Salary: The Modern Slavery Many Nigerians Are Quietly Enduring

Yesterday was salary day.

For a few brief hours, I felt relieved. My phone buzzed with the credit alert, and like every working-class Nigerian, I smiled. Not because I was rich, but because at least I could breathe again. I started making calculations immediately. Rent. Transportation. Food. Electricity. Data subscription. Family support. Debt repayment.

Before sunset, the money was almost gone.

The painful part? Some bills are still sitting there waiting for me.

That moment forced me to ask myself a difficult question: Is salary truly financial freedom, or is it just a more polished form of survival?

In Nigeria today, many people wake up at 5 a.m., battle traffic, endure stressful work environments, and spend their entire month waiting for a salary that disappears within days. The system has created millions of hardworking people who are permanently exhausted but still financially trapped.

That is why many now describe salary as modern slavery.

Not because working is evil, but because the average worker is giving away their time, strength, peace of mind, and sometimes even their dreams, yet they still cannot afford a decent life.

A lot of Nigerians are not lazy. In fact, Nigerians are among the most hardworking people I know. The real problem is that wages are struggling to keep up with reality. Prices of food, transportation, fuel, school fees, and rent keep rising, but salaries remain almost the same.

You collect ₦80,000 or ₦150,000, and before the middle of the month, you are already borrowing or praying for another alert.

The truth is painful.

Many workers are one emergency away from financial disaster.

One hospital bill. One rent increase. One family crisis. That is all it takes.

What makes it even more frustrating is that society often pressures salaried workers to “look successful.” So people keep suffering silently while trying to maintain appearances online and offline.

I have come to realize that depending on salary alone in Nigeria is dangerous. Salary should be a support system, not the only lifeline.

So what can be done?

First, Nigerians need to embrace multiple streams of income. A side hustle is no longer optional for many people. Whether it is freelancing, farming, online business, teaching, content creation, tailoring, baking, photography, or selling products online, extra income matters.

Second, financial education is important. Many people were taught how to work but never taught how to manage money, invest, or build assets. Schools prepare us for employment, but not always for financial independence.

Third, the government and private organizations must improve workers’ welfare. Better wages, stable electricity, affordable healthcare, and lower living costs would reduce the pressure on ordinary citizens.

Fourth, people should stop looking down on small businesses. In Nigeria today, pride can keep someone poor. Honest work is honest work. Whether you sell akara by the roadside, run an online store, or farm cassava, dignity is not determined by job title.

Finally, we must begin to redefine success. Success is not wearing expensive clothes while drowning in debt. Real success is having peace of mind, financial stability, and the ability to take care of yourself and your family without constant fear.

I am not against salaries. Salaries pay bills and put food on tables. But I believe no human being should work tirelessly every month and still live in fear of basic survival.

Yesterday, my salary was deposited into my account.

Today, most of it is gone.

And somehow, the month has not even truly begun.

photo generated from chatgpt