SteezeLife: How This 23-year-old Survived Being Broke for Three Days in Lagos

It was not difficult for me to come to the realisation all of a sudden that I was financially in trouble, one sunny afternoon in May last year. And not just in any city but in Lagos, of all places, where you have to do a thousand calculations in your head to buy or afford anything because have you seen the prices of things there? It was not hard for me to know that I was cooked. 

Now, let me paint a picture for you, so you can understand my situation at the time. I had just stepped down from the stuffy 24-seater bus that brought me to Lagos from Ilorin when I looked at the amount of money in my purse and realised that I did not have anything close to enough money. 

You might be wondering, what brought me all the way from the reserved and ‘price-merciful’ Ilorin where no one has to sell a kidney to live comfortably to the loud, chaotic Lagos? 

See, I had come to Lagos on a three-day trip with a few of my friends to attend a really big event at the time and somehow somehow, I thought that the 50,000 that I had spent the last month starving to save in my bank account would be enough to have a comfortable time in those three days. 

For a moment in front of that bus, I was lost in thoughts. The transport fare from Lagos to Ilorin was way more than I had envisioned it would be. Technically the intel that I had on fares was slightly outdated but enough to cause me to be stranded mid-way into my first day in Lagos. 

I first thought, what would happen to all the ‘oblee’ and outings that I had planned? I looked at all my friends and none of them seemed to be as worried as I was. They clearly had it all under control. I said “ah”, to myself, “I’m in trouble, I have finally joined the wrong association of people”. 

I tried to keep my expressive face under control. We didn’t have accommodation sorted out before we left Ilorin but somehow, we figured that we would be able to wing it upon arrival.

Brethren, the small amount of money that I was already scared was too little, I spent so much of it trying to secure safe and comfortable accommodation. 

Let me tell you, being a stranger in Lagos can be frustrating. This was my biggest challenge in Lagos, there were fraudulent people everywhere. In Lagos ehn, everyone is basically trying to take advantage of your ignorance because they think you’re either gullible or wealthy enough to disregard their antics.

Well, I was neither of the above, so I was entirely pissed off the whole time. I genuinely don’t think I had a good meal throughout my time in Lagos. The whole time, I was fighting for my life. Good meal ke? I ate biscuits and snacks and even then, these snacks were once a day. The rest of the time, I tried to smile and warn my stomach to respect its old age and avoid making any embarrassing sounds. 

My initial plan was to Uber around the city but omo, after realising that I was financially in soup, you need to see the way I was dexterously jumping buses and flying bikes. Public transport was the way to go oh. 

My other friends took Ubers for the most part which was a bit embarrassing for me cause telling them I had no money directly would have been crazy. Especially after having assured everyone before we went on the trip that I had all I needed, omo, I just couldn’t. 

It must have been pretty obvious sha but personally? I didn’t say a word to them about my sudden financial troubles. Half-way through the second day, after eating my last set of snacks, I couldn’t possibly take it anymore. I folded and called my parents in Akure. Even though they scolded me severely, they sent me a bit of cash to supplement the little I had left for transportation. Hard girl, where? I caved like mad. 

I also borrowed a bit more money from my friends in Ilorin to stay afloat. It was a short trip so there was nothing like finding creative ways to quickly make money. 

I could not handle the pressure of Lagos’ expensive lifestyle and social expectations as a broke girlie, so I ensured to become best friends with the accommodation that we had gotten. I stayed indoors, I didn’t attend any social functions simply because I couldn’t afford to. I hid like a woman with leprosy. 

What pained me so much was that I had spent so much money getting my lashes, nails and hair done, almost 45,000 in Ilorin and I did not get to show it off! My own ‘oblee’ was both delayed and denied.

Thankfully, my lowest point financially was the evening I returned to Ilorin. I had just 2000 left in my account. I was completely humbled by the experience. One advice that I would give someone who is currently struggling in Lagos is don’t leave home. And if you’ve already left, go back home.

Don’t let anybody tell you that there’s something in the streets of Lagos that you’re missing out on, there’s nothing in Lagos. It’s not more than the loud, brash, smelly place that it is. In my opinion, if you don’t have money and I mean good money, stay in your daddy’s house because the moment that you leave home, spending starts, and you find yourself “broker” than you were when you started out.   

* Names have been changed to maintain the anonymity of sources.