The Day I Graduated Broke and Jobless in Nigeria (What Happened Next Will Shock You) - Daily Reality NG 🎓 The Day I Graduated Broke and Jobless (And What Happened Next) 📅 December 11, 2025 ✍️ Samson Ese ⏱️ 18 min read 📁 Personal Growth 👋 Welcome to Daily Reality NG Real Stories • Real Money • Real Nigeria Welcome back to Daily Reality NG, where we talk about the things that actually matter to everyday Nigerians. Today's story is personal. Very personal. It's about the day I graduated from university with noth...
The Hidden Truth Behind Your Struggles in Nigeria
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Why Your Village People Are Not Your Problem: The Real Reason You're Still Struggling
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Why Your Village People Are Not Your Problem: The Real Reason You're Still Struggling
The uncomfortable truth about why blaming external forces keeps you stuck. It's time to face what's really holding you back.
Welcome to one of the most important conversations we'll have on this platform. This article isn't here to make you feel good. It's here to wake you up. Because the truth is, we've all used the "village people" excuse at some point—blaming invisible forces for visible problems we created ourselves.
Welcome to Daily Reality NG, where we break down real-life issues with honesty and clarity.
I'm Samson Ese, founder of Daily Reality NG. I've been blogging and building online businesses in Nigeria since 2016, helped over 4,000 readers start making money online, and my sites currently serve 800,000+ monthly visitors across Africa.
The Village People Excuse We All Use
I used to blame village people too. Every time something went wrong—business failed, relationship ended, opportunity slipped away—I'd shake my head and mutter, "Na village people." It was easier than facing the mirror. Easier than admitting I wasn't putting in the work. Easier than accepting that maybe, just maybe, I was my own worst enemy.
One evening in 2018, I was sitting in my one-room apartment in Yaba, broke and frustrated. My blogging income had dried up. I had three freelance clients who owed me money. My laptop was dying. And I was convinced someone from my village was working against me. I actually called my mother and asked her to pray against "spiritual attacks."
She listened patiently, then asked me a simple question that changed everything: "Samson, how many hours did you work this week?" I couldn't answer. Because the truth was, I'd spent more time scrolling through Instagram watching other people succeed than actually working on my own business.
That night, I made a decision. I would stop blaming invisible forces and start taking visible responsibility. Three months later, my income tripled. Not because village people suddenly left me alone, but because I finally left my excuses behind.
🎯 Real Talk
Listen, I'm not saying spiritual warfare doesn't exist. I'm not dismissing prayer or faith. But what I'm saying is this: if you're using "village people" as your go-to explanation for why nothing is working in your life, you're robbing yourself of the power to change your situation. You're giving away your agency to forces you can't control, while ignoring the actions you can take.
Sometimes the person holding you back is staring right back at you in the mirror
The 7 Real Reasons You're Still Struggling
Let me break down the actual reasons most Nigerians stay stuck. These aren't spiritual attacks. They're practical, fixable problems that you have complete control over. The question is: are you ready to face them?
⚠️ This Will Be Uncomfortable
What you're about to read might sting. You might feel defensive. You might want to close this page and go back to blaming external forces. That's your choice. But if you're tired of being stuck, if you're genuinely ready to change, keep reading. Because honesty is the first step to transformation.
Reason 1: You're Not Consistent Enough
This is the number one killer of dreams in Nigeria. You start a business with excitement on Monday. By Thursday, you're discouraged because you haven't made sales. By the next Monday, you've abandoned it and started chasing a new "opportunity" you saw on Instagram.
I see this pattern everywhere. Someone starts a blog and publishes two posts, then disappears for six months. Another person opens an online store, posts products for two weeks, gets no sales, and concludes "online business doesn't work in Nigeria." A freelancer sends five proposals on Upwork, gets rejected, and decides freelancing is a scam.
The Nigerian Scenario
Let me paint you a real picture. Chioma decided to start selling cakes. She made beautiful flyers, posted them on her WhatsApp status, and waited. Three days later, no orders. One week later, still nothing. She concluded that people in her area don't appreciate quality and gave up.
What Chioma didn't do: Post consistently for 90 days. Engage with potential customers. Offer free samples to influencers in her neighborhood. Join local women's groups. Partner with event planners. She gave up before the market even knew she existed.
✅ What Consistency Actually Looks Like
Real consistency means showing up even when you're tired. Even when nobody's watching. Even when results are slow. It means publishing that blog post when your laptop is lagging. Sending out proposals even after 20 rejections. Posting your products even when engagement is low. Success doesn't come to the talented—it comes to the persistent.
How to Fix This
Set a 90-day commitment: Choose one thing and commit to doing it daily for 90 days, no matter what. No excuses, no breaks.
Track your efforts: Keep a simple journal where you write what you did each day. This helps you see progress even when results are slow.
Expect the dip: Week 2-6 is where most people quit. Prepare yourself mentally. This is where your commitment will be tested.
Celebrate small wins: Got your first comment on a blog post? First inquiry about your product? First client call? Celebrate it. Momentum builds on small victories.
Success is built one consistent day at a time, not in one explosive moment
Reason 2: You're Not Learning From Failures
Every failure is a classroom, but most people treat it like a funeral. They fail once and declare themselves cursed. They try something, it doesn't work, and instead of asking "What can I learn from this?" they ask "Who is doing this to me?"
The truth is, failure is data. Every "no" from a client tells you something. Every product that doesn't sell teaches you something about your market. Every business that collapses reveals gaps in your strategy. But you have to be willing to extract the lessons instead of just feeling the pain.
The Real Example
I failed at mini importation three times before I got it right. The first time, I imported phone accessories that nobody wanted because I didn't research the market. Loss: ₦45,000. The second time, I partnered with someone who disappeared with my money. Loss: ₦80,000. The third time, I underpriced my products and barely broke even.
I could have blamed village people and quit. Instead, I sat down and analyzed each failure. First failure taught me about market research. Second failure taught me about due diligence in partnerships. Third failure taught me about proper pricing. By the fourth attempt, I was profitable because I'd learned from every mistake.
💡 Real Example From My Journey
When I started Daily Reality NG, my first 20 articles got almost zero traffic. Instead of giving up, I studied what successful Nigerian bloggers were doing differently. I learned about SEO, keyword research, and compelling headlines. I applied those lessons. Today, we serve 800,000+ monthly visitors. Not because village people stopped attacking me, but because I stopped making the same mistakes.
How to Learn From Failure
Do a post-mortem: After every failure, write down what happened, why it happened, and what you'll do differently next time.
Seek feedback: Ask people who succeeded where you failed. Most successful people are willing to share lessons if you ask humbly.
Read about others' failures: Every successful person has a trail of failures behind them. Study their journey. You'll find patterns.
Adjust your strategy: Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. After each failure, make one significant change in your approach.
Reason 3: Your Environment Is Toxic
Show me your five closest friends, and I'll show you your future. This isn't spiritual—it's statistical. The people you spend the most time with shape your mindset, habits, and ultimately, your results.
If all your friends do is drink, party, and complain about Nigeria, guess what you'll end up doing? If everyone around you is comfortable being broke, guess where you'll stay? If your family constantly discourages your dreams and tells you to "be realistic," guess how far you'll go?
The Nigerian Reality
Many Nigerians are surrounded by people who pull them down while claiming to love them. Your uncle who mocks your online business. Your friend who says "stop wasting time on that laptop" whenever you're working. Your siblings who laugh at your goals because they've given up on theirs. Your neighbors who gossip about your struggles instead of supporting your growth.
These people aren't your village people—they're just people with limited vision trying to fit you into their limitations. And if you're not careful, you'll shrink yourself to make them comfortable.
🚨 The Hard Truth About Toxic Relationships
Sometimes the people holding you back are the ones you love most. Your best friend who gets jealous when you start succeeding. Your partner who feels threatened by your growth. Your family members who prefer you stay small so they can feel big. Love them from a distance if you must, but don't let them sabotage your progress.
How to Change Your Environment
Audit your circle: List the five people you spend most time with. Do they inspire you or drain you? Do they push you forward or hold you back?
Join growth-oriented communities: Find online groups, WhatsApp communities, or physical meetups where people are doing what you want to do.
Limit toxic exposure: You don't need to cut people off completely, but you can reduce time spent with those who consistently discourage you.
Seek mentors actively: Find someone who's 5-10 years ahead of you and learn from them. Even if it's just following them online and studying their content.
Your environment can either lift you up or pull you down—choose wisely
Reason 4: You're Waiting Instead of Taking Action
I'll be blunt: most people never start because they're waiting for perfect conditions that will never come. They're waiting for more capital. Waiting for more knowledge. Waiting for the "right time." Waiting for a sign from God. Meanwhile, life is passing them by.
You know what successful people do? They start with what they have. They figure things out along the way. They build the plane while flying it. They don't wait for permission or perfect timing—they create momentum and let momentum create opportunities.
The Waiting Game Nigerians Play
Tunde wants to start a YouTube channel but he's waiting to buy a professional camera. Never mind that his phone has a decent camera and YouTube's biggest creators started with less. Amaka wants to start freelance writing but she's waiting to "learn more" even though she's been taking courses for two years and hasn't written a single paid article. Emeka wants to start a business but he's waiting to save ₦500,000 when he could start with ₦50,000 and learn as he grows.
Here's what they don't realize: waiting is just fear wearing a mask of wisdom. It's procrastination dressed up as preparation. And it's costing them years of progress.
🎯 My Start-Small Story
I started Daily Reality NG with zero capital. No money for hosting, no fancy laptop, no professional training. I used a free Blogger platform, wrote on a borrowed laptop, and learned SEO from YouTube. My first article took six hours to write because I had to research everything. But I started. And that imperfect start became 800,000 monthly visitors nine years later. If I had waited for perfect conditions, you wouldn't be reading this right now.
How to Stop Waiting and Start Doing
Set a deadline: Give yourself 7 days to start. Not to perfect, not to complete—just to start. Launch that business. Send that first pitch. Post that first video. Imperfect action beats perfect inaction every single time.
Start with what you have: Stop waiting for better resources. Use your phone if you don't have a laptop. Start with ₦10,000 if you don't have ₦100,000. Write in a free notebook if you can't afford a journal. The tools don't create success—your actions do.
Embrace being a beginner: Everyone who's great at something was once terrible at it. Give yourself permission to suck at the beginning. Your first blog post will be awkward. Your first pitch will be rejected. Your first product will have flaws. That's normal. Keep going.
Create accountability: Tell someone your deadline. Join a group where you have to report progress. Public commitment increases follow-through dramatically.
Reason 5: You're Not Willing to Sacrifice
Let's talk about the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to hear: success requires sacrifice. You can't have everything you want right now and still build the future you dream about. Something has to give.
But here's what I see constantly—people who want the results of sacrifice without the actual sacrificing. They want the business to grow but they're not willing to skip parties to work on it. They want to earn dollars freelancing but they're not willing to spend nights learning skills while their friends sleep. They want financial freedom but they're not willing to cut unnecessary expenses and invest in themselves.
The Sacrifice Reality in Nigeria
Success in Nigeria requires even more sacrifice because our environment is harder. You're sacrificing when you wake up at 5 AM to work before NEPA takes light. You're sacrificing when you spend your last ₦2,000 on data instead of beer. You're sacrificing when you stay home working on your laptop while your agemates are flexing at Cubana.
And here's the thing—these sacrifices are temporary. The friends partying every weekend will still be in the same place five years from now. But you? You'll be in a completely different tax bracket. The question is: are you willing to do what they won't so you can live how they can't?
⚠️ What Sacrifice Actually Means
Sacrifice doesn't mean suffering. It means choosing your hard. It's hard to sacrifice social time to build a business. But it's also hard to be broke at 35. It's hard to invest in courses when money is tight. But it's also hard to stay stuck in a low-paying job forever. Choose your hard wisely, because you're going to experience one of them anyway.
Common Sacrifices Successful People Make
Sleep (temporarily): Waking up earlier or sleeping later to get extra work done. Not forever, but during critical building phases.
Social life: Missing parties, hangouts, and social events to focus on building. Your friends won't understand, but your future self will thank you.
Entertainment: Cutting back on Netflix, football viewing, and endless scrolling to create time for productive work.
Short-term comfort: Living below your means, staying in that small apartment a bit longer, using that old phone while you invest in growth.
Instant gratification: Delaying purchases, skipping trends, resisting the pressure to "show" before you actually have anything real to show.
How to Make Smart Sacrifices
Don't sacrifice your health—that's stupidity, not discipline. Don't sacrifice important relationships—just reduce time with those who drain you. Don't sacrifice your mental health—rest is productive. Instead, sacrifice the things that don't serve your goals: excessive social media, mindless entertainment, expensive habits that give temporary pleasure but no lasting value.
The lonely hours of sacrifice today create the celebrated success of tomorrow
Reason 6: You're Comparing Your Chapter 1 to Their Chapter 20
Social media has made this problem worse. You're just starting your journey, struggling to make your first ₦50,000 online, and you open Instagram to see someone your age buying their third car. You're learning freelancing, sending proposals and getting rejected, and you see someone posting screenshots of $5,000 earnings.
What you don't see? The five years they spent building before they posted that car. The 500 rejected proposals they sent before landing that $5,000 client. The nights they cried, the times they almost quit, the failures they hid from the camera. You're comparing your messy beginning to their edited highlight reel, and it's killing your motivation.
The Instagram Lie
That influencer with designer clothes? Probably in debt. That entrepreneur with the fancy office? Might be three months behind on rent. That "overnight success"? Took seven years of grinding in silence. Stop believing the highlight reels. Start focusing on your own progress, no matter how small.
✅ The Comparison That Actually Helps
Instead of comparing yourself to others, compare yourself to who you were last month. Did you learn a new skill? Send more proposals? Publish more content? Earn more money? Make better decisions? That's the only comparison that matters. You're not competing with anyone except the person you were yesterday.
How to Stop Destructive Comparison
Limit social media: Seriously. If Instagram makes you feel inadequate, reduce your time there. Use it strategically for learning and networking, not endless scrolling.
Unfollow triggers: If someone's posts consistently make you feel bad about yourself, unfollow them. Your mental health is more important than their content.
Celebrate your wins: Keep a success journal. Write down every small victory. Made your first ₦1,000 online? Write it down. Got your first client? Document it. These small wins compound.
Remember your starting point: Look back at where you were six months ago. You've probably grown more than you realize. Progress isn't always obvious day-to-day, but it's clear year-to-year.
Reason 7: You're Not Asking for Help
Pride will keep you poor. I'm not talking about healthy self-confidence. I'm talking about the stubborn pride that makes you refuse to ask questions, seek guidance, or admit you don't know something. The pride that makes you try to figure everything out alone when someone who's already walked the path could show you shortcuts.
The fastest way to succeed is to find someone who's already where you want to be and learn from them. But most people are too proud to admit they need help. Too embarrassed to reach out. Too afraid of looking stupid to ask questions. So they waste years learning lessons the hard way that could have been learned in weeks with proper mentorship.
The Nigerian Mentorship Problem
Many Nigerians believe asking for help is a sign of weakness. We'd rather struggle for five years than reach out to someone who could help us in five minutes. We see successful people and assume they're too big to respond to us, so we don't even try. We make excuses: "They won't reply." "I don't want to disturb them." "What if they think I'm begging?"
Meanwhile, those same successful people often remember when they were struggling and are willing to help those who approach them respectfully. I respond to dozens of messages monthly from readers asking for advice. Why? Because I remember when I needed help and someone gave it to me.
💡 How I Found My First Mentors
I didn't wait for mentors to find me—I found them. I identified successful bloggers I admired, studied their content for months, then sent thoughtful emails asking specific questions. Not "teach me everything" but "I noticed you do X, can you explain your approach?" Most didn't reply, but two did. Those two conversations saved me literally years of trial and error. All because I was willing to ask.
How to Get Mentorship (Even With No Money)
Consume their content deeply: Before reaching out to anyone, study their work. Read their articles, watch their videos, listen to their podcasts. Show that you've done your homework.
Ask specific questions: Don't send "please mentor me" messages. Ask specific, thoughtful questions that show you're serious and you've been paying attention.
Offer value first: Can you help promote their content? Share their work? Provide feedback? Start by giving, not taking. Relationships built on value exchange last longer.
Join paid communities: If you can afford it, join masterminds, courses, or communities led by people you want to learn from. Paid access often means better guidance.
Be coachable: When someone gives you advice, implement it and report back. Nothing attracts mentorship like someone who actually applies what they learn.
The right guidance can compress years of struggle into months of focused growth
How to Actually Move Forward
Now that you know the real reasons you're stuck, let's talk about concrete steps to move forward. This isn't theory—these are practical actions that have worked for me and thousands of Nigerians I've helped over the years.
Step 1: Take Radical Responsibility
Starting today, stop blaming anything or anyone for your situation. Your past, your family, the government, village people, bad luck—none of it matters anymore. The only thing that matters is what you do from this moment forward. Accept that you are 100 percent responsible for your life, and that acceptance will give you 100 percent power to change it.
Step 2: Audit Your Current Reality
Get brutally honest about where you are. Write down your income, your skills, your daily habits, your relationships, your health, your goals. Don't exaggerate, don't minimize—just state the facts. You can't fix what you won't face. This audit is your starting line.
Step 3: Choose One Focus Area
Don't try to fix everything at once. Choose one area where improvement would create the biggest impact. Usually, it's income. Pick one income stream—freelancing, blogging, digital products, a service business—and commit to mastering it for the next 90 days. Ignore everything else.
Step 4: Create a Simple Daily System
Success isn't about motivation—it's about systems. Create a daily routine that moves you toward your goal. Example for freelancing: Wake at 5 AM, learn one new skill concept (30 mins), send 5 proposals (1 hour), improve portfolio (30 mins). Do this daily for 90 days and you will see results. The system beats willpower every time.
Step 5: Track Everything
Keep a simple spreadsheet or notebook. Track your daily actions, your income, your lessons learned. When you track, you become aware. When you're aware, you improve. I still track my daily writing output, my site traffic, and my income nine years into this journey. Tracking keeps you accountable to yourself.
Step 6: Join a Supportive Community
Find or create a group of people on the same journey. It could be an online forum, a WhatsApp group, or a physical meetup. Share your struggles, celebrate your wins, and hold each other accountable. Isolation kills dreams faster than failure does.
✅ The 90-Day Challenge
Here's my challenge to you: Pick one goal. One focus area. Create a daily system around it. Work that system every single day for 90 days. No excuses. No breaks. Track your progress. Report to someone weekly. After 90 days, evaluate. I guarantee you'll be shocked at how far you've come. Not because village people left you alone, but because you finally stopped leaving yourself behind.
Key Takeaways: Stop Blaming, Start Building
Village people aren't your problem—lack of consistency, learning, and action are your real obstacles
Every failure is data; learn from mistakes instead of just feeling the pain and blaming external forces
Your environment shapes your outcomes—audit your circle and limit exposure to toxic relationships
Waiting for perfect conditions is just fear in disguise; start with what you have right now
Success requires sacrifice of comfort, instant gratification, and short-term pleasures for long-term gains
Comparing your beginning to others' highlight reels kills motivation; focus on your own progress
Pride keeps you poor; seek mentorship and ask for help from those ahead of you
Take radical responsibility for your life—you are 100 percent in control of your response to circumstances
Create simple daily systems and track everything; consistency beats motivation every time
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you saying spiritual warfare doesn't exist?
No. I'm not dismissing the spiritual realm or the power of prayer. What I'm saying is that using "village people" as your default explanation for every struggle robs you of agency and keeps you stuck. Pray, but also work. Have faith, but also take action. Most problems we blame on spirits are actually the result of poor decisions, lack of consistency, or toxic environments. Address those first.
What if I've tried everything and nothing works?
If you've genuinely tried multiple approaches with full commitment for at least 90 days each and seen zero progress, the issue is likely in your execution, not the strategy. Get feedback from someone who's successful in that area. They'll spot what you're missing. Often, it's one small adjustment—better messaging, different target market, improved skill level—that makes all the difference.
How do I stay motivated when everyone around me is negative?
Stop depending on motivation—build systems instead. Motivation fluctuates; systems are consistent. Create a daily routine you can follow even when you feel discouraged. Limit time with negative people, consume inspiring content daily, and join online communities of people doing what you want to do. Your environment doesn't have to be physical—it can be digital too.
I'm in my 30s or 40s—is it too late to change my life?
Absolutely not. Colonel Sanders started KFC at 62. Vera Wang entered fashion at 40. Many Nigerian entrepreneurs found success in their 30s and 40s after years of struggle. You have more life experience, maturity, and wisdom now than you did at 20. Use it. The best time to start was 10 years ago. The second best time is right now.
What if I don't have money to invest in learning or business?
I started with zero capital. The internet is full of free resources—YouTube tutorials, free courses, blogs like this one. Start with free knowledge, apply it to offer services, earn money, then invest in paid learning. You can learn freelance writing, graphic design, social media management, virtual assistance—all for free. Skills are your capital when you don't have money.
How long before I see results?
Expect 3 to 6 months of consistent daily action before you see meaningful results. Some people get lucky earlier, others take longer. But if you commit to 90 days of focused effort on one thing, you will see progress. It might not be financial yet, but you'll see skills improving, confidence building, opportunities appearing. Keep going.
Founder of Daily Reality NG. Helping everyday Nigerians navigate life, business, and digital opportunities since 2016. I've helped over 4,000 readers start making money online, and my sites currently serve 800,000+ monthly visitors across Africa.
The uncomfortable truth is that you've always had the power to change your life. You just needed permission to stop making excuses. Consider this your permission slip. Now go build something real.
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