7 Practical Ideas And Opportunities Nigerians Are Maximising To Make Money In Nigeria Today

1.       Consider applying for a new job with better pay, in the North. I am presently in the North and I can tell you that there are opportunities up here in the North opened up because of the emigration of Southerners due to the many religious/Boko Haram crises. There are opportunies in virtually every sector especially in the health and other white collar jobs. The security situation isn’t as bad as you imagine/think due to the fact that most times, the only thing you hear about the North in the News is negative. Coming to the North isn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t mean you should consider relocating permanently. It just means you should see that there are opportunities everywhere in Nigeria, and if you need one, you should consider other parts of Nigeria aside from where you have always considered today.

2.       Think up free ideas for small to medium-sized companies on how they can be more productive and make more money. Help SMEs rearrange their shop, help them make a better signpost and show them where they should place it for better results, help them become better at their businesses, help them make more money. This is essentially what many do for free on the internet and use as a platform to build and launch their consultancy businesses. You may and/or may not start online. But this idea is actually about starting ‘offline’- going to brick-and-mortar businesses in your neighbourhood and offering them useful original ideas that you thought up yourself. I knew a bakery in a busy street where there was always traffic hold-up, all they needed to do to make more money was simply employ street hawkers to sell their products right in front of the bakery shop instead of just waiting for their customers to park and come in!

 3.       Develop your passion and seek out ways to earn money from it. If you can knit/crochet, juggle balls/things, make people laugh, be a disc or video jockey, draw cartoon characters/comic books, compose ringtones, sing and play a musical instrument, do it for money. If you like to speak/gossip/gist, then learn how to speak/gossip/gist convincingly and influence people to buy things from you by joining a multi-level marketing program. Some have become multimillionaires today in Nigeria from so many things we never thought it was possible to make money from, and the others are just trying to copy them-trust Nigerians (you know say Warri boy no dey carry last,lol). Find your own niche. Start making money today from your talent and passion.

4.       Tap into the money flowing in the security sector at the moment.  Become a security blogger, or security consultant/expert. Learn or develop a new skill or idea or app on how to make people feel more secure and you could be Nigeria’s next multimillionaire. You could also join a security outfit or float one yourself. You can join the police or military if you have the build for it. Instead of just going to the Gym regularly with fanciful biceps and pectoralis muscles that aren’t bringing in any money for you, consider becoming a bouncer for a celebrity or at a party. Being in the security business pays handsome rewards but don’t forget, it can cost you your life.

5.       Marry into a rich family, or marry a rich bachelor/spinster. One of the ways of becoming rich is to marry into it. Marriage had resulted in more millionaires than statistics actually show. Maybe because when a man has a wife, it makes him more responsible with his finances, or maybe because women are generally very good managers/’economists’, or simply because marrying into a wealthy family changes your fortune!

This requires wisdom as marrying a person simply because of money can leave you frustrated and empty even though you now have material things. But it is also a tricky one as some people will argue that “they aren’t marrying him/her because of the money but because of ‘love’”.

I don’t advocate conning people into marriage, or marrying them so as to swindle them of their wealth. I simply ask that you purposely seek out someone whose financial status is higher than yours in order that the union can lift your status.

Alternatively, if you are single but don’t want to marry into a rich family, seek out friendship with the wealthy and comfortable with the sole aim of learning from them. If you are a corper, learn to make friends with rich corp members. If you attend a church, make connection with rich members. If you are a student, your top 7 friends should be a mixture of the rich and students who have a wealth mentality.

6.       Tap into the opportunities available online, and in the IT industry. Granted, globally the IT world is no longer the hot cake it once was, but in Nigeria, there are still gazillion opportunities.

 Look at the following facts; Nigeria’s estimated population by the UN, is put at 173 million presently (2.42% of world population). Nigeria now has an estimated  67 million internet users, which represents a 16% 1-year internet user growth (the most in the world in the last one year). But that's only 38.7% of our population.

Where are the rest, if they are not online?! ...they are on their way!

And the NCC reports that as at June 2014, there are 130 million GSM and CDMA lines. And about 60% of those connect to the internet using their phones from time to time. According to https://ondeviceresearch.com/blog/nigeria-leader-mobile-web-traffic, more than 80% of Nigeria’s web traffic is mobile/GSM based, as against broadband internet connectivity.

 If you don’t know what business to consider, start thinking ONLINE! And make it accessible by phone.
( For more stats, you can also look up  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users, http://www.go-globe.com/blog/mobile-web-traffic/)

 You can also become a professional hacker, or get a certificate in Networking e.g. CCNA, CISA, MCP, programming, etc. You don’t have to have a B.sc in Computer Science to chart your career into these fields.

7.       Finally, break the norm. Do something new. Yes, dare to be different. It does not necessarily have to be out-of-this-world. Just be the first to do it your way. Do what you do, or what another is already doing, but in a unique way. Do anything, but don’t do fraudulent. You can win a game show or reality TV show. Or in fact, start a game show or reality TV show!

Who knew there was so much money in shit business?

Who knew a dancer could win the Guinness World Record?

Who knew a Nigerian could be Miss World?

Who knew that directing a music video in Nigeria could be so profitable?

Don’t give up on your dream to become rich. Look for a mentor and listen to him/her. And if no one has done it before, do it first, and be everyone’s mentor!

Always ask yourself, “Am I a better person today, than I was yesterday?”

Remember, every step you take today, either takes you closer, or further away from your dream and goals. Start now. All the best.

If you know of more, please feel free to share in the comments section. Thank you.