Japa’, marriages, and side hustles: The unconventional ways Nigerians are surviving the 2026 economy

Looking to 10x your income? From marriage and relocation to investing and side hustles, Nigerians reveal the most surprising ways they boosted their income. See the top money-making lessons.

If there’s one thing Nigerians will always do, it’s find a way to make money, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. This is not surprising given the current and progressive state of the economic disaster.

It all started with a simple but loaded question on X (formerly Twitter): “Men, tell us your unhinged money-making hacks. What did you do to 10x your income? Don’t gatekeep.”

What followed was a flood of brutally honest, wildly different, and surprisingly insightful responses, ranging from marriage (marriage PR is that you?) and relocation to stock investments and pure street-smart strategy.

We went through the most interesting takes, and honestly, some of these “unhinged” hacks are actually life lessons in disguise. Here are the biggest takeaways.

This one came up more times than expected, which is surprising considering how men on X constantly talk down to women. It seems that beyond romance, many men consider marriage a strategic life move.

Marriage (Yes, love might actually boost your income)

One user shared how he teamed up with his wife, shared his plans with her, and listened to her, which resulted in his income increasing by 297%.”

Another broke it down even further: “Got married. The power of household income >>>>”

Babájídé added that marrying early helped him stay focused and essentially gave him “the brainpower of two". At the same time, Ọba Délékè casually revealed he now enjoys returns from investing in his wife’s business.

The takeaway? Marriage is not just about emotional support and coitus. They view it through the lens of partnership, shared goals, and combined financial strength.

Upskilling (the most reliable cheat code)

This was the most consistent, grounded and practical entry. In simple terms: increase your value, increase your income.

As one user put it: “You’re only as valuable as the impact you keep bringing to the table.”

Another added: “The more valuable skill I acquire, the more valuable I become and the more money I make.”

Here is the simple but powerful strategy:

Learn high-income skills
Document your results
Negotiate better or switch jobs

It’s not flashy, but it works, and clearly, it pays.

Investing

Just the same way your savings saves you in tough times, investing is a smart way to multiply your income to prevent tough times. These users understood that.

Olumide Adesina talked about buying undervalued assets and letting time do its thing, while others mentioned investing in the Nigerian stock market and simply watching it grow.

Then there’s the more intense version. One user shared how years of studying investing, working high-level finance jobs, and making calculated bets on stocks allowed him to eventually retire early and relocate to Asia.

The lesson here is that money doesn’t always come from working harder. If it did, labourers would be the richest people in the world. But it comes from letting your money work smarter.

Japa (relocating)

‘Japa’ (relocating) has always been a recurring and popular conversation on X, as many Nigerians see it as a path to greener pastures, better education, and escaping the rabbit hole that is Nigeria.

One user said it bluntly: “I left Nigeria bruh…” Another claimed that his income grew by over 1000x, which is indeed wild.

While relocation helps you earn in foreign currency, it also gives you access to better-paying markets, more opportunities and stronger economic systems and opens your eyes and mind to endless possibilities.

The power of community

The power of community is an underrated wealth strategy. You can’t do life solo and expect to succeed. Take Mark Zuckerberg, for example. In his early years, he had friends who believed in his crazy idea and invested in it. That’s just one example out of many.

Precious Oriaifo shared something similar. He connected with men doing way better than him instead of competing with them and was able to go up from there.

Another user talked about introducing friends to his income stream, which eventually evolved into something bigger and more scalable.

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Some even recommended:

Building with people whose skills complement yours
Starting investment clubs
Sharing knowledge publicly

Apparently, your network really is your net worth.

Smart hustling beats hard hustling

Other users shared how they made money with skills like cybersecurity, building an agency, buying and reselling domains and more.

Some advised that you upskill, learn a technical skill, specialise in one or two areas and network.

Education is not a scam

Education still matters, but only if you use it well. Many Nigerians are doing things way outside of what they studied in school. This is not a bad thing, but it shows how underutilised education and knowledge are as a tool.

A user moved from ₦120k to ₦1.5 million in under three years after earning multiple degrees and positioning himself better.

Another emphasised mastery. Citing skilful chemists like Marie Curie and physicists like Albert Einstein, who were all Nobel winners and inventors, are extremely skilled with their craft.

So, what’s the real “unhinged” hack?

After going through all these responses, they weren’t exactly unhinged, save for the marriage advice, but one thing becomes clear: There’s no single formula.

Some people got married, left the country, invested early, built strong networks or simply got better at what they do, but beneath it all, there is a consistent pattern. These respondents were Intentional, consistent and smart.