Naira Life Vol 191

Good Morning, 🌞

In 53 days, Nigerians at different stages of their money journey will be in Lagos for one reason: to gather as much clarity about wealth building.

Not just how to make money. How to keep it. Grow it. Protect it. And build something that lasts. Expect honest conversations, practical lessons, and a room full of people asking the same urgent question: how do I move from earning money to building the life I actually want?

It's the room you want to be in.. Grab the Early bird offer and secure your seat today.

Now, let's get into today's stories. 👇🏾

In this letter:

• #NairaLife: The Frugal Investor Who’s Making Sure She’s Never at Anyone’s Mercy Again
• A Dress Mishap at 16 Inspired Oluwasewa Akinrimisi to Build a Global Fashion Brand
• I Earn ₦150k/m. My Dad Wants Me to Take a ₦3.5m Loan For Our Rent
• Ask Aunty M:
• Where The Money At?!

The 28-year-old Account Executive in this #NairaLife remembers what it felt like when her family’s financial foundation cracked years ago. Now, she’s juggling multiple side hustles, risky investments and extreme frugality to make sure she never returns to that experience.

For her, it is simply the price to pay to achieve her long-term goals.

There is a window of time between seeing a massive opportunity and watching it pass you by. Usually, it’s not because you weren't ready. It’s just that the timing didn't cooperate with your cash flow.

But life moves too fast to wait for perfect alignment.

Carbon gives you up to ₦2 million instantly, with no paperwork parades or long talk. Because the only thing worse than a missed opportunity is knowing you had the play right, but let money get in the way.

After a dress mishap at 16 left her heartbroken, @thesewasimi took that pain and built Sewasimi.

Now her brand has gone global, serving international clients and regularly making six figures. How did she get here?

The Naira Life Conference is returning on August 22, 2026, in Lagos! Show up ready to learn from finance experts, business owners and industry leaders, and partake in unfiltered conversations about building wealth sustainably.

Real stories, expert advice you can actually use, and a community ready to build wealth together.

Use code 20NAIRA at checkout for an extra 10% off early-bird tickets.

It’s Black Tax Endgame for Tosin* (25) as he shares the struggles of being a first son and middle child in Nigeria.

What began with buying bread for his father after work, slowly became paying for an entire household. Then came the request that finally broke him and changed how he saw his father forever.

I am a final year psychology student that has a part-time role as an Editor-in-Chief at a student-led organisation and a full-time role as an Executive Assistant at a non-profit. Both of these roles are unpaid and remote, but the part-time role requires my presence at certain events occasionally.. That said, most of my time is shared between classes, meetings, and fulfilling tasks related to school and my jobs. I also commute daily from Ogun State to my school in Lagos at least three times a week for classes and, sometimes, tasks related to the part-time role. In all this, I am not earning anything and I have become overly reliant on my parents. I used to earn money from pitching stories to publications and teaching French and Mathematics to people, but those income sources have dried up due to my time being taken up by the long commute and the two jobs. I need to get back into writing/pitching or tutoring to earn some money, but I know the only free time I have is in the evenings when I get home extremely exhausted. What do you suggest I do? - Alex, 21

Hi Alex,

You're doing a lot — final year, a weekly Lagos-Ogun commute, two unpaid roles, and trying to earn on the side. That's admirable, but it's also unsustainable, and your exhaustion is proof.

Here's the honest question you need to sit with: which of these roles actually serves your goals? Because doing everything is quietly costing you your health, your income, and your focus. Pick the one that matters most and let the other go.

On earning, go back to tutoring. It's your fastest, most flexible income stream, and you don't need to show up anywhere to do it. More importantly, being bilingual in French is a genuinely valuable and marketable skill. Also, tutoring keeps it sharp while paying you for it. You can scale it further into digital products that can earn you money without having to do so much every time.

Xoxo, Mo

• If you're here, you probably have a money or work dilemma. Ask your question and we'll figure out an actionable solution for you.