It’s 2022 AD, and some people still believe Nigerian women aren’t working as hard as they should.
We literally have female athlete champions, bank CEOs, the legend that is Chimamanda, and actual Nigerian women who live in Nigeria — which anyone will tell you is an extreme sport — but every other market day on Nigerian Twitter, another argument springs up about how women these days are different or aren’t as “hardworking” as our mothers in years past.
Our mothers in times past, unprovoked.
Honestly, I once bought into the “hard work” school of thought. I believed, as a woman, I needed to work extra hard to prove to society that I wasn’t some babe who lived on girlfriend allowances or went on dates expecting men to pay for me.
I wanted to be an independent woman, who didn’t need no man. So, I put my head down and worked like my life depended on it. Unfortunately, capitalism doesn’t always care how hard you work. Capitalism only cares about working people to the bone and getting enough profit to keep its wheels running. And with adulting hovering like a weapon fashioned against me, I essentially lived every day counting down to payday.
But I’m happy to announce that I’ve seen the light. I still don’t need no man, but my days of thinking I have to work like a low-budget jackass are long over. This year, I want to live the soft life.
I know I speak for both men and women when I say I want to make money that doesn’t finish the moment I step outside, and someone asks, “Savings or Current?”
The kind of life where I don’t have to put on my best Nigerian mother impression when I go to the market, so the traders don’t bleed my account dry. The kind of life where I can tell my boss to take a hike if I like — well, not exactly like that, but you get what I mean.
I know I speak for both men and women when I say I want to make money that doesn’t finish the moment I step outside, and someone asks, “Savings or Current?” I want to make sure those girls’ trips finally leave the group chat and actually happen. I want to make enough to keep money for my old age, so I don’t have to depend on my children. I want to live the soft life this year, and it has to be this year.
My soft life ambition didn’t just start; I also tried to manifest it in 2022, but sapa said, “LMAO”. I’ll admit that my methods weren’t exactly the best. I started by investing almost all my life savings in crypto, and it looked good for a while, till crypto winter came and, well, you get the gist.
I also tried locking cash in some of these digital finance apps, but it turns out turning back on your digital savings goals is much easier than breaking physical kolos. In summary, 2022 wasn’t my soft life year.
But 2023? It’s me and the god of money. I’ve heard investments are a much better financial option, and though I kinda feel like only rich people invest, I found something that may help me cut my proverbial cloth according to my material.
Apparently, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management has this thing where you can choose to invest in mutual funds from ₦5,000, and start building your wealth from there. This already sounds good to me, because hello? ₦5,000?
Here’s how it works: Their mutual funds are invested in either equity (stocks), fixed-income securities or a mix of both — depending on what you’re investing for, and your risk appetite. In the words of my Nigerian mother, “One way doesn’t lead to the market”.
I’ll very much NOT like to end 2023 singing the same “sapa” song, so let’s see what mutual funds offer. You can join me by starting your wealth journey here or checking their website for more information on Mutual Funds or other digital assets.
To a soft life in 2023!
