Money by Zikoko
Posts
Naira Life Vol 164

Naira Life Vol 164

Also: Zikoko Money has a new Instagram!

Toheeb Lanlehin
December 22, 2025

Volume 164

Happy Holidays,🌞

We’re here: week 50 of 52. The year is coming to a close.

This newsletter — and our wider coverage — exists to increase the surface level of [quality] information about money. In 2025, we did this through our web flagships, features, first-person essays, interviews, and videos. We even took our first stab at putting an event together.

Today, though, we’re narrowing the lens to focus on Naira Life, our flagship series, now its sixth year.

As always, we followed Nigerians’ complicated, intimate relationships with money. How they make sense of it. We explored multiple income levels, jobs and careers, backgrounds — each with individual complexities and nuances. In total, we published 50 stories this year.

And you — our readers — had clear favourites.

Ten stories, in particular, stood out. As with most end-of-year rituals, this feels like the right moment to revisit them.

In this letter:

#NairaLife: 10 of the Most-Read Stories of 2025

As the year comes to an end, let’s take a look back at the 10 #NairaLife stories our audience loved the most and just couldn’t get enough of.

Find the top 10 here

Moniepoint’s 2025 informal economy report contains data from over 5 million businesses. These businesses make up over 90% of MSMEs in Nigeria. Learn more about their profits and relationship with savings, taxation and more.

Click here!

Nigeria’s Digital Debt Trap: The Human Cost of Loan Apps and Instant Credit

Ofure borrowed ₦400,000 from a loan app to save her business. A year later, she owed ₦1.5 million.

Her story exposes Nigeria's digital lending trap, where harassment and crushing interest rates persist despite new regulations. Read the full story here

We've been telling relatable stories about how Nigerians earn, save and spend their money for years, and now we'll have a dedicated platform for more honest and open conversations about money.

Our promise is simple: No fancy jargon, just the information and clarity you need to make confident financial decisions!

Follow @ZikokoMoney on Instagram

How to Build a Global Career as a Nigerian Living in Nigeria, From People Who’ve Done It

For years, the only way to a global career seemed to be japa. But these Nigerians are proving that you don’t have to leave Nigeria to work globally.

They are skipping the low-pay trap and levelling up their skills right from their home.

Here’s how they do it

Where The Money At?!

We can't say we're about the money and not actually help you find the money.

So we've compiled a list of job opportunities for you. Make sure you share this with anyone who might need it because in this community, we look out for each other.

Again, don’t mention. We gatchu.