Just like we said in our Mental Health article, the hustle is real.

You can say what you want about Nigerians, but no one can deny we put in the work when we need to.

And now is one of those times when that need is most present.

According to Nkechi Ogbonna at the BBC, Nigeria is currently going through its “worst economic crisis in a generation”, and Nigerian youth are feeling it.

Things are hard, omo.

The minimum wage is ₦30k and a 50kg bag of rice is ₦80k, inflation is soaring at 33.20%, so prices have tripled in the past six months, and the average Nigerian youth has to worry about setting up their life in more turbulent times than their parents did at their age.

While there’s no substitute for government intervention, Nigerians do what they can to help themselves.

How?

Side hustles.

Suppose you go to Google right now and type in “Side hustles in Nigeria”. The amount of articles you’ll find about the “25 best side hustles to supplement your income in 2024” and “12 Easy Ways To Make Extra Cash at Home in Nigeria” shows you that Nigerians are really about this extra hustle life.

Can you blame them?

According to the Nigeria Labour Force Survey Q3 2023, “Informal employment in Nigeria and other developing countries seems to be very high when compared to the developed countries.”, and the report put the informal employment rate in Q2 2023 at 92.7%.

This means that in Nigeria, 92.7% of the working population in Q2 2023 had informal jobs – this percentage includes people that only have informal jobs, and also those that have both formal and informal ones.

For context, informal employment is any means of making money that is not actively regulated, taxed or monitored by the government – things like starting a crocheting business, or freelancing of any sort.

The report also claims that the rate of women in informal employment is higher than that of men, and although the informality rate is high across all age groups, younger persons (15-24), and persons above 65 years were more informally employed.

So, from freelance editing to social media management and starting a business, people are grabbing at whatever they can.

But while many side hustlers start because they need supplemental income, some of these hustles grow to become sustainable businesses that aspire to become even more.

Now, those are the people we know have gems to share with you, Dear Reader.

Nigeria is hard, and we want to do our bit to ensure you have a leg up wherever you can.

So, naturally, we sought out these side hustlers for you.

They gave us the scoop on finding the “spark”, building the hustle, how they (finally) monetised their magic, what “The Hustle Life” is like, and just the tea on how business as a young Nigerian battling this economy is.

Meet this week’s Hustler

Uchechukwu Ijebuwa-Nwokoh – A virtual assistant by day and firecracker baker by night. This business queen started her hustle while still at university (even though her university was set against it) but officially started UIN Confectionaries in 2021 when she realised that NYSC allawee and vibes would not be enough to survive this economy.

Listen to her sage words here…

Side hustlers, rise!

(Admit it, you smiled at this gif.)

As you can see, the hustle is a hustle. It’s not always glamorous, but with principle, passion, and perseverance (intentional alliteration because why not), you too can monetise your magic.

Cliche, but the hardest part is just starting whatever you want to do.

But, we know it’s not so straightforward, which is why we asked Uche for just a bit more help.

Below is a link to a Google form you can use to contact her for further advice and help.

Link to form

Actually, we are too good. Who love you reach us?

Even your babe no fit.

The Baked Hustle Index

Now that you’re fully locked and loaded, what’s next for you? What side hustle do you want to dip your toe into? Or are you already a hustler and have insights to share with your juniors?

Whatever it is, we want to hear from you in the comments.

We’re serious.