Na So E Dey Start: 15 Subtle Signs You're Almost Broke in Nigeria
E go start small small. You no go know when “soft life” go turn “sapa express.”
Let’s be honest, being broke in Nigeria is a full-on experience. It’s not just about having ₦0.00 in your account. Nah. The signs show up in subtle, sneaky ways — like whispers from your bank balance that it's about to betray you.
Whether you're a salary earner waiting for 28th, a freelancer hoping for that next gig, or a student stretching ₦1k across 3 weeks, this post is your mirror. Let’s unpack the 15 realest things you’ll notice when you’re slowly but surely entering the broke zone in Naija.
1. You Start Checking Your Balance for Motivation
You’re not checking it to spend. You’re checking to “feel something.”
That moment you open your bank app, see ₦1,273.09 and just close it like,
“God abeg.”
The app now opens faster because there's nothing to load.
2. You Start Recalculating Your Monthly Expenses Like a Budgeting Guru
Suddenly, you open your notes app and start breaking down your entire month:
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“If I remove data this week, I can buy bread and egg twice.”
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“₦7,800 for food, ₦1,500 for transport, and ₦0 for enjoyment.”
You’re doing mental gymnastics trying to stretch ₦12k across 30 days like it’s some Olympic sport.
Every kobo starts to matter. You delete ride-hailing apps, avoid supermarkets, and start calculating how much “exact change” you need to survive.
3. You Suddenly Become Extremely Available for Anything With Free Food
Out of nowhere, you’re replying group chats you’ve ignored since January:
“Wait, when is the hangout again?”
“Venue dey far?”
“Dem go serve rice?”
Whether it’s a church program, seminar, birthday, or wedding of your ex’s neighbor’s cousin — as long as Jollof dey involved, you dey go.
Free food >>> Emotional stability.
4. Data Finishes and You Accept Your Fate
You used to sub like a boss. Now it’s 500MB you dey manage like national cake.
Snapchat? Gone. YouTube? Off. TikTok? Nope. You dey WhatsApp + Lite app only.
And when MTN sends “You have used up 75% of your data”:
“I know. Na God dey sustain me.”
5. You Suddenly Remember All Your Debtors
Out of nowhere, you remember Chinedu still owes you ₦2,000 from 2021.
You start texting:
“Hey bro, just checking in. Hope you’re good. I dey reason that small thing from that time.”
Sapa go make you reflect on old debts like a heartbreak.
6. You’re Angry at People Who Are Spending
You open Instagram and someone is eating out AGAIN.
You see “just got this new iPhone” tweets.
And you’re there like:
“Some people are too reckless with money. 🙄”
Jealousy? No. Sapa rage? 100%.
7. Body Spray Will Finish. Charger Head Will Spoil. Earpods Go Missing — All at Once.
Just when you think you're managing life well enough, boom — your entire existence starts falling apart.
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That body spray you’ve been preserving like holy oil? Empty.
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Your last functional charger? Sparks once, then dies.
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Earpods you kept inside your bag like treasure? Gone. Vanished. Into thin air.
You just sit there like:
“Why now? What kind of spiritual attack is this?”
It’s always in the middle of financial dryness that essential things start misbehaving. Next thing, your slippers will cut and your power bank go begin swell. You enter full survival mode.
8. You Start Bargaining Like It’s a Fight
Before: “How much is it? Okay, I’ll take it.”
Now:
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“Ahn ahn sister, I fit give you ₦200.”
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“But na the same thing I buy last week for ₦150 nau!”
Your inner Iya Basira comes alive. You can now price beans like a pro.
9. You Become Emotionally Attached to ₦500
₦500 becomes gold.
If someone borrows it, you follow up like loan shark. If it drops from your pocket, you go kneel down look floor.
That ₦500 in your back pocket is not money — it’s hope.
10. Your Dreams Become Financially Themed
You start dreaming of credit alerts. You wake up happy… until you check your phone and realize:
“Omo na just dream o.”
Sometimes, you even dream of Jumia sales you can’t afford. 😩
11. You Start Avoiding Friends Who Like Enjoyment
Those “let’s hang out” friends? You suddenly ghost them.
You know say if you go out, your last card go vanish. So you give them one excuse:
“I get work jare, maybe next time.”
And you lay down in bed, scrolling memes to fill the void.
12. POS Charges Begin to Feel Personal
₦100 for POS fee? Nah. You start walking around looking for the one that does ₦50.
In your head:
“Why are they stealing from the poor??”
You might even try to use ₦200 to buy ₦100 recharge card just to avoid fees.
13. You Turn to DIY Everything
Your perfume finishes? Mix body spray + Vaseline.
No money for salon? You cut your own hair or try that “YouTube braid tutorial.”
You’re now a:
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Barber
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Cook
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Tailor
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Mechanic
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Therapist (to yourself)
Sapa brings out your inner multipotentialite.
14. You Start Posting Old Pictures Like They're New
You wanna flex online but sapa says sit down.
So you go dig up that December detty photo and caption:
“Outside 🌴”
Meanwhile, you’re inside sweating with gen noise.
Throwbacks become your luxury substitute.
15. You Start Praying with a New Level of Passion
You open Psalms like it’s Naira Life.
You start fasting — not spiritually, but because no food dey.
You’re now telling God:
“Just one alert. I swear I’ll change.”
It’s just you, your Bible app, and EchoGo in the background.
💡 Bonus: You’re Reading This Because You Can Relate 😅
If you're nodding through these points, chances are — you’ve seen sapa or sapa dey see you.
But listen: you’re not alone. Nigeria dey humble everybody at some point. What matters is how you bounce back.
👏🏽 Final Words from the Street
Being broke in Nigeria is not just a condition — it’s a culture. It’s how we survive, adapt, and laugh through pain.
But remember:
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Sapa is temporary.
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God no go shame us.
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And ₦500 can still change your life… maybe.
Keep your head up, stack small when you can, and keep believing. Your own alert go land soon.
💬 What signs do YOU notice when sapa dey knock?
Drop yours in the comments and let’s roast this brokenness together.
We dey for you. We go rise by fire. 💪🏽
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