Remember when you were small and couldn’t wait to grow up? You thought adulthood meant freedom, your own house, and unlimited indomie at midnight. Now you’re an adult and it’s like, “Wait… this is it?”
Adulthood in Nigeria feels like one long group project where everyone is tired, broke, and pretending to have it together.
TL;DR
- You’re not crazy: adulting is hard, especially in Nigeria.
- Everything costs more, salaries move like snails, and expectations choke.
- But there are ways to make it suck a little less.
1. The Dream vs The Reality
Growing up, we thought adulthood came with a big manual: how to buy land, how to afford rent, how to “hammer.” Instead, we got responsibilities with no tutorial.
You finally get a job and realize half your salary disappears before you even touch it. Rent. Transport. “Urgent 2k” requests from family. By the 10th of the month, you’re just praying your bank app doesn’t show ₦0.00.
2. Nigeria Makes Adulting 3x Harder
It’s not just you. Adulthood everywhere is stressful, but in Nigeria it comes with bonus levels. You’re not only trying to make a living, you’re surviving blackouts, fuel price jumps, and inflation that eats your savings for breakfast.
Planning your life here feels like trying to play chess during a hurricane.
3. That Constant Comparison Pressure
Social media made it worse. You log in, see someone your age buying a car or launching a business, and suddenly your own progress feels useless. But the truth is, most people are just curating their best moments. Nobody’s posting their debt, their frustration, or the rent reminder their landlord just sent.
If you measure your life by what you see online, you’ll always feel behind.
4. The Hidden Costs of “Making It”
In Nigeria, success often comes with invisible taxes. Family expectations. Church commitments. Black tax. Even your village people might be expecting something.
You start earning a bit and suddenly, everyone thinks you’re Dangote’s cousin. You can’t even say you’re broke because “How can you be broke when you’re working?”
It’s like adulthood comes with emotional levies nobody warned us about.
5. Mental Health? We Don’t Talk About That Enough
One of the biggest scams is how we pretend to be fine. Nigerian adults are walking around with unhealed stress. We joke about “adulting is hard” but deep down, a lot of people are burnt out, anxious, or just… tired.
The sad part? There’s barely any support system. Therapy costs money, and even when you mention it, someone says, “Just pray about it.”
6. How to Survive the Scam
Okay, now what? If we can’t fix the system overnight, we can at least adjust our survival kit.
- Budget like a realist: Track your spending. Seeing where your money goes hurts at first but helps later.
- Save something, even small: ₦1,000 a week is better than zero. Start building habits, not miracles.
- Unplug sometimes: Take breaks from social media comparison loops.
- Build community: Friends who understand your struggle are worth gold. You don’t need to do adulthood alone.
- Ask for help when needed: There’s no award for silent suffering.
7. Maybe Adulthood Isn’t a Scam… It’s Just Overpriced
Here’s the twist: adulthood isn’t entirely a scam. It’s just more expensive, emotionally and financially, than we were told. The freedom is real, but so is the bill that comes with it.
Maybe the real lesson is learning to build a life that still feels good even when it’s hard.
Final Takeaway
Adulthood in Nigeria is like subscribing to a service you didn’t ask for but can’t cancel. Still, if you learn the hacks, budget smart, and stop comparing your journey to others, you’ll find small pockets of peace inside the madness.
You’re not failing. You’re just adulting… Nigerian edition.