, CBN says

The framework stated only two acceptable models for the implementation of mobile money services: bank-led (bank and/or its consortium as lead initiator) and non-bank-led (a corporate organisation duly licensed by the CBN as lead initiator).

Although the CBN says it recognises the importance of telecoms companies in providing the infrastructure to drive the exchange of messages for mobile payments, it feels compelled to prohibit the Telco-led option. This, according to the bank, is to “retain full control of monetary policy operations, minimise risks and ensure that the offering of financial services is driven by organisations that have been licensed to do so.”

After failing to meet its 2020 target, the CBN has revised its financial inclusion goal to 95% by 2024. But with its continued regulatory conservatism towards telecoms-led mobile money, the regulator is likely to find it only more difficult to bring millions of unbanked Nigerians into the financial system.

“CBN’s models will only slow down financial inclusion penetration,” the expert said. “Instead, telecoms companies should be allowed to take the lead in the mobile money space as seen in other African countries. This is the only way speedy coverage and easy access can be achieved and financial inclusion improved.”

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/23/cbn-regulations-holding-back-mobile-money-revolution-in-nigeria/

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

Trust Twitter to always roll up with a new update. Last week it was killing Twitter Fleets, and adding captions to voice tweets on iOS devices. Today Twitter is testing out upvote and downvote buttons for replies to tweets.

The company announced yesterday that a select group of iOS users may receive different upvote or downvotes options on their Twitter app. The buttons may appear as the usual heart icon and a new down arrow, a thumbs up and a thumbs down icon, or up and down arrows similar to Reddit’s voting style.

But that isn’t Twitter’s intent.

According to the Twitter Support account, the aim is to find out what kind of replies people like, and how they—Twitter—can make these replies more accessible to other people who view a conversation.

Some of you on iOS may see different options to up or down vote on replies. We're testing this to understand the types of replies you find relevant in a convo, so we can work on ways to show more of them.

Your downvotes aren’t public, while your upvotes will be shown as likes. pic.twitter.com/hrBfrKQdcY

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 21, 2021

Cody Elam, a user researcher at Twitter, clarified that past research on Twitter interactions have shown that people liked four kinds of replies—informative, supportive, positive, and funny. However, some of these replies aren’t pushed to the top of the comment section quickly enough, so this experiment will show if this voting style will help.

Twitter is also emphatic on the fact that this test is just for research purposes. As such, the buttons will not show up as dislikes and votes will not change the order of replies. Although they may change their tone if their little experiment checks out.

Fun fact: Your downvotes are only visible to you. So, don’t be scared people will see the dislikes on your off-topic blunder.

The Reddit-like voting option is not the only Twitter feature that’s been inspired by another app. Twitter Spaces is a Clubhouse lookalike, and then there’s the ill-fated Fleets—RIP—a photocopy of Instagram Reels, which also copied Snapchat Stories.

Oh well, I hope they eventually add the Twitter upvote and downvote buttons. It’d be nice to show my dislike for a comment without having to type a reply and draw negative attention towards me. And it’ll bring a whole new meaning to being ratioed— *rubs hands sinisterly*

It’s still not the edit button, but it’ll do…for now.

Now tell us, what do you think about Twitter’s upvote and downvote option? Is it something you’d like to see?

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/22/twitter-upvote-downvote-test-ios/

Read more stories like this here: https://techcabal.com/category/consumer-tech/

A small trouble is brewing in the Small Chops Association: the other members no longer want Puff-puff to be a part of them. This is difficult, considering the large quantity of Puff-puff you find in a Small Chops package.

Today on Interview With, we spoke to the members of the Small Chops Association, including Puff-puff, to hear their take on this delicate matter.


Zikoko: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Zikoko Interview With session.
Samosa: Good morning.

Spring Roll: I greet you.

Mosa: Hello, interviewer.

Chicken: Thank you for having us.

Puff-Puff: We are delighted to be here.

Samosa: This is my problem with you, Puff-Puff. Did they ask you if you were delighted or not? Just greet the interviewer and let’s keep it moving.

Spring Roll: Samosa, take it easy.

Gizzard: Anyway, I will talk. You people cannot silence me. Good morning, Oga Interviewer.

Mosa: Abebelube. Did anybody say you should not talk?

Corndog: Hello, Mr. Interviewer. It is a great pleasure to be here.

I’m sorry, but who are you?

Spring Roll: Oho! Thank God you asked too. It’s like the Association of Small Chops now admits every and anybody. We’ll be preparing for an outing, and next thing we know, one smallie from nowhere will come and say they are joining us too because they are a part of small chops. Please and please, who died and gave you invitation form to enter our circle?

Samosa: You know what’s paining me? It’s the fact that they believe that being a finger food is a legitimate reason to be part of us. That was how last month, they joined crab with us and called it small chops too. Crab that has wife and children. I sha don’t like this behaviour.

Mosa: It’s okay. You people should let Corndog explain itself.

Spring Roll: Sorry oh, Annalise Mosa. We did not know that Corndog has hired you to speak for it.

Mosa: It’s you people that know. Corndog, you too open your mouth and talk. I cannot be collecting insults for you when you have a mouth.

Corndog: Okay, thank you everyone. I am—

Chicken: [Mumbles] And what kind of name is Corndog anyway? When it’s not like you’re made of dog meat and corn.

Corndog: I—

Gizzard: Chicken, please nau. Let the poor thing talk. If Spring Roll and Samosa are interrupting it, you should not join them to participate. You are the oldest here.

Chicken: Are you age-shaming me?

Gizzard: [Under its breath] If you are not going to act your age, someone should show you.

Corndog: [Looks on in disbelief]

Chicken: Gizzard, so we have now become mates that you can talk rubbish about me? I don’t blame you, I swear. It’s because I carried myself to come and do Small Chops Association with you people. I am a major protein in these streets oh.

It’s enough! I only want to hear from Corndog now. If I don’t call your name and you talk, this interview is over.
Puff-Puff: Good.

Samosa: That is where they will see you.

Corndog: Can I continue?

Yes, please.

Corndog: I am the newest addition to the small chops family. Making me is easy. All you have to do is thread a hotdog on a stick, then dip that hot dog in batter and fry it. That’s where my name came from.

And how have you been finding the Small Chops Association?

Corndog: It’s been enjoyable so far. I try my best to keep my distance. When we are at a party, I present myself to the guests and if they like what they see, they pick me. Sometimes, people are not sure what I will taste like, but when they bite into me and taste how juicy I am, they want more.

Spring Roll: Hian. Advertisement.

Spring Roll, last warning.

Samosa: Hmm, but when Puff-Puff spoke, you did not say anything. You did as if you did not hear. Okay oh.

But wait. Do you have a problem with Puff-Puff?

Samosa and Spring Roll: YES!

Mosa: Hay God.

Gizzard: Chicken, do you—

Chicken: If I hear my name in your mouth again, I will show you that age is more than numbers.

Gizzard: Nawa oh.

Okay, Spring Roll and Samosa, what is the problem?

Spring Roll: Puff-Puff is—

Samosa: [Cuts in] It is the—

Corndog: You people should give each other a chance na.

Spring Roll: Shut up, Corn beef.

Corndog: It’s Corndog.

Samosa: Let me start.

I’m listening. The rest of you, please keep quiet.

Samosa: See, it is ITK that is killing Puff-Puff. Oversabi, the world must see me. Before we started our association, we used to respect Puff-Puff. Puff-Puff alone was enough to be called small chops. It was served at naming ceremonies, burials and even hawked. We said, see our role model.

Spring Roll: Let me continue. So, Samosa now said we should start our own Association of Small Chops. We began to hustle for invitations to parties and all. People started liking us. Next thing, Puff-Puff reduced itself in size and said, by force by fire, it must join our association.

Hmm…

Samosa: Oga Interviewer, I believe when you join somebody’s club, you stay mellow, right? Not Puff-Puff oh. It joined our association and wanted to do pass itself. You will open one small chops pack and see three Spring Rolls and three Samosas but ten pieces of Puff-Puff.


Spring Roll: And it’s not even that the Puff-Puff will be sweet. It will be small and cold and tasteless. People will now abandon the entire small chops package.

Samosa: Like, if you know you won’t serve quality when you join an association, why bother? You should have left us alone the way we are. Now, because Puff-puff has joined us, everybody now sees it as an avenue to bring everything inside Small Chops.

Spring Roll: I am telling you! You will see someone’s small chops pack and you will wonder if it’s a three course meal. Like, eat what you want to eat, don’t lie that you are eating small chops.

What are some of the things you have seen inside a small chops package that you don’t like?

Spring Roll: Crab, Titus fish, stewed beef, apple slices.

Samosa: Wait, they have started adding apple slices?

Spring Roll: Look at you, they are even putting cucumber slices too. Next thing you know, pineapple too will join, and we will not know if we are eating Small Chops or fruit salad.

Okay, okay. Puff-Puff, what do you have to say to these allegations?

Puff-Puff: I just want to—

Gizzard: Ehen! See oh—

Oya, leave this office now, Gizzard. Just wear your slippers and go.

Gizzard: What did I do?

Chicken: Don’t you understand simple English? Wear your slippers and go.

Samosa: Wait oh, are you pursuing Gizzard because of Puff-Puff?

Spring Roll: Gizzard, stay outside small. We’ll sort this out.

Puff-Puff? I’m listening to you.

Puff-Puff: I’m just going to say one thing, and I’ll leave. I did not force anybody to add me to any Small Chops Association. I am and will always remain a star in my own right. If you eat Small Chops and the Puff-Puff there is bad, please hold the person that made the Small Chops.

In other words…

Puff-Puff: What I am saying is that I’m not responsible for the misfortune of Samosa and Spring Roll. If you open a small chops package and there is more Puff-puff inside than Spring Roll and Samosa, maybe they need to check their own attitude.

Spring Roll: I shall never experience any misfortune. Please and please, watch your mouth.

Puff-puff: And if I don’t? You think because I have been keeping quiet, I don’t have things to say? Samosa, you are nothing but a dried up piece of flour. Having a triangular shape will not get you far in life. And you, Spring Roll, keep being jealous of a star. Maybe one day, when they start serving you alone, you can get to my level. For now, you will always remain beneath me.

Samosa: [Claps hands in disbelief] American wonder.

Mosa: Talk now. Shebi you people have met your match.

Puff-puff: Oh, and just a little heads-up. I hear that Akara might be joining the Association of Small Chops too. Get ready, you have a long fight ahead of you. [Walks out].

Puff-puff, wait—

Spring Roll: Wait for what?

Samosa: [Calls out after Puff-puff] As you have walked out like that, continue walking oh! We must not see you inside any Small Chops again. You ingrate.

Chicken: Will you not talk about this issue of Akara coming to join us?

Gizzard: [From the door] Can I come inside?

[Sighs] Gosh, I have a headache. All of you, please leave. This has been a lot to handle.

Corndog: Aww, we’re sorry.

Spring Roll: Oh, Puff-puff has spoken, you no longer want to hear from us, abi? It is well.

Samosa: Leave them, that is what they all do.

Mosa: Can you guys please stop?

Chicken: Annalise Mosa, you better be grateful they did not open your own file today.

Mosa: Hian. When Gizzard was dragging you through the mud, you kept quiet. It’s now me you want to attack. You better go and face Gizzard.

[Spring Roll, Samosa, Corndog, Mosa and Chicken file out].

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/life/interview-with/interview-with-small-chops-puff-puff-is-not-a-part-of-us/

Read more funny interviews like this here: https://www.zikoko.com/category/life/interview-with/

Do you remember that pesky contact that always sends you annoying texts on Whatsapp even after you’ve blocked them? Yes, the one using the “GB” version of Whatsapp? Well, let’s just say your worries are about to be over as Whatsapp has threatened to permanently ban users who have an account with the clone app.

GB WhatsApp is an altered version of WhatsApp created by a third party. It combines regular WhatsApp features with modded and customised ones that are not offered by the original WhatsApp app. Some of these features include the ability to;

Hide your ‘online’ status
Remove the double tick (“message delivered/received”) option
Retrieve deleted photos that were sent to you
Retrieve other users’ deleted status
Download status updates
Send up to 90 images at a go, amongst others.
Although these sound like fun, they come at a high price — two high prices, if we’re keeping it a buck.

The first is a potential and very permanent ban from the Whatsapp app. In an update on their website, Whatsapp warns GB Whatsapp and Whatsapp Plus users that it might block them from the Whatsapp app if they don’t switch from the unsupported versions to the official app.

They also warn that these unofficial apps, though WhatsApp lookalikes, do not follow WhatsApp’s security measures, and may pose a potential privacy risk for its users, hence the ban.

“These unofficial apps are developed by third parties and violate our Terms of Service. WhatsApp doesn’t support these third-party apps because we can’t validate their security practices,” WhatsApp said.

That brings us to the second risk. These clone apps are highly modded by unverified independent sources and are not even available on Google Play or the Apple App Store. You’d have to find iffy, probably unsecure, back-alley ways to download them.

And since they don’t follow WhatsApp’s security guidelines, your data is fresh meat. Anyone can listen and view your messages from the other end, and your device can become spyware central at any moment.

Are a few flashy features really worth all the trouble? You tell me.

Meanwhile, you can find detailed instructions on transferring your data from GB WhatsApp to the official app here.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/08/times-up-as-whatsapp-threatens-to-block-gb-whatsapp-users/

Let’s say I wanted to send a surprise ‘happy birthday’ cash gift to a friend; my first thought would be to ask for their bank account number. I would do this for people I know very well but also for someone I only know on social media.

But what if my virtual friend, feeling we are not buddies as such or having been scarred by online money doubling scams, hesitates to share such personal information? Can I thrill them on their special day by using public information I have about them?

Sometime in June, I tried Vendly, a web app that is trialling a solution for this need (or desire, if you’re not yet persuaded). ‘Payments made Social’ the landing page declares on a light green background. Bob Nzelu, the brain behind it, described it to me as a way to share and receive items of digital value – money, crypto, airtime, e-tickets – over social media.

“Like sending money through email addresses using PayPal, Vendly hopes to replicate that using social media handles,” he said.

But that is just the basic use case he anticipates, cutting in to assuage my skepticism that money transfer on social media is a compelling enough value to build a (potentially venture-backed) company on. Long-term, Vendly will help social media users monetize their social media presence, the CEO said.

Back to social money vending. Nzelu believes Vendly is similar to Cash App and Venmo because it seeks to simplify transfers between people who don’t know each other. “Vendly is not built for chummy friends who have each other’s account details.”

For this type of relationship, creating a ‘vend’ with a social media handle and sharing the link with a beneficiary walks a fine line of not being too personal or invasive while caring.

It’s the online equivalent of a co-worker dropping a birthday cake with a card at your desk but not inside your drawer.

Someone who receives a vend can decide to either make a claim for or ignore it by clicking the link in their DM. The message states the amount sent; recipient inputs the bank account where they want the cash to go. And like cakes, the link expires after some time (Nzelu sent me a vend of about $1 as a demo).


Vendly stores the recipient’s bank details to make future transfers seamless but the sender never sees the account information. Because a sender can create one vend to go to multiple social media handles, Nzelu thinks it should appeal to brands or influencers who target giveaways at 3 million Nigerian social media users who have a bank account and phone number.

Vendly is part of a crop of social gifting apps seeking to delight people online.

A few months ago, after my managing editor promised to get me a book, I got a Tweet from Showlove, a Lagos-based company, with a voucher to claim my books at a particular bookstore (thanks again, KK). Getcards, a product of the cryptocurrency startup Buycoins, was floated last December for people who want to gift services like a Netflix subscription, an Amazon or Delta airlines ticket to friends and family.

Like these two services, Vendly hopes that its first platform for traction will be Twitter, because the platform is the most friendly for services that require people to click links to claim rewards.

But Nzelu knows that can’t be the long-term plan. After all, Twitter is officially banned in Nigeria at the moment, an event that currently hampers Vendly’s ability to be fully functional. An alternative is to send vends using phone numbers, although that option might raise privacy concerns. Integrating other platforms – Instagram, Facebook – is on their roadmap.

Right now, Vendly is a prototype undergoing iteration. It may yet face hard questions about monetization, like Abeg’s mobile app which launched last year to enable peer-to-peer money transfers using social handles. But Nzelu says Vendly will answer most user concerns at launch in a few weeks.

He’s been working at it for two years now and feels the time is right to tap into the social and creator economy bump that started last year. Being Nigerian, his home country is the market of choice. But if it proves tough for a start, Vendly will seek initial users in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/21/vendly-social-media-money-transfer-twitter-giveaways/

Ileya, also called Eid-el Kabir or ram Sallah is a great time to connect with family and friends over juicy pieces of fried ram. As with other things, women have a specific experience of Ileya that is often missing from the conversation. In this article, eight Nigerian women talk about celebrating Ileya.

Farida, 26

I’ve spent most of the Eid holidays alone, and I no longer remember what it was like to spend it with family. I like being alone. I miss my family sometimes but I love that I can plan my own day and decide if I want to sleep in or hang out with friends. There is no pressure to do chores or cook or interact with relatives I’m not interested in engaging with.

Fatimah, 30

Ileya, for me, is a day of festivities. Before I got married I used to get nagged about not being interested in supervising the cooking. This will be my third Eid as a married woman. The first one, we spent it with an aunt. Last year, we had guests over. I supervised the caterers and attended to the guests. It was nothing overwhelming.

For this Eid, I contracted a caterer and my domestic assistant did the final shopping today. My husband supervises the slaughtering and cutting of the ram as well as drinks while I supervise cooking and serving. It’s pretty chill.

Nene, 23

My favourite thing about Ileya is the meat but it comes with a lot of work — I am always tired. I can’t just go out to celebrate with my friends because I’m expected to be at home cooking and cleaning.

Hauwa, 23

Ileya is exciting for me as a woman. I especially like the beauty rituals that come with it — henna, making new hair and wearing brand new clothes. In my house, we slaughter two rams and one cow. You can imagine the amount of work that goes into it, but even that is fun.

The entire family gathers in the backyard to share the work. My dad, brother and uncles do the slaughtering, flaying and cutting the meat. My mum, my sister and I cook the food. While we are working, my parents tell us stories and there’s a lot of laughter. Sometimes though, it gets hectic even though we hire extra hands. I remember one year we were so overwhelmed with work during the first day of Ileya that we didn’t even have time to dress up and look good until the next day.

Lamide, 26

When I was younger, Ileya meant work. We couldn’t afford to outsource the cooking so we did ourselves. By the end of the day, we would all be so tired and stressed.

But after I turned 21, things got slightly better. I had a say in how much work I was willing to do. It’s still a lot of cooking and cleaning but it is better than it was. For example, for this Ileya, I am supervising the cooking and washing plates if need be. We have a caterer that comes to help. My favourite thing about Ileya is the gisting with older aunties that come around.

Muslimah, 23

When I was young, Ileya was the time I got to visit my aunty and spend time with her children. As I grew older, Ileya changed. Now, I assume the role of a full-time chef, cooking for the whole family. I spend the entire day in the kitchen from morning till night — I only get to take a break during prayer time.

My favourite thing about Ileya is that every member of my family gets to bond with each other. I am from a polygamous family so Ileya is a special time for us because we get to bond with each other. My step-siblings and their children come to visit and we gist and talk about everything.

I am not spending Ileya with my family this year because I am in school and I am pissed about that because no matter how stressful that day is for me, I still love to celebrate it with my family.

Zee, 24

I always look forward to Eid because it was one of the few times growing up that my dad wouldn’t object to me wearing makeup. I loved the clothes and the henna. I also love how excited I always was helping my mum put on her necklace and doing my eyebrows at the same time.

I absolutely hated the later part of the day when visitors start coming and my sister and I were expected to serve and entertain guests (often older men). In the kitchen, we had to tend to the ever-growing mountains of plates and in the living room, there were so many pointless conversations waiting to happen.

Hadiza, 31

Ileya is a good time for me. A lot of people like the party and pomp of Eid but I try to keep it quiet for me and my daughter because sometimes it’s just two of us. I guess all the stress of Ileya growing up has made me too tired to do anything big. I outsource the cutting and cleaning of the ram when I cook. Other times, I eat out and sleep for the rest of the day.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/her/whats-ileya-like-for-a-nigerian-woman/

The subject of today’s “A Week In The Life” is a manager at a cosmetic store. When she’s not making sure her office doesn’t burn, she’s also a sugar girl. She tells us about how money challenges morals, the benefits of her job, and why she cherishes her independence.


MONDAY:

I’m lucky I live five minutes away from work because it means I can wake up by 7:45 a.m. and still resume at 8:00 a.m. Every morning I stand up from bed is a war against Nigeria, a war against my village people, and war, most especially, against the side of me that just wants to relax and be taken care of. But we move.

During the day, I work as a manager in a cosmetics store on the island. At every other time, I work as the minister of enjoyment, aka someone’s baby.

I’m doing manager’s work today.

I work alternate days and run full-day shifts from 8:00 a.m. till 9:00 p.m. Although, I find myself staying back these days till 10:00 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. As the manager, I have to ensure that when work closes, the books are balanced and the inventory tallies. Work today was slow, but things picked up in the evening. Someone I know asked me to deliver some products to his house and at a 100% markup. I made some good money from that deal.

I generally help high-end clients source goods. Products you can’t easily find in Nigeria, gift sets for their partners, and home services for people who don’t want to come to the store. Even though it can be stressful, I don’t mind. I determine the profit margins on each deal and it ranges between 100% – 500%, depending on my mood. Sometimes, these clients even give me “thank you” money in addition.

I’ve made 7 figures in one day from product sourcing alone. I felt so happy, almost as if someone pumped me with drugs. I looked at my balance and I was like, “Wait oh, na me be this. Na me take my hand do am.” I just kept my mouth shut and didn’t tell anybody.

Don’t miss out on the best money stories. Subscribe to the newsletter now.
You know all those questions where they ask “if you pick ₦100 million from the floor, who will you tell?” The answer should be nobody! Keep quiet and code, because that’s what I did. Anytime I wanted to tell someone, I drank water instead. You don’t know who’s the devil out there.

After that experience, I now believe that there’s no job I can’t do as long as it’s legal and will put money in my hands. These deals aren’t constant — you can go up to a year without getting anything — but they’re worth it when they come.

TUESDAY:

I like my job because it’s located in a high brow area with high-end customers who always want to see the manager. And somehow, they always want to collect my number, which I mostly refuse. Well, except this one customer.

One day, this unassuming man wearing a top and knickers entered the store asking to see me. He came in scared because he wasn’t sure if the creams he owned could cause cancer. I gave him tips on what to look out for and that calmed him down. He thanked me and left the store.

A few weeks later, this man came back looking very different. His car told me I was speaking to money, his wristwatch whispered that he was the real deal, and his neck jewellery screamed wealth.

According to him, he came to thank me for not dying, plus he also wanted my number. I playfully told him I was selling my number at ₦5,000 per digit. That’s how this man dropped a bundle of cash on my office table and asked me to count my money — I took ₦50,000 and gave him my number. From that point, I started seeing men who’d “buy” my number for ₦100,000, ₦200,000, and even ₦500,000. See ehn, there’s money and you just need to know where to look. And how to work on your looks.

If you tell these men that you want ₦2,000,000, they’ll size you up to see if you’ve seen ₦500,000 in your life. That incident at the store changed something in me. I started to ask myself: if someone that has only seen you once gives you ₦50k to take your number, how much more will they give you when they have something with you?

WEDNESDAY:

I have a confession: I’m having an affair with the unassuming man from the store. It’s embarrassing saying it loud, but let me explain. Nothing happened with this man until after five months after we started talking. Since he made it clear that he was married, I thought we’d just be friends.

During the first five months, he’d come to see me and we’d just gist in his car. Sometimes he’d give me $100 when I’m leaving. Other times, he’d press ₦50,000, ₦100,000 into my hands. On generous days, between $300 to $1,000. And this was purely platonic, or so I thought. Like the thief that I am, I was collecting the money not knowing that he was fattening me up.

One day he asked if I had any idea why he had been coming to see me, and I told him I didn’t. I hadn’t been with an older man before.

He told me he liked and wanted me for himself. He also added that he would not disturb my relationship or marriage as he was comfortable being in the background. He then told me to think about it.

Omo. I thought about it and decided that if someone could spend over a million on me without seeing my pant, nobody would ever use word of mouth to enter me again. That’s how we started seeing each other.

I won’t lie to you, the money he gives me has been so useful. Do you know what it means for you to just stay and someone is dashing you money? Unprovoked? You can buy Ibeju land and be paying instalmentally. Bad as e bad, my life has changed.

However, I’m not carried away. Part of the reason why I’m going to work, like today, is because I’m not foolish. I know he can wake up one day and leave. Me, I’m a hustler, so I try to make my own money. Nothing is too small. I’ll drive from island to mainland to supply products with ₦5,000 profit. Why?

If I miss ₦5K today, miss it tomorrow and the next, at the end of the week I don get ₦15k loss be that. If you check am, that ₦5k na my fuel money for generator. It’ll fill up my 125L keg clean.

I’m grateful for him in my life, but I’m not depending on only one man. I put it to you that if you find one man that’s taking care of all your bills, he’ll also be taking something from you. And let me not lie to you, the money is not constant like that. The generosity is seasonal. Some months there’s nothing and some months it’s flowing. But you know the truth? There’s no amount of money that’s ever enough.

THURSDAY:

I’m off work today and I plan to sleep all day. I’m thinking about how money has a way of making you drop your morals. At some point in my life, I used to tell married men off. I’d tell them to respect themselves and their wives. But now I’m here, and you know what? I don’t feel guilty. Well, not anymore.

In the beginning, I did. The first time we had sex, five months after nothing had happened, I couldn’t take off my clothes. I couldn’t look him in the eye. I was that guilty. But after he assured me with words, action and credit alert, I felt more comfortable. On some level, I gauged that it’s the same unmarried sex, which is a sin, that I’ll do with my boyfriend that I’ll do with him. Abeg remove cloth.

If you ask people if they can date someone for financial gain, everyone will say no. But with what I know now, I’ll just keep quiet. Life has shown me to never say never. The prayer is not to see temptation that surpasses the willpower to say no.

FRIDAY:

I like this man I’m seeing for several reasons, but the most important one is that he doesn’t interfere with my life. Today makes it five days since we last spoke or saw each other. And neither of us is bothered.

He doesn’t interfere with my work or any aspect of my life. He’s just a ghost. If you go through my phone, you’ll not find any message from him. But if you visit my bank account, I will cast. You’ll see his handiwork all over there.

Being with him is like having a side guy. Outside of when we see in person, our calls last between 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

But I know this won’t last forever. There’s someone in the picture with whom I’ll soon enter a proper boyfriend and girlfriend relationship, with the possibility of marriage.

Marriage lowkey scares me because I’m committing my life to someone’s hand. What if they’re not sensible? What if they want me to be a stay-at-home mum? It’s just too much power to give one person over my life. Even my life wey dey God’s hands, sometimes, I dey find ways to comot am. Now imagine after God, then there’s another person before me. Am I still living for myself?

Nothing spoil. I’m a hustler, so I know that no matter what happens, I’ll never be stranded. My own is that nobody should please judge me for any of my choices. Let’s leave judgement to God.

He who’s without sin should cast a stone. If e sure for you, stone me.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/hustle/manager-by-day-sugar-baby-at-night-a-week-in-the-life/

Telecommunications infrastructure owned by several mobile network operators was severely damaged in the rampant looting and destruction of property that rocked South Africa last week.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) revealed on Tuesday, July 13, that the vandalism included more than 100 mobile network towers in some parts of the country.

After the statement, rioters destroyed many more mobile sites, according to multiple reports. Virtually all network providers operating in South Africa reported disruption to service delivery.

MTN alone reported damage to over 100 of its base stations which the company’s technicians could not safely reach the sites to repair.

“Over 1,000 MTN employees can’t get to work, and millions of calls and queries from our customers cannot be attended to, as our primary call centre remains inaccessible,” MTN South Africa chief executive, Godfrey Motsa, said Friday.


According to Vodacom spokesperson, Byron Kennedy, there was a connectivity issue that affected customers in many parts of the country. Like MTN, the crisis prevented its staff from fixing a fault in its infrastructure.

“Unrest in these areas meant that it wasn’t safe for technicians to immediately visit affected sites physically to remedy faults,” Kennedy was quoted as saying by MyBroadband. An estimated five to ten of Vodacom’s base stations at malls were also damaged by fires.

Data-only operator Rain, which has a lease agreement for using Vodacom’s network towers, also said it has sites in the affected areas that had been vandalised and were down. The network provider operates in South Africa’s major metropolitan areas with 3,000 towers.

Only Cell C’s facilities had not experienced significant damage from the unrest as of Friday, according to its chief operations officer Andre Ittman.

Just one of its network towers was vandalised within the Durban area but it did not affect service delivery to consumers.

According to Ittman, there are six other sites available within a two-kilometre radius of the damaged site, which helped to absorb the coverage provided to ensure customers stayed connected.

The ongoing unrest in South Africa, said to be the worst since the end of the apartheid regime 27 years ago, was sparked by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma.

Last month, the ex-leader was sentenced to 15 months jail time for defying an order to provide evidence at a judicial inquiry set up to probe high-level corruption during his nine-year tenure (from 2009 – 2018).

Protests swiftly degenerated into violent marches and looting. Hundreds of businesses have been destroyed and more than 200 people have died.

South African authorities believe the unrest was deliberately provoked by political opponents to force president Cyril Ramaphosa to pardon Zuma or even step down.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/19/hundreds-of-mtn-vodacom-towers-damaged-in-south-africa-unrest/

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.


Between 2016 and 2020, the biggest flex for the 25-year-old in this #NairaLife was rising to the top of the ladder at the factory where he worked, and he did it. But he quit the job in 2021. While this has affected his finances, it’s all part of a grand plan.


Do you remember your earliest memory of money?[/b]

Yes. In 2001 or 2002, I found a Biafran bank note in my dad’s diary. I was fascinated because it was different from the naira notes I was familiar with. I asked my parents, and they told me about the history of the currency. They also showed me some coins we used pre-independence. It was quite an experience.

[b]I bet. What was it like growing up though?

My parents were on the shorter end of the financial ladder. They were farmers although my dad did some trading on the side. Money was not easy to come by. As I grew, I began to understand what it meant to have money and what you could miss out on when you didn’t. I realised early that my parents couldn’t do everything for me even if they wanted to. I had to hustle on my own and make money. I’ve been on that journey since that time.

When did the hustle start for you?

The moment I got into secondary school in 2008. I grew up in the south-south, and most of the people I knew on the streets worked on people’s farms to get money. Farming wasn’t my thing, so I went for a job at a sawmill. I did everything there was to do there — from clearing sawdust from the mills, taking stock of the inventory and sorting out the wood when they arrived. I worked from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays because of school and earned between ₦500 and ₦700. But I worked full time on weekends and a very good day at work fetched me ₦1500.

How long did you work at the sawmill for?

From 2008 to 2015 when I left secondary school. After I graduated from secondary school, I got another job to manage a cold room and the salary was ₦15k. I won’t lie, it was big money for me. For context, one of my friends got a job as a teacher a little earlier than I did and his salary was ₦5k.

However, I knew that I didn’t want to manage a cold room forever. I wanted to go to university. In 2015, I bought a JAMB form and applied to study law at a university in the south-south. I scored 297 in the UTME examination and 71 in post-UTME. I thought that was going to be enough. The first admission list was released, and I didn’t find my name on it. The second and third lists were followed, my name wasn’t on those either. The last list was a supplementary list and people said I needed to pay or have connections at the university to make that list. I didn’t have the money or the connection, so I let it go.

My second plan was to move to Lagos to find work. I was talking with a friend, and he told me that his older brother was working in Lagos and earning ₦50k per month, which seemed like a lot of money. So I left home for Lagos.

After a few months in Lagos, I checked the portal again and found out that I had been offered French Education. I didn’t accept it. I should have been in the merit list.

I’m sorry about that. When did you move to Lagos?

February 2016. I knew nobody in Lagos and arrived on a Friday with ₦7k in my pocket. For the first week, I was on the streets looking for a factory to work in. I slept in bus parks at night and freshened up in public bathrooms in the mornings. After three days of looking for work, I did something funny.

What?

My money had run down to ₦3k. I was beginning to get scared and thinking about going back home. So I spent the remaining money on food. Now, I couldn’t go home even if I wanted to.

Wild.

One of my sisters called me the following day and when she found out that I had gone to Lagos without an accommodation arrangement, she was mad at me. But she contacted someone. The person introduced me to one of his friends and told him about what brought me to Lagos. Luckily, the person agreed that I could stay with him. I lived with him for two years, and he helped me find my first job.

Lit. Tell me about the job.

He fixed me with some people who drilled boreholes. They paid me ₦2k for each day I worked with them, but the problem was that the jobs weren’t regular. After working with them for a month, I was anxious about getting a proper job and told the guy who took me in about it. He introduced me to someone in a sachet water factory where I was offered a job as a stacker. This was March 2016.

What does a stacker do?

A stacker moves the bags of water from the production room to the loading point and also loads the bags into the trucks for distribution. Every new person who joins the factory starts as a stacker. The job paid ₦800 per day and I got paid once every two weeks. The working hours weren’t fixed, though. Once we started working at 7 a.m, we could be there until 8 or 9 p.m or later depending on sales that day.

Omo.

Three weeks after I started working at the factory, I came to work earlier than usual one morning and saw some guy I hadn’t met working one of the machines and packing the sachet water into bags at the same time. It wasn’t my job, but I felt the need to help him. I joined him and started packing the water into the bags while he operated the machine. I struggled with it for a while but I got the hang of it. When we finished, he asked me, “Do you want to be a packer?”

Wait, who was he?

It turned out that he was the section head and managed my production unit. A packer is a step above a stacker, and what the packer does is to fit the sachets of water into the bag. 20 sachets of water go into one bag. They earn ₦2 for every bag they pack and the slowest person packs at least 1000 bags daily. That’s more money than I was earning as a stacker.

I guess you said yes to the job.

I did. I told him I’d like to and he asked me to start the following day. However, I wasn’t going to be paid for the first three days.

Why was that?

I had to undergo training and show that I knew how to do the work. It turned out that I was good at it. Within four days, I was doing 2000 bags of water per day. I made ₦17400 in my first week as a packer.

I had just joined the factory and moved up a ladder. Most people spend a year or more working as a stacker. Can you imagine how that felt? I called my mum and told her to go and open a bank account so I could send money to her.

Aww.

The work continued. I made more money during the dry season when there was more demand for water. I could make up to ₦25k in two weeks or ₦60k in a month. But during the rainy season, my earnings dropped to an average of ₦11k- ₦12k every two weeks and ₦24k in a month.

That’s interesting. How long did you do this for?

I was a packer for one year and six months. I was still living with the guy who took me in. My original plan was to save aggressively for three months and find my own apartment. But I realised how expensive living in Lagos was. But when he started preparing to get married in 2018, I knew it was time to leave.

What did you do?

I joined a contribution scheme with nine other people at work. Each person dropped ₦10k every two weeks and one person took it all. I was the first person to get paid, and I used the money to rent my first apartment which cost ₦42k. The next four months was me paying everyone back their money.

Phew. How was work going during this time?

After I rented the apartment, I thought it was time to move a step up in the factory and become an operator. The operators work the machines and fix minor issues. I approached a senior operator in my department and told him my plans. We agreed that he would pay me ₦5k for however long I stayed with him, but I had to stop working as a packer in the factory and work with him all the time. I spent one year with him and he didn’t pay me ₦5k every month like he promised.

Tough. How did you survive that?

At the end of each day at the factory, I helped the truck drivers load bags of water into their trucks and followed them around for distribution. This brought in between ₦200 and ₦500 per day, and that was what I lived on.

I finished my training in June 2019. The next step was getting a machine to operate, but I would find out that there was a lot of politics involved. When I didn’t get a machine immediately, I returned to being a packer. But I was calm about it. I knew I had upgraded my skills, and it was only a matter of time before I would be offered a machine to operate.

The confidence. But did it happen?

In August, the production manager called me and said there was an available machine I could operate. An operator earns more than double what a packer does. My monthly earnings rose to ₦100k – ₦120k. Six months later, something big happened.

Tell me.

The section head of my unit resigned and someone else replaced him. But one day, he made a terrible mistake that could have put us all in danger, so he was asked to resign. Guess who they asked to become the new section head? Me. This was June 2020.

Whoop Whoop!

Within four years, I went from being a stacker, to a packer, to an operator, then to the section head. I still had to operate machines in my new role but I was now operating two machines instead of one. Also, all ten machines in my unit were under my management. I’d climbed to the top of the ladder.

Well done. How did this affect your income?

It increased to an average of ₦220k a month. But nothing much changed in the way I spent money. I was never used to luxurious things, and I didn’t intend to start then. The only thing that changed was the amount of money I sent home. I started sending about ₦70k – ₦80k home every month after the promotion.

What about your plans to return to school?

I enrolled in a long-distance programme at a university in 2020. I was promoted three months after I started classes, and it changed everything. I would leave my house by 4 a.m and return by 11 p.m. from Monday to Sunday. There wasn’t any time to study. After trying and failing to make both things work, I made the rational decision and suspended my studentship.

Oof.

A year later, I quit my job.

Ah!

See, I was spending a lot of money on medical expenses. It was as high as ₦20k in some weeks. My body kept breaking down because of how stressful the job was, and I started to realise that it wasn’t worth it. I decided to leave in April.

What was your finances looking like at the time?
I had bought a half-plot of land for ₦450k in February, so I could point to something I got from my years at the factory. It affected my savings, though. I had ₦300k saved up when I left.

I see. What came after you quit.

For the first two weeks, after I quit, I was going around Lagos trying to figure out what next I could do. Then I went to this rich neighbourhood on the Island and the first thing I noticed was how bad their water system was. I was like, “There is an opportunity here if I could provide a solution to this problem.” An idea of what I could do next came immediately: plumbing and water system management.

I had experience with water treatment because of my years working in a water production company but to really stand a chance of selling my services, I needed additional skills and a certificate to show for it. I went back home and started researching technical institutes I could go to to learn plumbing. I found one in a state in the southwest. I enrolled for a year diploma course in May and tuition was ₦250k. I used the rest of my savings to pay for this. That’s where I’m studying right now.

Man! You aren’t earning at the moment?

I’m still working here and there. I travel to Lagos every weekend to work at factories where I know people, and this brings about ₦10k every weekend. It’s a lot less than what I was earning three months ago, but I don’t spend a lot of money in school. I live in a hostel and cook my meals. The only problem is that I can’t send money home anymore. But they will be alright. It’s just for a year.

What does your running costs currently look like?

At the moment, I earn an average of ₦35k every month.

I’m not saving at the moment because there is no money left to keep. But I have an emergency fund of ₦10k for when I fall sick. If I use it, I return the money.

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

I’m always tempted to do more than I can handle. Small money enters like this, and a thousand ideas follow. That’s when I’ll be thinking of buying a refinery and competing with Dangote. Then I end up doing nothing. It’s a habit I’m trying to outgrow.

Haha. What are your next steps after you get your diploma?

First things first, I’d work with a plumbing firm for six months. I don’t even mind if they pay me or not, but I need the experience. After that, I can now start thinking about setting up my own business. I’ll probably need to sell the land to get the money I need for that.

How much do you imagine will set you up?

₦3m should get me started on the kind of business I have in mind. But I’ll probably have to start with less than that.

Rooting for you. Where do you see all of this in five years?

By that time, I expect to be making at least ₦5m in a year. There’s the opportunity to do so in Lagos but if it doesn’t work, I’ll move to my plan B.

I’m listening.

I have people in Dubai, and while it’s not very easy to get in anymore, it’s still one of the most accessible places to migrate to, and they always need skilled workers. The last time I inquired about the cost, they said ₦800k will get me there. If I ever need to move, that’s something to consider.

Back to the present, have you spent money on anything that made you feel good recently?

Yes, my phone. I bought it in December 2020 for ₦80k. After the land and my school fees, this is the most money I have spent on anything. But the experience so far has been amazing. The money is worth it.

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

I don’t think there’s anything I want right now. I’m only praying that everything clicks when the time comes to start my plumbing business. Aside from this, I’m good.

I’m curious about how your experiences have shaped your perspective about money.

I’ve moved from seeing money as a piece of paper with a fascinating history to an important part of human existence. I know what money can buy and the things it can change. In my line of work, I’ve had to put up with a lot of people who talk down on me because I don’t have as much money as they do. So yes, I see money as an instrument. Also, I know money is not coming in at the moment, but I’m not scared. I’ve built a reputation I can bank on over the years, and if I get into a tight spot now, I know the people I can call to help me. That’s very important too.

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

5. I know I deserve more money, but I can’t kill myself as it hasn’t come yet. I don’t feel too bad about it because I’m trying my best. I can’t wait to have my diploma and start working on my plans. Even if it doesn’t pick up immediately, I’d be confident that something good is about to happen to me. Just starting that business will take me to a 9.

Source: [url]https://www.zikoko.com/money/naira-life/nairalife-the-factory-worker-who-went-from-%e2%82%a6220k-to-%e2%82%a635k-month/[/url]

Exactly a week ago, we lost a music legend – Naija Ninja himself, Lanre Fasasi popularly known as Sound Sultan. Many of his songs were a large part of our childhoods, and it’s disheartening that he’s gone.

As they say, legends don’t die, they live forever, and in this case we have music to prove it. Here are 8 Sound Sultan songs that’ll remain evergreen in our minds.

1. Motherland

If you listen closely, you can’t help but marvel at the accuracy of the lines as they tell a familiar story. The overall message and feel-good vibe does it for me. Plus, the remix with Johnny Drille is fire!

2. Ole (Bushmeat)

How many times did we chant: “one day bushmeat go catch hunter”? I can’t answer that because I can’t count.

3. Kokose

The beat is amazing! Even if you’re a rock, you can’t help but move body while listening. By the way, spot starboy, Wizkid.

4. Hello Baale

Someone said, “This is the best song to nod to on a cold or rainy evening while riding on a bus or train.” Honestly? No lies detected. It’s an easy listen; just close your eyes (for maximum effect) and let the music course through you.

5. Natural Something

“I am ready to be your mugu, your personal maga for life…” Still doesn’t ring a bell? How about this: “I no be Casanova but I like woman dem”? Thought as much.

6. Gud Gal

If you see any ‘good gal’, please ask her what she’s looking for with a bad man oh before her father will kill her. The video for this song gives off old Nollywood vibes. Lol.

7. Orobo

Ahhh. Omolomo yen oh! This one’s for all the curvy queens out there. Tuale! mamas.

8. Ishe

From weddings to birthdays, there’s no Nigerian event you can’t play this song. On watching the music video, the lyrics and corresponding costume hit you as well. I love how it accurately depicts the ‘hustle’ spirit. No work, no food after all.

Source: [url]https://www.zikoko.com/pop/8-evergreen-sound-sultan-songs/ [/url]

YouTube creators in Nigeria will now be able to make these fun short videos on YouTube from Wednesday, the 14th of July 2021.

*Cue the classic YouTube intro* Remember how you’d spend hours tweaking and zhuzhing up your MUA videos and dance tutorials before uploading them on YouTube, only for some rando to comment something annoying? Well, we can’t help you with the random nasty comment – yet – but YouTube just launched something short and exciting to their Nigerian users.

Drumroll, please.

YouTube Shorts.

That’s right, YouTube just announced the release of the beta version of YouTube Shorts in Nigeria. YouTube Shorts is the company’s new short-form video experience that lets users create short, fun videos with their mobile phones.

If this sounds deja vu-ingly familiar—bite me—it’s because it looks a lot like Instagram’s Reels and the original short video oga, TikTok.

We’ve talked a little about Instagram and its race to catch up with TikTok in a previous article. And now YouTube is releasing its own short video feature?

FYI: The YouTube Shorts update was first announced in September 2020 and will now be available across 100+ countries around the world.

A new short video feature is well and good. But the question on everyone’s mind is…

What’s the big idea?

What makes YouTube Shorts different? Well, it has pretty cool creation tools like a multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together and the ability to record with music, control speed settings, and more.

In addition, you can add text to specific points in your video, automatically add captions to your Short, record up to 60 seconds with the Shorts camera, add clips from your phone’s gallery to add to your recordings made with the Shorts camera and add basic filters to colour correct your Shorts.

If this sounds a bit run-of-the-mill, wait till you hear about the audio sampling feature.

YouTube Shorts creators will also have the option to sample audio not only from other Shorts but also from videos all across YouTube—that’s billions of videos at your fingertips.

This means you can take your favourite influencer’s skincare video, and recreate it or put your own spin on it !

Of course, the original creators can choose to opt-out if they don’t want their work remixed.

No copyright worries with YouTube Shorts

What’s really exciting about YouTube Shorts is the music feature.

With an enormous music library, you can say goodbye to generic tunes, and content ID worries. We’re talking songs from over 250 labels and publishers around the world, including Universal Music Group’s labels and publishing companies, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing, Warner Music Group and Warner Chappell Music, Believe, Merlin, Because Music, Beggars and Kobalt.

Whew! That’s a dope list and is part of YouTube’s plan to make the Shorts feature as user-friendly as possible.

“We want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts,” said Todd Sherman, Global Product Manager for YouTube Shorts. “As we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we’ll be adding more features for users to try,” he added.

Here’s a helpful video from YouTube Creators’ channel to help you on your Shorts journey.

How will your Shorts look?

Don’t worry, Shorts will not disrupt your binge schedule on Youtube. Even before announcing the creation tools, YouTube had already introduced a row on the app homepage especially for Shorts.

With one tap you can access Shorts from creators all over the world, and instead of the regular YouTube watch experience, you can easily swipe vertically from one short to the next.

There’s another thing. If you hear a snippet of Burna’s latest hit on a Shorts video, you can easily find the full song, watch the music video, or learn more about the African Giant—all on YouTube.

The icing and cherry on top

Since Shorts is pretty new on YouTube, the company is looking to monetise the feature to reward content creators. Already, they’ve announced a $100m YouTube Shorts Fund, to be distributed over the course of 2021-2022.

Cha-ching!!

Y’all better get your content groove on. There’s money to be made.

As of today, the YouTube Shorts player has surpassed 6.5 billion daily views globally—according to YouTube. And the Shorts beta will be available to everybody in Nigeria by Wednesday, July 14th.

Can’t wait to see all your fun videos!

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/13/move-over-tiktok-youtube-shorts-is-in-nigeria/

Amplifihub, a Nigeria-based beats marketplace co-founded by Sarz, a Nigerian top music producer for A-list artists like Wizkid and Tiwa Savage, has announced a partnership with the American beats marketplace Airbit.

This partnership is born out of the need to help African music producers make money from their craft locally and globally.

According to Statistica, revenues from streaming services grew nearly 20% in 2019 to $8.8 billion, accounting for 79.5% of all recorded music revenues. In Africa, music streaming in Africa is expected to grow to $493 million by 2025; Nigeria’s music streaming industry alone is currently valued at $40 million and is projected to grow by 10% by 2023.

The above data shows a huge gap between how much African music creators make compared to their global counterparts, but it nonetheless shows growth. For instance, Burna Boy made almost $3 million from streaming in 2020, a number no African act has done from streaming before.

But how much of all this growth in income is going to music producers? We don’t know for sure but it appears not to be evenly distributed. This is the problem Amplifihub wants to solve with its beat marketplace where producers can enlist beats for sale and anybody can hop in to buy them. Think Jumia but for beats.

The partnership will give Amplifihub users access to Airbit’s sophisticated music monetization tools and pioneering technologies. These tools will help users to unlock vital revenue streams from platforms like YouTube and Spotify across the region.

“We look forward to a long-lasting partnership between Amplifihub and Airbit.” Amplifihub’s COO Ezekiel Olayinka, excited about the partnership and many opportunities to come from it, said.

“Our mission is to create pathways to sustainable careers for some of the most talented audio creators on the planet, the world’s producers. This collaboration with Amplifihub lets us extend our mission to a new region and new creator communities,” said Judah Wierdre, COO at Airbit.

For both companies, the collaboration could be mutually beneficial as it will power the core of Amplifihub’s value proposition and pilot Airbit into the Africa market, which is home to many underrepresented talents.

“The future of music is being created in markets that have been overlooked for too long. We’re excited to help connect more producers with the global royalty system and help them get the remuneration they deserve,” said Airbit Founder and CEO Wasim Khamlichi.

Before becoming a super producer, Osabuohien Osaretin, better known by his stage name Sarz, had experienced years of earning little or nothing from his craft. It led him to create incentives like The Sarz Academy to help African creatives and producers be self-dependent through creative and legal training.

The partnership could turn out to be a successful step along his journey of elevating African producers to a more financially stable level in their careers.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/19/more-african-producers-could-easily-monetize-their-music-thanks-to-amplifihubs-deal-with-americas-airbit/

A High Court in Kenya has ordered Safaricom to pay a blind man KSh6 million ($56,000) for failing to hire him after he had gone through the entire recruitment process.

Wilson Macharia sued the network operator to seek compensation because his rights were violated, BusinessDaily reported. He told Justice James Makau that Safaricom declined to employ him as a customer care executive on grounds that it did not have specialised software to help him with his work.

Macharia said he responded to an advert by Safaricom in August 2016 for a customer experience executive position, which invited qualified Kenyans irrespective of “race, colour, religion, gender, tribal origin, disability or age”.

Along with other persons living with disabilities, Macharia was shortlisted for the job, went through the oral interview and medical test, after which he was invited to sign the contract in July 2017. However, Safaricom said the invite was erroneous.

In its defense, the telecoms firm denied discriminating against the plaintiff and argued that it allowed Macharia to be interviewed for the job but that it lacked specialised software that would enable him to work.

The judge ruled that the company violated Macharia’s rights and failed to treat him with dignity as it should have informed him earlier that the software was unavailable instead of making him go through the recruitment process only to later claim the letter was sent erroneously.

“I find that the Respondent’s excuse to be an afterthought that was introduced late to the detriment of the Petitioner. The Respondent knew right from the beginning that the Petitioner’s work called for software, yet they took him through all recruitment steps,” Justice Makau ruled.


There’s a long history of discrimination and exclusion of persons with disabilities around the world.

The United Nations estimates that there are over 650 million people around the world who live with disabilities; 98% of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school and the literacy rate for adults with disabilities is as low as 3%.

In addition, millions of people with disabilities want to get jobs but can’t get hired. Even in developed economies, they struggle to find employment.

Source - https://techcabal.com/2021/07/14/safaricom-to-pay-blind-man-56000-for-refusing-to-hire-him/

[url]Ella, 23, and Adaora, 21 have been dating for eleven months. Today on Love Life, they talk about navigating a relationship after Adaora ran away from home, learning how to set boundaries and their future plans for each other.[/url]

What is your earliest memory of each other?

Adaora: My first memory was when we first met at her friend’s place. I came out of the car and saw her forming bad guy.

Ella: Mine was when I saw her on Instagram. I was just like, “This is my wife.” Her pictures were so pretty. That evening when my friend posted her picture, I followed her but was too shy to text her. This was July 2020.

She posted a funny meme, and I responded with an emoji. She did the same but I didn’t reply. I kept on checking her stories for something new until the next day when she posted something about zodiac signs. I sent her a message saying, “Try dating a Sagittarius,” and that’s how we started talking.

Adaora: We were talking a lot. She lived in Abuja and had a job in Lagos so she came around often. The plan was that the next time she was in Lagos, we would meet at her friend’s party.


What happened at the party?

Ella: I got her chocolates and wine. It was our first time seeing each other physically. The party was at my friend’s house, so we had a room to ourselves. We were so shy, we kept talking throughout the night.

Adaora: We saw each other again before she left for Abuja. Three times actually.

Ella: Yeah, at that point, it was nothing serious. She had just left a relationship and wasn’t looking to rush into anything new. Plus this was her first same-sex relationship. She needed some time to get into it.


Oh wow. What does that feel for you, Adaora?

Adaora: I have been with girls, but I have never let myself get emotionally attached to any girl before Ella. It’s a big step for me, but it wasn’t scary. I wanted to try it out and see what it felt like. I remember being heartbroken, and I told myself I was done being with men. I asked myself why I had never fallen in love with a girl even though I like girls. I think I must have unknowingly manifested this relationship.

Being with her is so different — it’s like connecting with a soul rather than a body. She understands me in a way I don’t think any man ever has. We can relate to each other. We bounce ideas off each other all the time. It’s a sweet relationship, to be honest.


Nice! So what happened between when you both met and when you started dating?
Adaora: I used to stay with my parents, and I had always planned to run away. Home was toxic for me and we talked about it. She had just gotten her own house in Abuja. She asked me to come to her house. This was in July 2020.


You ran away from home?

Adaora: Yes. My dad was physically abusive. It wasn’t healthy for me. I lied to him that I was graduating with a first-class, but I had already dropped to a second class upper because I was scared of disappointing him. When I was about to graduate, I decided I wasn’t going to take any more abuse. I knew I had to leave. My mum wanted to leave him but that seemed like a long cruise, so I did what I had to do — I went to Ella’s house. At this point, we knew we liked each other and were on our way to a relationship.

Ella: I was surprised for a while when she came, though I already knew she was running away from home. I think her moving in with me is when we started dating.

Adaora: If we are being honest, we started dating from that first day we met. LOL. But during the first few weeks of living with her, it was awkward. She was a bit withdrawn. It felt like there were layers of her I hadn’t met.

As time passed, we got closer and I got to know her better. I don’t remember how long it was after I moved in when she asked me out on a date. She said, “Will you be my wife?”

Ella: At the beginning, we were trying to understand each other. There were a lot of things she wanted when she first got to my house. For example, she had issues with me for not being able to set boundaries.

Adaora: Oh yes. I felt like the people around her were taking advantage of her — her cousins, ex, and people she worked closely with. They were controlling and always wanted to take them without giving anything to her in return. She was oblivious to all of it. They would hurt her and she would say it’s cool. I had to sit her down and tell her, “Babe, you need to start setting boundaries. You need to stand up for yourself.” Because when she doesn’t set boundaries, the consequences end up hurting me as well. I am the kind of person that will tell you when I don’t like something. So far, things have been good.


What is the best part of the relationship?

Ella: I can’t choose, to be honest. I love everything and I know the best is yet to come.

Adaora: I love that we are both spiritual and can talk about anything. We are big on astrology. We talk often about how our thoughts are powerful and how we use our minds to manifest the kind of life we want.


What kind of life do you want?

Ella: We want to have businesses together. We want a queer country where queer people can be themselves. We want to have a family together too.


That’s sweet.

Adaora: Yeah. So we keep each other in check. When one person is down, the other person helps them out of it. We motivate each other to reach our goals.

I also like that we give each other space. We can be in the same room and still give each other space.


What was your biggest fight about and how did you navigate?

Ella: There was a time we actually fought and used our hands on each other.

Adaora: Babe, why are you saying it like this? We pushed each other. That’s about as physical as it got.

Ella: That’s what I mean. No matter what, we should never use our hands on each other. A lot was going on at that time. We were both broke and it was affecting us. I think we were supposed to go out together but couldn’t make it.

Adaora: You went out without me and came back late. I was angry.

Ella: Oh yes, and you had not eaten.


How did you resolve it?

Adaora: We talked about everything. Ella is big on resolving conflict.

Ella: I know I apologised a lot.

Adaora: Apart from apologising, you are also consistent. You are like, whether I like it or not, we will settle. I can’t remember how that particular fight ended…

Ella: Because fights that get physical are never happening again.


What is your favourite part of each other?

Adaora: Ella is so thoughtful — she is always getting me things I want. She’s so sweet even when I am being mean.

Ella: She knows how to take care of me. I don’t feel like she wants to use me. She really loves and cares about me.


Rate the relationship on a scale of 1-10.

Ella: 7.

Adaora: 7?

Ella: Yes. We are still working on the relationship. We are not where we want to be yet. I feel like when I say she’s my wife, people think I’m joking. Until we get to that secure point where it’s official, we are not at my ideal yet.

Adaora: 11 for me because even though we are still working on it, just knowing that she’s my person is already a 10.

Check back every Thursday by 9 AM for new Love Life stories here - https://www.zikoko.com/stack/lovelife/

The stories will also be a part of the Sex Life newsletter, so sign up here - https://noah69.us7.listmanage.com/subscribeu=091e03d2bb4e977f9365b0b0b&id=3385022915

[url]If you want to share your own Love Life story, fill this form[/url] - https://airtable.com/shrb9hE88sKJkHU9V

You can read more stories about money, how to earn some and real people's relationship with money here: https://www.zikoko.com/category/money/

The Naira (₦) is the official currency of Nigeria, but did you know that Nigerians didn’t start using Naira until 13 years after independence

In this article, we’ll tell you five things you probably didn’t know, but need to know about the history of money in Nigeria.

1. Nigerians haven’t always had money.

Before the colonial era, Nigerians traded differently. Value was exchanged through systems like trade by barter where people exchanged goods and services for other goods and services. If you wanted a slave, for example, you had to have something valuable like ivory or cotton to give in exchange. People also traded things like fish, gin, beads, tobacco and salt for whatever they wanted.

As time went on, the concept of currencies became more stable, as people relied mainly on cowries, beads and manilla currency.

2. The British introduced the first currency in Nigeria.

During Britain’s colonisation of Nigeria, the concept of money was introduced. Nigerians used Pounds, Pence and Shillings.

Fun fact: Nigeria used Pound Sterling until 1973

Even though the Central Bank of Nigeria was established in 1958, Nigeria continued to use the Pound Sterling for 13 years after she gained independence. Nigeria was the last country to abandon this system among the British colonised Countries. In 1973, Nigeria started using the Naira.

3. The Naira was introduced in 1973.

On January 1, 1973, Nigeria started using its own currency. It was named naira by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. This was the real beginning of the history of money in Nigeria. Naira and kobo was rolled into the Nigerian economy with bank noted and coins. The central bank of Nigeria is in charge of distributing the Naira. It controls how much money flows into the economy. The official currency code for Naira is NGN.

In 1973, we had ½, 1, 5, 10 and 25 kobo coins, and 50kobo ₦1, ₦5 and ₦10 banknotes. The ½ and 1 kobo coins were made with bronze and the higher denominations in cupro-nickel. ₦1 is 100 kobo

In 1977, the ₦20 was introduced.

Fun fact: Till today, the ₦20 is called “Muri” in some parts of Nigeria because it has a picture of Late General Murtala Muhammed

In 1989, the 5 kobo and 10 kobo coins removed from circulation, and in 1991, the ₦50 note was introduced. In 1991, the 50 kobo and ₦1 notes were changed to coins.

Fun fact: The ₦50 carries an illustration of people from different parts of the country to promote unity. That’s why it’s called “Waso”, which is a short form for “Wazobia”.

Wa-zo-bia is made up of three words, each of which means ‘come’ in Yoruba (wa), Hausa (zo) and Igbo (bia), Nigeria’s three largest linguistics groups

In 1999, the ₦100 note was introduced, in 2000. ₦200 was introduced. ₦500 was introduced in 2001 and ₦1000 in 2005.

₦1000 is the largest Nigerian denomination in circulation.

4. Who are the people on the Naira notes?

The ₦5 has former Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, ₦10 has educationist, activist and politician, Alvan Ikoku, General Muritala Mohammed is on ₦20, and ₦50 carries an illustration of Nigerians from varying tribes.

₦100 has Obafemi Awolowo, ₦200 has a picture of Sir Ahmadu Bello, ₦500 carries the first president of Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe and ₦1000 has former CBN governors, Alhaji Aliyu Mai-Bornu and Clement Nyong Isong.

5. The naira wasn’t always this bad.

Today, the naira exchanges at $1 to 413 NGN. It hasn’t always been like that. Over the years, the naira has depleted in value because of economic problems in Nigeria, and inflation.

In fact, we interviewed someone who left Nigeria in 1979 with ₦700, and got it changed to $1000 when he got to the US. His flight to the US cost 280 NGN.

How did we get here?

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/5-things-to-know-about-the-history-of-money-in-nigeria/

Africa’s largest fibre company, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, this week announced that it was partnering with Facebook to build an “extensive” fibre network – over 2,000 kilometres (or 1,243 miles) long – on the continent.

The network will help create a digital corridor from the Atlantic Ocean through the Congo Rainforest, the second-largest rainforest after the Amazon, to East Africa, and onto the Indian Ocean.

Liquid Technologies, which is present in more than 20 countries in Africa, says it has been working on the digital corridor for more than two years. This corridor now reaches the Democratic Republic of Congo and will connect DRC to its neighbouring countries including Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

According to a statement on Liquid’s website, the project is one of the most “extensive and difficult” builds that the company has undertaken. It will require the work of at least 5,000 people from local communities to create the network.

“We know that deploying fibre in this region is not easy, but it is a crucial part of extending broadband access to under-connected areas,” said Ibrahima Ba, head of Network Investments in Facebook’s Emerging Markets unit. “We look forward to seeing how our fibre build will help increase the availability and improve the affordability of high-quality internet in DRC.”


The move makes Facebook one of the biggest investors in fibre networks in Africa and is one in a string of attempts by the company to bring the staggering number of disconnected Africans online.

A 2019 report by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) shows that sub-Saharan Africa is home to the largest number of people without access to an internet connection.

The long haul and metro fibre network is expected to improve internet access for more than 30 million disconnected Africans and help meet the growing demand for regional connectivity across Central Africa.

Facebook has been working towards bridging the huge connectivity gap in Africa but not all efforts have been successful. In 2016, the company switched to a predominantly fibre strategy after the failure of a satellite to beam internet access to the continent.

A similar effort by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, to bring connectivity to remote and underserved areas in Africa using balloons also faltered. The project, called Loon, failed to find a financially viable model and was shuttered by the U.S. tech giant.


Facebook then started rolling out its Free Basics initiative to dozens of companies in Africa and last year put out a blog post revealing 2Africa – a major subsea cable meant to “interconnect 23 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.”

Though Facebook will fund the DRC fibre build and support network planning, the infrastructure will be built and operated by Liquid. The latter will then sell wholesale services to internet service providers and mobile network operators.

The network will stretch from central Congo to the eastern border with Rwanda and eventually connect with and expand the reach of 2Africa. Meanwhile, the subsea cable will land along both the East and West African coasts and is expected to be completed by 2024.

“Liquid Technologies and Facebook have a common mission to provide affordable infrastructure to bridge connectivity gaps, and we believe our work together will have a tremendous impact on internet accessibility across the region,” the Liquid statement reads.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/08/facebook-to-fund-extensive-network-infrastructure-project-in-africa/

These days, many Nigerian sapiosexuals are on the loose, and they are looking for babes who can match their intellectual appetite. How then can you win the heart of a Nigerian sapiosexual and remain there forever? Well, that’s what we are here to teach you.

1. When you meet for the first time, stylishly tell them you have an IQ of 120.

It’s not like you have that IQ but just say it. I swear, the way they will toast you ehn! They have finally found their intellectual match. Do you know how hard that can be in this Nigeria where many babes are only interested in entertainment news and the colour of Beyonce’s pants?

2. If you want to gift them anything, please make it a copy of Merriam Webster’s dictionary.

A thoughtful and edifying gift from a thoughtful person? Ah, you don win. You have captured their heart with your love.

3. If you don’t want to appear too forward, you can start with a current affairs pamphlet.

It’s small, but it shows you are attuned to your country’s history. If you want to finish things, just casually mention that you know Goodluck Ebele Jonathan studied Zoology. I swear you have killed the sapiosexual. If you lower your eyes, you’ll see their rock hard erection.

4. If you want to go on a date, please choose a museum.

You are there to display your highly complex brain. Shawarma date cannot show that please. Don’t embarrass us.

9 Questions To Ask On A First Date To Be Sure You Have Found ‘The One’

5. When they barb gorimapa, lick their scalp.

This is an act of physical intimacy. And it’s unusual too, which is just one thing Nigerian sapiosexuals like.

6. Want to talk dirty to a Nigerian sapiosexual? Recite the national anthem.

‘Arise, o compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey…’ By the time you reach the national pledge, they’ll be the ones begging you to ravish them.

7. When you eventually have sex, moan the names of Nigeria’s past and present head of state.

They hang your legs on the window, scream Yaradua! They grab you in places we cannot mention, scream Tafawa Balewa! They choke you, purr Nnamdi Azikwe. Just do as we say and watch your sapiosexual have the most intense orgasm of their life.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/life/7-simple-ways-to-win-the-heart-of-a-nigerian-sapiosexual/

Alcoholism is a thing that many people suffer from and alcoholism exists in many degrees and affects people in so many ways. Today, we asked five Nigerian men how their alcoholism affected them and how they go on the track of sobriety.

Daniel, 30.

I started drinking when I was in my second year at the university. However, it was when I was in my final year that I started drinking for pleasure and not just at events and stuff. I would buy two bottles of beer at night with a pack of suya and eat and drink till I slept off. I had started making small money then so I thought that this was me enjoying. The habit grew from two bottles to three and then at events or when I was with my friends, I would drink four to six bottles of beer. A few years ago, roughly four years ago, I realized that I had a problem. I needed to drink at least two bottles of beer every day, otherwise, I felt some type of way. So I started with first, only drinking one bottle a day and two bottles of beer in a social gathering. Then slowly, I stopped drinking at home. Now I only drink at events and never more than one. It’s been a journey and I’m proud of myself.

Bryan, 26.

My dad gave me my first sip of alcohol when I turned seventeen but it was when I left Nigeria for my higher education that I finally got into alcohol. My friends and I would do shots all night every weekday we hung out and on weekends, we would go to parties where people just sat around and drank beer. Soon, I realized that I drank every day. I think the worst part about alcoholism is that you never know that you have a problem until it gets bad. That’s what happened to me. Before I knew it, I was coming home drunk and wasted at least three times a week. The good thing is that I was far from home and my parents. The bad thing is it was a problem. I didn’t start working on it until the day I got into a fight with someone while drunk for no reason and then I got arrested. There’s nothing worse than being arrested when drunk as an African living in a foreign land. Luckily, I was eventually let go. There and then I told God that this must stop. It’s been a few years and it has been a rocky road, I’ve had several relapses but I’m happy that I’ve kicked the habit. For me, I needed my friend’s support to really battle it. My friends played a huge role because we all decided to stop drinking as much around the same time. When we went out, we all looked out for each other, and when I relapsed they didn’t judge me but reminded me why I wanted to stop in the first place and I did the same for them.

Elvis, 24.

During the pandemic, I started getting into wines and making cocktails at home. I would wake up, do some work, read and just drink till I pass out. I didn’t know I had a problem till I realized that there was a week I had been drunk five times just that week alone. Then I realized that I had started gaining a weird type of fat that I had never put on before. I wish I stopped drinking then but the truth is, it took me another six months after the realization before I was able to stop drinking. I think the key to it for me at least is holding myself accountable. No one can make decisions like that for you other than you.

Jonathan, 31.

I lost my job two years ago and I started drinking as a way to pass time while waiting for a new job. Slowly, I started needing more bottles to get as drunk as I wanted and before I knew it, I was a very different person who drank like a fish. I eventually got a job but the drinking didn’t stop then like I thought it would. Three months after I got the job I was fired for being careless, lazy, messy etc. I knew it was the alcohol because those have never been traits of mine so I started working on it. I moved in with a friend because I couldn’t afford my apartment without a job and slowly, I got the alcoholism out of my system. What people don’t tell you is how hard it is to get un-addicted and how long it takes. I’m still trying to get it out of my system right now but I’m in a much better place and now I can keep a job.

Thomas, 28.

After law school, I started making good money from photography. I was popping, eating well, going to parties etc. That’s where it started, before I knew it, I was getting drunk daily. As a creative, you work on your own time and that was the only reason I wasn’t fired. I would go to bed drunk, wake up by 2 PM, rush out for a gig, by 10 PM I was back drinking again. There wasn’t a big moment where I had an epiphany, to be honest, I just looked at myself and said, this is not it. Stopping wasn’t easy but for me, I had to go cold turkey. For six months, I didn’t drink alcohol at all. Now, I only allow myself to get drunk on very rare occasions.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/man/nigerian-men-tell-us-how-they-overcame-alcoholism/

On April 29, Mayowa, 32, was distraught when he couldn’t pay for a 19km Uber ride he had taken to visit a friend in Park View Estate, a well known residential community in the highbrow area of Ikoyi, Lagos. His orange branded Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) app had not launched as he tried severally to make a transfer from his current account to the empty savings account linked to the debit card on his Uber app.

Thinking his MTN data service was the problem, he tried punching his bank’s *737# short code to make the transfer but he got an unresponsive code message.

He tried again, and again and again without success. Frustrated, he made a last attempt accessing his account through GTB’s mobile website, but it took forever to load. To make matters worse, Mayowa’s buddy was away from home, at a dragging management meeting and wouldn’t pick up his frantic calls.

“Ten minutes had passed by now. The Uber driver was looking at me funny. It was embarrassing. I had to plead with him to have some patience,” a laughing Mayowa shared.

Out of Service

Mayowa is one of many GTB customers who suffered embarrassment, inconvenience or loss of opportunity, as downtimes on the bank’s USSD or mobile banking services became frequent in the first half of 2021, sometimes stretching days on end.

@gtbank why is your bank frustrating customers? I have not been able to access my GT Mobile App for days now. And when money is sent to my account I don't receive alert be it SMS or Email alert.
I recharged 1k few days ago I was debited, but my phone wasn't credited.

— Precious Oye (@BarrypOye) April 30, 2021

What is going on @gtbank_help. I am fed up with you guys @gtbank. Everything is stressful.
Why have I been experiencing this all evening �? Now it's CT11, no more E150.
I am starting to tire of your channels pic.twitter.com/cmLjiiaiEL

— Dr. Ameena (@amkmusty) March 22, 2021

An employee explained that the E105 and CT11 error codes pop up when a partner firm Clickatell’s server is down or GTB’s API is unreachable to initiate the transaction

Buying airtime on @gtbank app is just pure scam, they would deduct the money n not deliver the airtime and I’m just tired of complaining.

— Abbie � (@Abigailsluvv) June 16, 2021

How can GTB be silent at a time like this? I know they can see the complaints. Do traditional Nigerian banks no longer care about proving quality customer support & help? Tomorrow, they will still charge us a silly ‘convenience’ fee �

— Koromone Koroye (@Koromone_K) April 29, 2021

A comparative analysis conducted by TC Insights, of customer complaints on Twitter about the mobile app and USSD services between the first half of 2020 and 2021, showed a 54% spike.

A customer representative with the company explained under anonymity that most of the complaints this year have been about the USSD platform, mobile application, unexplainable SMS charges and lately, One Time Password (OTP) issues.

“These are the recurring problems and complaints. Just ask any GTB customer. They will share some bitter experiences,” she said.

Seven years ago, Guaranty Trust Bank, Nigeria’s third-largest lender, increased the popularity of mobile banking with its *737# USSD service in Nigeria, introducing a new level of ease to customers.

Today, other banks have adopted it and an estimated 40 million Nigerians use USSD services for mobile banking. According to the GTB’s financial report, its revenue from USSD fees was ₦2.13 billion ($5.3m) in 2019, a significant 34% increase from the ₦1.58 billion ($3.9m) made in 2018.

GTB didn’t reveal its USSD revenue for 2020 but it disclosed that the total amount it processed via USSD was ₦3.89 trillion, a 9.4% increase from the ₦3.55 trillion processed in 2019. Its mobile app also has over a million downloads on the Google play store alone.

Staff churn and delayed promotions

TechCabal has learnt, from interviews with 19 former and current employees of the bank’s IT division, that the division has suffered a spike in attrition within the last six months. It has resulted in technical gaps and work overload for current employees.

According to these sources, the absence of promotions in 2020 for already overworked employees who felt they were deserving triggered the first wave of exits into the labour market which had attractive offers for their talent. The shortage in talent began compounding into increased workload and mounting pressure for remaining IT employees.

At least ten team members resigned this year from the application development team, a unit which often consists of 20 members, according to a former software developer with the bank.

“I was handling one application then it doubled as a result,” Stanley* said.

“There’s a particular team where three members left in the space of one month. Now, four people’s responsibilities are being juggled by one person,” another employee, at the time of the interview in May, shared.

“The pressure is crazy. One person is doing three people’s jobs all in the name of efficiency. That’s why our cost to income ratio will always be the lowest in the industry,” Michael*, an ex-employee exclaimed.


GTB’s operating expense increased by ₦16.5bn from its 2019 figure (₦131bn) due to additional investment in technology to enable staff to work from home and costs associated with implementing safety procedures as well as COVID 19 protocols.
The frequent loss of experienced talents without a commensurate hiring rate resulted in gaps in technical capabilities, a source explained.

He said: “The application I am managing was handled by two people, but my partner has gone to join another team. If I’m leaving now, a new person can’t cram and get a good grip of everything in my handover note within 3 weeks. We simply need more people on the team!”

This gap is often reflected when there is a service downtime towards the end of the month caused by server overload. During this period, transaction volume increases due to salary payments and other month-end payments, leading to more pressure on existing resources.

According to sources, towards the end of the month, experienced hands would usually be proactive in tracking certain metrics and moving different applications across servers to ensure there’s space for the surge. But in the absence of such hands, performance management and quality control suffer.

TechCabal contacted Guaranty Trust Bank for comments but had not got a response at the time of publishing this article.

It’s not enough

The bank appears to have taken some steps to solve at least part of the problem that have caused recurring transaction problems this year.

On June 2nd, 2021 about 900 staff of GTB received a long-overdue announcement: they had been promoted. It offered some consolation to many who had been expecting for a while.

However, a software developer who was promoted made it clear that this promotion won’t serve as a solution.

“We’re still understaffed. The App development team is almost half of what it was at the beginning of the year. They haven’t replaced people. Some people even got promoted but left because they don’t want the stress again,” he said.

Adamu*, a mid-level associate disclosed that complaints have been made to line managers who encouraged the units and explained that recruitments are ongoing for entry-level and experienced hands who will begin resuming from July.

“So… let’s wait and see”, he said.

*Name changed to protect the source’s identity.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/09/gtbank-mobile-app-ussd-transaction-failures/

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 28-year-old makeup artist in this #NairaLife has had multiple experiences with low-paying jobs. In 2020, she went in on a plan B and moved to a new city. She hasn’t figured everything out yet, but she’s also not where she was two years ago.


What’s your oldest memory of money?

The memory that comes to mind right now happened in 2007 when I was in secondary school. I found some ₦2k I had saved and forgotten about in a Danish butter cookies container. Unfortunately, the central bank had issued new designs of the naira, so the money I had was useless.

I feel a sharp pain, and it’s not even my money.
Do you get? It wasn’t much of a big deal though. Things were good at home at the time, so it was something I could let go without much fuss.

Baller.

You’d think so. Things were really good for the most part when I was growing up. It wasn’t until 2008 or 2009 that things started to take a different turn.

How?

Let’s just say that my dad had really big dreams and tasted money earlier on, but he wasn’t on top of his finances. He started out as a lawyer and went on to become a local government chairman in the south south. I think the idea of going back to being a lawyer and hustling for measly amounts of money didn’t appeal to him after his tenure ended. He thought he was going to get another big break and he hung onto that hope and forgot about everything else. This decision affected the family’s finances. Subsequently, most of the responsibilities fell solely to my mum, but there was only so much my mum could do with what she earned from teaching.

I got into university in 2008, and by my second year, things had gotten so bad that it was a struggle to get my parents to come through for anything I needed. The money always came late, and when it did, it was never enough to do anything. Being broke was my default setting.

Tough. So you had to figure things out yourself.

Pretty much. A part of figuring things out was realising that I may have to live off my friends in school. A couple of friends understood that I didn’t have much, and they did the best they could for me. The other part was living with the shame that came with it.

What was that like?

Not fun. I didn’t even want to ask my friends for help. I tried as much as possible to stretch whatever resources I had, but it simply wasn’t enough. Having friends who came through was good for a while, but it also affected our friendship dynamics. A couple of people switched up on me before we left school because I had become a bit of a burden, which was understandable.

My last year in school was the toughest ever. First, it was an extra year. I tried to get tuition and rent from my dad. When he eventually sent some money, it was not enough to sort out both. I tried to talk my landlady into giving me a deal, but she didn’t agree to it. I eventually squatted with a friend who was kind enough to take me in, but the arrangement deteriorated into something else before the year was over. I finished uni in 2014.

Nice. Well done.

The next thing was NYSC. I served in the south-south and taught in a catholic secondary school. There was the ₦19,800 federal government allawee. The school where I worked paid ₦5k per month. There was also an extra ₦3k that came once every two months as compensation for the additional lesson hours I worked. The year wasn’t bad. The school provided free accommodation. Most of my monthly earnings went to feeding and travelling to a neighbouring state where my boyfriend at the time was serving.

I had no money saved up at the end of my service year in July 2015, though. I was pretty much winging it.

No more allawee. What did you do next?

Nothing for the first six months. I moved back home and got really antsy about finding work. My dad’s income was still non-existent, and he was taking my mum’s salary from her. When it didn’t seem like I was going to get a job, I asked my mum for help and she got me an interview at a school. I couldn’t mask my desperation during the interview, and the man who interviewed me took advantage of it. I don’t remember what he said word-for-word, but it was something along the lines of “Pay this small girl ₦15k.”

What?

I took the job. It was better than nothing. I resumed work In January 2016.

I respect that.

The workload was crazy. I was teaching all six classes in the school — two subjects for each class. With every month that passed, I hoped that they would see how hard I worked and give me a raise. But nothing came. I sent in my resignation the moment the school went on third term break. This was July 2016.

Three months after I quit, a beauty queen, who was a friend to one of my sisters, was looking for a personal assistant.I applied for the job and got it. The salary was ₦20k per month but I didn’t get paid once, and I spent four months working for her. She covered some of the logistics, but at the end of each month, she complained that she hadn’t made money from “beauty-queening”.

Omo.

My desperation was at an all-time high, and I made some ill-informed decisions and fell victim to one or two job scams. I knew something wasn’t right with the vacancies, but I went along because I was just looking for a means of survival.

After four months of working with the beauty queen, I quit. Let me even talk about the event that triggered this decision.

I’m listening.

I needed money badly that month and asked for my salary. Again, she said she had no money. But she asked if I was interested in a “Thanks for coming” gig.

Thanks for what?

Thanks for coming. This is how it works: Party organisers invite girls to a party to light things up. At the end of the party, they pay each girl between ₦20k and ₦30k. Some got more than that too. It depends on the deal you get.

Oh, I see.

I didn’t even have clothes to wear because I was broke. The beauty queen gave me one of her dresses and did my hair and makeup. We got to the location where we would get cleared to go to the venue of the party. When it was my turn, the person who was assigned to clear me said I didn’t fit the bill of whom they were looking for and should return home.

It broke me. I had bills to pay and I clocked that I wouldn’t even have gone there if I was getting paid for my job. I texted her the next day and told her I was done.

Whew.

MMM was the rave around this time and I put about ₦20k in it from the money I didn’t have. I made some money from it and it sustained me for a while before it crashed in 2017.

Fast forward to September 2017, an old friend whom I had just reconnected with reached out to me to ask if I was interested in a front desk secretary position that had opened in his brother’s office. I applied for the job and got it. They offered me ₦35k, promising to bump the salary to ₦50k after my appointment was confirmed. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to accept it.

Was there a reason?

The job was in the heart of town and my parents were living on the outskirts. I had gotten another job at a school close to home. The basic salary was ₦20k but I could be earning up to ₦50k every month from after-school lessons.

A few days after the interview, my friend reached out again and asked me to take the job. The offer had been reviewed to ₦50k. So I took it.

Did you get a raise after?

No. But they gave me free accommodation after a couple of months with them. While I was at the job, I made more friends in the city and met one or two glucose guardians here and there, and this helped my finances a bit. My monthly earnings grew from ₦50k to ₦100k. In very good months, I got up to ₦150k. I had a bigger purchasing power. However, I couldn’t plan around the money so much because it wasn’t stable. The only money I could count on was my ₦50k salary.


I worked here till February 2019. I thought I was giving more value than they were willing to pay for. It was only when I told them that I was leaving they started talking about a raise. But my mind was already made up.

I tried looking for another job but nothing came up from the search. I was like, “It’s time to try something new.”

What was that?

I’d been looking at the possibility of moving to Lagos and trying my hand at being a makeup artist. I needed training and money for that, so it didn’t seem like it was going to happen until a friend offered to sponsor my training.

In March 2020, I moved to Lagos and enrolled at the school.

How much did this cost?

The tuition was ₦200k and I spent an extra ₦100k on buying the products I needed. My friend paid for this and also sent me a monthly stipend of ₦50k from March 2020 to December 2020.

I finished at the school in May 2020. Then came the question of what to do next again. I didn’t want to do the traditional beauty makeup where I’d have a studio and make people up for events. I wanted to do editorial and production makeup. The problem was, I didn’t have a portfolio. I did the next thing I could do.

What was that?

I started reaching out to editorial makeup artists on Instagram and offering to assist them on their projects. I slid into a lot of DMs. No reply. No call back. Thankfully, I was still receiving ₦50k from my friend so that got me through that period.

Someone eventually replied in June 2020.

Whoop Whoop!

I worked with her until September although she didn’t pay me. While I was still assisting her, another person reached out to me. She paid me ₦10k the first time we worked together.It wasn’t a lot but it was the first time I was making money off this thing, so I was convinced that it could actually work.

A big signal.

It was. My first big break came in May 2021 when a friend helped me get my first solo job on a movie set and I was paid ₦80k. Omo, I was so proud of myself, and very much relieved. I hadn’t made any money from January till March.

I’m mostly assisting people on their projects these days, and I get between ₦10k and ₦20k for each day I spend on a set with them.

How much do you make in a month now?

It’s tricky to put a handle on that. But anything between ₦50k and ₦100k seems accurate.

What’s been your best performing month so far?

June. I made about ₦100k from all the jobs I got. I’m not good at keeping track of all the money that comes in, so it may have been more than that. Also, I’ve earned more money in each of the past three months than I did at my 9-5 while doing lesser work. For context, working for four or five days in a month will fetch me more than ₦50k.

But the jobs don’t come in every time, do they?

No, they don’t. But this is peak season, so I’m enjoying it. I’ve made ₦65k so far this month. This is a big deal for me.

Let’s segue into your running costs every month.
I plan my expenses around ₦50k every month.


How much do you imagine will be enough money for you right now?

₦200-₦300k per month. I have a couple things I want to do right now but can’t afford. On top of the list is getting an apartment. I live with my sister and her boyfriend, and they’ve been super nice. I feel like it’s time to leave but I can’t and it’s killing me.

Also, I have black tax to worry about. My dad and I used to quarrel a lot about that because he thought I wasn’t doing enough. There was a time he said to me, “I put it to you that you’re stingy.” After that fight, I started sending between ₦2k and ₦5k home every month. But I’ve not been able to do that since I moved to Lagos.

I’m curious, how have your experiences shaped your perspective about money?
I’m still in a place where I obsess about money, although the intensity has reduced over time. I’m beginning to realise that it’s not a do or die affair. I suspect it’s because I’m currently making more money than ever. I have a laid back approach to finances now and am focusing on how to expand my streams of income.

Sounds like there’s a plan B.

Yes. I have friends who have digital skills and friends who work in tech. They’ve recommended courses I could take, and I spend my days off on these courses. I’m currently crazy about community management, and I think it will be the next thing I try my hands at.

Nice. So How much do you have in your bank account now?

I have ₦40k saved up. It’s something, and I’m proud of it. I don’t save a specific amount every month because of the structure of my finances. When I get paid for a job and can afford to save something from it, I do it.

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

I could do better at keeping track of what I currently earn and possibly saving more. I should be able to have a better grip on saving in a few months though. However, it’s almost impossible to be more prudent than I already am.

Tell me about the last thing you spent money on that made you feel good.

After I got paid for my first solo job in May, I spent ₦50k on a new set of makeup products, and man, the joy I felt! Recently, I spent ₦20k on a dress, a pair of shoes and a bag for a wedding I was invited to. I hadn’t bought anything for myself in a minute so that also felt really good.


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

4.5. People say that financial happiness is a state of mind, and I agree. I’ve been stressing over money all my life and I just want more out of this whole thing. I’m tired but I’m also happy about the progress I’ve made in the past couple months. Am I 100% content? No. But there are no regrets. My financial situation is still a work in progress, and I’m doing the best I can. That will do for now.

Source: [url]https://www.zikoko.com/money/naira-life/nairalife-the-makeup-artist-staying-hopeful-at-%e2%82%a650k-month/[/url]

If you’ve ever considered getting tattoos as a Nigerian, one thing that might have stopped you, apart from the fear of Nigerian police, is the fear of Nigerian parents.

We asked 5 Nigerians what their parents thought about their tattoos. Here’s what they had to say:

1. Raphael

My tattoo is the name of my ex-girlfriend. I got it when I was in university. My friend was learning how to do tattoos, so he offered to give me one for free. I couldn’t think of anything to get, so I told him to write my girlfriend’s name. It’s not something I regret doing though. I’m married now and I told my wife about it when we first started dating. She still teases me about it. I have plans of drawing something else over the name or covering it up but, I don’t have time for it now. My parents never found out about it because it’s on my left arm and it’s always covered.


2. Sarah

I have three tattoos. One is a Bible verse, and the other two don’t have any meaning. When I got my first tattoo, my sister sent a picture of it to the family group chat. Luckily for me, my older sister got hers on that same day, so my parents didn’t move mad with me because that behavior was expected from me. They were more surprised that my sister got a tattoo.

My mum called me one time to tell me that getting tattoos is not biblical, but that was it. She didn’t bother me again, so I went on and got a second and a third. The third is more visible. When I get a new tattoo or a new piercing, my mum just goes ‘’Ah, you’ve done another one?’’. She might be disappointed, but she’s no longer surprised. My dad isn’t cool with tattoos. In fact, he hates them. But he can’t hate his kids. I have pink hair and tattoos. I’ve disappointed him so many times, he can’t be shocked anymore. He still loves me and I also love him.

3. Nkem

I have two tattoos. One on my chest, and one on my back. The one on my chest is my name, and the one on my back is a crown because I’m a queen. My parents almost killed me with scolding when I got them. My dad still talks about it even though I’ve had them for six years. We even talked about it last week. I don’t regret my tattoos though. I love them. Every day, when I see them, I love them.


4. Tosin

I wouldn’t say my tattoo means anything. It’s just art. I think the human body is a canvas, and that we are all entitled to design to our own art to our own definitions, and that’s why I have a chest tattoo. When I make more money, I’ll probably get some more done.

When my mum saw my tattoo, she was concerned about whether I got it from a hygienic place or not, and then she made me understand that it was a decision I had to live with for the rest of my life. Thanks, mum.


5. Bisi

I have three tattoos. One is “Self Love”, another is a feminist symbol, and the third one is a name I call myself when I’m sad. My parents have not seen my tattoos because I haven’t been home in years, but I’m pretty sure that when my mum sees them, she’ll cry.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/life/5-nigerians-share-what-their-parents-think-about-their-tattoos/

Read More: https://www.zikoko.com/category/life/

The Lagos State transport ministry on Wednesday revealed plans to deploy Traffic Management Solution (TMS) devices that will, among other things, enable traffic law violators to pay fines digitally.

Presently, traffic offenders in Lagos settle fines using cash, which allows corrupt government officials to easily extort drivers. The TMS is expected to reduce the need for human interaction in handling traffic violations.

In a press briefing attended by TechCabal, the state’s commissioner for transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, explained that the TMS device will support the management of all traffic-related issues to enhance transparency.

“Lagos is the smallest state in Nigeria by land area but is home to the highest number of people in the country, which means there’s a lot of vehicles moving on few roads and causes traffic issues,” Oladeinde said.

“However, about 50% of the problems are caused by the bad behaviour of drivers. We have to deploy unique traffic solutions tools like the TMS to curb excesses on roads. It is not a new device but the way we’re using it is novel,” he added.

What does the TMS do?

The TMS device looks like a point of sale (POS) machine and will be carried by personnel of relevant regulatory authorities overseeing transportation in the state: the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO).

With the device, enforcement officials can capture traffic law violations in real-time as they occur. Officials will not be in harm’s way and will not obstruct easy flow of traffic.

VIO officers will also be able to carry out vehicle roadworthiness checks in a fast and accurate manner. In addition, the TMS will enable anonymous eyewitness reports of traffic incidents and will help reduce the unprofessional conduct of traffic enforcement officers, such as the demand for bribes.

Once a traffic offense has been detected, the device will be used by the officers to capture the details of the vehicle. Data captured on the devices will go to a central control room and then an electronic receipt will be issued to the vehicle owner for settlement of fines, which is to be paid directly to the ministry.


Olajide Oduyoye, the LASTMA General Manager who was also present at the briefing added that an offender, after being issued a receipt, has two options. “You can either challenge the accusation at the Magistrate Court or pay the fine. If you fail to do any of these, we have the right to impound your vehicle whether on the road or parked.”

The transport commissioner was quick to point out that the innovation is not geared towards improving revenue generation but to enhance transparency in the process of managing instances of traffic law violations in Lagos. “We’re out to make sure that when people pay a fine, it goes to the government,” Oladeinde said.

Before now, the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service launched a similar initiative called PayVIS. It is a number plate detection platform that uses cameras located beside traffic lights to capture vehicle offenders when they violate laws and then bills them.

The commissioner explained that the PayVIS initiative involves fixed cameras while the TMS devices can be moved around. “We’ll have both fixed and mobile cameras,” Oladeinde said. The government plans to roll out 100 TMS devices initially, after which 1,000 will be deployed.

A challenge to the initiatives, however, is that Lagos is filled with many unregistered vehicles, while some cars are with either covered or fake number plates, which will make it difficult to locate some offenders, even with the digital devices.

Why this matters

The management of traffic has proven to be an overwhelming challenge for successive administrations in Lagos due to poor road quality and network, overpopulation, and a lack of transport alternatives.

Car traffic congestion in Lagos is widely regarded to rank highly among the worst in the world. Roads are jammed with private vehicles, the popular yellow and black Danfo buses, tricycles (known as Keke Maruwa), and motorcycle taxis (Okadas). When road congestion is at its worst, cars and bikes often sneak into the opposite lane, which is a violation of the state’s traffic laws.

LASTMA was created in 2000 to address these challenges and VIO (a federal government agency) to inspect and determine vehicles fit to be on the road. The former essentially directs road users while enforcing traffic laws and chasing those who break rules.

However, bribery is common and continues to be a major problem. LASTMA officials have the authority to impound cars, which makes drivers often bargain with them over a fee, a time-consuming process that worsens road congestion.

With the new TMS devices, in addition to previous initiatives, the Lagos State government hopes to address some of the multifaceted problems that plague transportation in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Source: https://techcabal.com/2021/07/07/lagos-rolls-out-digital-devices-to-reduce-corruption-behind-traffic-jams/

Read More: https://techcabal.com/category/news/

You can check out more stories like this here: https://www.zikoko.com/category/naira-life/

The 30-year-old in this story was born into a low-income family. The constant struggle was a lack of money. When he got his first 9 to 5 in 2014, his salary was ₦40k. In 2021, his monthly earnings stand at ₦800k. This is his #NairaLife.


Let’s go down memory lane for a bit. What’s your oldest memory of money?

I’d say knowing money from a distance. My parents struggled to raise four kids and most of the problems were money-related. My dad was a businessman and my mum was a petty trader, who sold anything she thought she could sell. The default mood around the house was always ‘Where will the next meal come from?”

The first time I held money that felt like my own was in 1992. I was in nursery school and my parents gave me an allowance of 50 kobo. I don’t remember what that could buy at the time, but it wasn’t a lot of money.

When you think about your childhood, what comes to your mind?

Two things: being sent out of school and not hanging out with some of my mates because I didn’t have clothes to wear. I grew up in a large compound full of neighbours, so both were a struggle. Whenever I was sent home from school, because I hadn’t paid my school fees for the term, I would sneak into the house through a bush path at the back of our building because I was embarrassed to walk through the main road. I was mostly indoors when kids my age were out playing because there was no point going out to join them when I didn’t have clothes to wear.

I like to think that our neighbours were praying to God to bless my family first before blessing theirs. That’s how bad things were.

And you know what? Things got better for a while in 2002 – 2003. My dad started working with some oil and construction company and that came with a steady stream of income.

But something happened?

Yeah. I can’t say a lot about it because I was still young and it isn’t my story to tell. But I know my dad made some terrible financial decisions and some of his business plans went south. Along the line, some key business relationships broke down, so the oil and construction money stopped coming in. This phase hit deeply because we had gone from having nothing to eat to have a fridge stocked with food, then back to nothing. The promise of a new life was snatched from us before we could get used to it.

What did this do to you?

I wanted some level of control or anything that looked like it, and this drove me to looking for ways to earn money.

Do you remember the first thing you did that fetched you money?

Yes. I was good with computers, so I started working out of my dad’s office and helping people type letters and do basic graphic design. This was in 2003 when I was in JSS 3. I was making between ₦50 and ₦500 from this. Also, I used to go to a cybercafe in my street to work for a stipend.

Phones were also beginning to be mainstream but the older folks didn’t know how to work it. I had become popular as the computer guy, and I leveraged it, helping people perform simple tasks on their phones even though I didn’t have one.

I stuck with all of this until I went to uni in 2008.

What was uni like?

My parents worried about paying tuition and that was it. I had to fend for myself for the most part. Some money came from my older siblings sometimes, but it was few and far between. I grew up loving fashion and had always wanted to do something with it. In uni, I met a tailor and we decided to work together. I was a striker — people who belong in this category don’t own shops. My job was to get the job and the materials the tailor needed. I was getting deals and bringing them to the guy and making between ₦500 and ₦1000 on a deal. This accumulated into lump sums when the business caught on.

What was the biggest money you made from a single job?

₦30k. I met this guy when I was in my second year of uni. He asked me for the price of a shirt and I told him ₦18k because I knew he could afford it. He brought it down to ₦15k and paid for two shirts. I went home with ₦30k when all I needed to make a shirt was ₦5k.

Omo.

My earnings saw me through uni. I don’t remember how many deals I got or how much I typically made in a month, but I was never hungry. I graduated from uni in 2012.

What came after?

I almost got a big break. One day, a hotelier I had made some clothes for asked to see me. When I got to his office, he introduced me to a man who came from a state in the south-south. Apparently, the man was rich and managed a large music band. He wanted me to handle the project of making new uniforms for his band members.

He put me on a plane — my first time in one — to meet the members of the band and take their measurements. I met the guys — about 100 of them and the initial deal was that I would make three shirts and trousers for each one of them. The total job was ₦2m. I got an advance fee of ₦800k on that trip.

Whoop!

I returned home with so much excitement. The only problem was that my go-to tailor had travelled and I thought I couldn’t wait for him. I decided to go for another guy I’d used for a small job a few months earlier, and I briefed him. He agreed to it and got a few more people to work on the project. But I put him in charge of the project and deposited the ₦800k advance I got. It was supposed to be spread among all of the guys who signed up on the project.

It was time for NYSC and I travelled to camp and was following up on the project.

When I got back and went to check on the status, I found out that this guy hadn’t done anything. He used all the money I gave him to fund his wedding and rent an apartment.

Wait, what?

For real. It was a bad situation. You know what this guy said to me? “You can’t do anything to me. The worst you can do is arrest me and I’ll get out eventually.”

Ah!

I was under pressure because my deadline had passed and I had nothing. The man who gave me the job had also started threatening me. During one of our conversations, he called out my NYSC state code and said he could make service year and life hell for me.

He wasn’t someone I could afford to totally piss off.

What did you do?

I used about ₦500k in my savings to try to salvage the situation. I contracted the job to another tailor and managed to deliver the first batch of clothes. But the man didn’t pay me the ₦1.2m balance because I was way past the deadline. Also, It wasn’t supposed to be a one-off job but after everything that happened, the man cut me off. He was like he had so many expectations and I let him down.

Damn. I’m sorry.

Thank you. I think my access to the man and the kind of jobs he would have brought to me would have changed the trajectory of my life. I was back at zero and the bulk of my savings had been wiped out. There was nothing I could do about it. After the deal crashed, I stayed away from fashion designing but I returned to it sometime during my service year because it was my primary source of income.

I finished NYSC in 2013 and started job hunting. After several interviews, I got a job offer. It was a personal assistant role to a managing partner of an oil and gas consulting company. The pay was ₦40k per month. Guess how long I spent on the job? Two months.

Why did you leave?

I had problems with my boss. At the peak of it, I was always looking forward to the end of the day, so I could leave the office. There was no point in staying there.

What happened after you left?

I didn’t get another job until 2014, but my side hustle kept me together. My next job was at a consulting firm and I was hired as a client relationship officer. My net salary was ₦47k when I started the job. After four months, I was promoted and my salary rose to ₦84k. However, I had taken a loan of ₦500k from work for some family needs and was repaying ₦41k per month. This put my monthly earnings to ₦43k until I finished paying off the loan.

How did this affect your finances?

I’m not sure it did. First, I was sharing an apartment with my sister and was making money on the side from fashion designing. Also, I consulted for some small marketing firms. I was running my day to day costs with my salary and saving whatever I made from the side gigs. I should add that I got another promotion and a salary increase. My salary was ₦90k when I left the company in 2017. By that time, I had about ₦1.5m in savings.

Why did you leave this job?

There was nothing to aspire to there anymore and I didn’t think I was going to get another raise. The ginger to leave really came when I got a marketing job at a sixth form college — a school that offers foundation and pre-university courses to Nigerians looking to study abroad. The salary was ₦250k. That was about 3x my salary at the time and I had to move to a new city for the job.

That’s a significant raise, but you had to move to a new city. What was that like?

Haha. It felt like I was being thrown into the wild but I took it in good faith. The money erased every doubt I had.

Haha.

I was at the job from 2017 and got a few raises there. My salary was ₦290k in 2020. Later in the year, a friend told me about a vacant position as the head of a department at an international NGO. I applied for the job, went through a couple of interview stages before I got an offer and it was a very good one for me.

I’m listening!

It’s a remote job. The offer was $1650 a month. That’s about ₦800k. I dropped my resignation letter at my previous job and resumed at my current job in February 2021.


You are currently earning almost 3x your old salary, what has this jump shaped spending habits?

I’m still living on my old salary. My spending is still at a minimum and it doesn’t really reflect how much I earn. It helps that I don’t really go out except when I have plans with my girlfriend and other close friends. In addition, I don’t pay a lot in black tax, and that’s because my siblings and I pool our resources together. However, my savings habits have definitely changed. I was saving ₦100k on my old salary. Now, I’m saving ₦500k every month.

Lit. Lit. This feels like a good place to break down your monthly running expenses.

I pay ₦500k for my rent per year. I used to save a portion of my salary every month to make rent but I’ve not been doing that this year.

You’ve come a long way, how have your experiences shaped you?

My view of money is that it’s a reward for a service rendered. And financial success is what happens when opportunity meets proper preparation. People like me don’t get life on a platter of gold. We have to grab and make the most of every little opportunity we get.

Back to your savings, what does it look like at the moment?

I have about ₦5m from money I’ve saved over the years from salaries and whatever extra money I get. Saving money comes naturally to me, but I’ll admit that it got easier to save more as I earned more. Also, a savings app has been keeping me grounded.

Are investments your thing?

I invest in small businesses. Some of my friends have a couple of these, and I have a stake in their businesses. My investments there should be worth between ₦2m and ₦3m, and I’m sure they are going to grow. I’m not into or interested in crypto because I don’t know how it works yet.

In the near future, I’m looking at putting some money into setting up a food truck and hopefully grow it into a restaurant. I’m excited about that.

You’ve come a long way, but how much do you think you should be earning right now?
Hmm. I don’t think I’m grossly underpaid, but I imagine I’ll always want more. Anything from ₦1.2m to ₦1.5 is a good number for where I’m at right now.

Have you ever thought about what you need to unlock your next level of income?

The thing about working at an international NGO is that it opens to a lot of opportunities and contacts. If I can leverage this properly, I should be able to triple or quadruple my income in the next two to three years.

And in five years?

That’s more about my investments. I want to have a couple of food trucks and a restaurant by that time. I really love the whole culinary thing, so I’m geared towards it. This plan to own a food business is probably one of the reasons I went for my MBA.

I’m curious about this interest in the culinary business.

Haha. Let me paint a picture: I see a new recipe and I get excited. I’ve always loved to cook. I did go to a culinary school for a while and when I have the time, I teach cooking classes. Also, I watch food channels a lot. So yeah, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to go all in and make some money off it.

Back to the present, what’s something you bought recently that improved the quality of your life?

A Macbook. I got a good deal on it and it cost ₦400k. The synergy between my iPhone and the Macbook has been making my life a whole lot better. It’s out of this world.


Anything you spent money on recently that required proper planning?

I’m still thinking about it. I want to move to another apartment. Rent and furnishing will cost me about ₦2m. This definitely requires a lot of thinking and planning because it’s going to take a lot of money out of my savings.

Let’s talk about financial happiness, where is it on a scale of 1-10?

I’d say 6. Do I think that the quality of my life is significantly better than what it was a decade ago? Yes. Do I think I’ve made it? No. I want to build my wealth around my investments and get to a point where the dividends are enough to fund my lifestyle. This will take me to an 8. It’s almost impossible to hit a 9 or a 10 in my opinion, and that’s fine. But I want to look back in a couple of years, see the work I’ve put in and where I’m at and be happy about it.

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/naira-life/the-nairalife-of-an-education-consultant-departing-his-low-income-roots/

The subject of today’s “A Week In The Life” is Omitonade Ifawemimo, an orisa priestess. Orisa priests/priestesses serve the function of spiritually guiding and counselling people so they can fulfil their destiny. She tells us about ways people stray from their destiny, how it can be modified, and what Yoruba indigenous religion means to her.


MONDAY:
I’m up before my alarm clock this morning. The light in my room is blinding and it takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. I stagger, carefully, to the toilet. After I’m done, I begin my morning routine.

I start each day by praying to my ori [spiritual head], to olodumare, to my egun [ancestors], to my orisa and to my egbe [astral mates]. I lie on my bed as I supplicate to them and it takes about 30 minutes to complete.

After I’m done with my prayers, I prepare my kids for school. I bathe, dress and cook for them. By 7 a.m. or a few minutes past 7, we’re out of the house to meet up with 8 a.m. resumption time. On the drive to school, I engage them in conversation and try to make them laugh. One minute we’re laughing, the next, we’re in front of their school gate.

I hand the kids over to their school teacher and my day starts.

As a full-time orisa priestess, I have an office I resume to by 10 a.m. every day. My role involves saving and guiding people. Orisa priests/priestesses are not seers — that is, we don’t see the future for people. Instead, through ifa/orisa divinations, we reveal a person’s past, present and future.

Practitioners of orisa spirituality believe that on our journey to earth, we made use of our ori to choose our blessings [wealth, long life, accomplishment, prosperity, etc]. However, on getting to earth, we forget all we’ve chosen and do things that are taboo to our ori, which hinders our progress. The job of a priest or priestess is to use divination to guide people on the right path of their destiny. Divination reveals strengths and weaknesses and allows for a smooth journey on earth.

Every day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., people come to my office to see what their ori is saying about their day, week or month. Today is no exception. There are people in the lounge waiting to see me when I get to the office. After exchanging brief greetings with a couple of them, I enter my office to settle down — then my workday truly begins.


TUESDAY:
In Yoruba spirituality, there are three ways we can modify human destiny. The first is through ifa/orisa divination[16 cowries]: people come to us, we divine for them and ifa/orisa reveals the problem along with a solution to us.

The second method is through sacrifice, appeasement and propitiation. After the problem has been revealed, we do certain sacrifices to solve it. The sacrifices are everyday items like fruits, food, domestic animals, etc. Anything that can be seen with the eye can be used in making this propitiation. This sacrifice is used in order to solve the person’s problem.

Lastly, we have ifa/orisa initiation. We, orisa worshippers, have a saying: there’s nobody with a bad destiny or head, but the only hindrance is that people aren’t aware of their taboos. They are not aware of the behaviours their ori doesn’t want, and these become stumbling blocks in the pursuit of their goals.

To be initiated means to get to know a person’s destiny. To know their strengths, weakness and align with their ori. This is important because we believe that everyone is born with an orisa. You can also use this knowledge in spiritual fortification because you know everything about them. All of this is used to help people become accomplished and fulfilled on earth.

Today, I spend a few hours at work explaining some of the functions of a priestess to curious people.

I also explain that in the olden days, when children were born, their parents would invite a priest/priestess to divine the child’s destiny. This would help in knowing the child’s taboo’s, strengths, weaknesses. However, a lot of people no longer have this privilege. For people who didn’t have this luxury, they can do initiation to know their destiny.

I also say that while priests/priestesses can divine and modify spiritual problems, we can’t interfere with physical problems. So, if someone has character problems like anger or laziness, we advise them to work on themselves and not look for spiritual solutions.


WEDNESDAY:

After dropping the kids in school today, I decide to visit my friends. On the car ride, I think about how most people believe that people who practice traditional religion are uneducated or wretched, which is false. I try to change people’s perception of this and my behaviour speaks for me. Like a good traditional practitioner, I don’t preach our religion or spirituality. There’s no point telling people, especially Nigerians, Yorubas, to come back to Yoruba indigenous religion. Everyone will return to it at the end of the day because it is their roots.

My job is to educate people who are curious and guide those who are interested. Any original practitioner [there are imposters in the religion] is tolerant of other people’s beliefs and opinions.

In fact, we don’t say because people practice other religions we won’t help them. And even after helping them, we don’t force anyone to convert to our belief. Our own is for you to see the solution to what’s bothering you.


THURSDAY:

No work for me today. Why? Because body no be firewood. I’m going to spend my day resting and enjoying some peace and quiet. I’ve dropped the kids at school. I’ve cooked rice, fried plantain and boiled stew. I also have a cold Pepsi in the fridge to step it down with. The best part? I have the house all to myself, at least, until 4 p.m. when I go to pick the kids from school. Until then, I’m going to enjoy my alone time to the fullest.


FRIDAY:

Today, someone asked me about the hardest part of my job. I told him two things: firstly, it’s not a job, it’s a calling — it’s passion. Secondly, there’s no hard part. Some aspects are just easier than the others.

My role involves finding lost souls and guiding them back to their roots to learn about themselves. I’m happy social media is helping with more awareness. People are reading stuff that’s making them curious and ask questions. I’ve also been using my platform to enlighten pẹople about traditional religion.

I’ve also used my platform to correct misconceptions that we worship idols. We don’t. Olodumare proves its existence through nature by giving us water, plant, wind, thunder and lighting, sunlight. And orisas are in charge of these things. Sango is in charge of thunder and lighting. Osun, Yemoja, Olokun, Olosa are in charge of water. Ogun is in charge of iron and technology. In respect of these orisas and the work they do, we have icons and not idols.


These things people call idols are used to beautify the shrine and not what is being called upon. Think about it as art to beautify your home. Can we call artwork idol worshipping? This is what I try to educate and enlighten people about on social media. I’m thankful to Olodumare because it’s not by my power. It’s just what works for me.

It is passion and bose ma je niyen [that’s how it will be].

[Editor’s note: some part of this post has been updated. We initially wrote that destiny couldn’t be stolen via sexual intercourse but the subject says it’s rare, but not impossible.]

Source: https://www.zikoko.com/money/hustle/a-week-in-the-life-of-an-orisa-priestess-trying-to-guide-people-to-their-destiny/