Being a Student in Nigeria Is a Full Time Survival Job

Nobody really prepares you for this part.They tell you to get into school.Face your books.Graduate with good grades.Simple, right?But nobody tells you that being a student in Nigeria is not just about studying.It’s about surviving.You don’t wake up thinking,“What am I learning today?”You wake up thinking,“How am I going to survive today?”Transport has become unpredictable.You get to the bus stop and prices have changed again.Yesterday’s fare is gone.Today, you either adjust or you don’t go.And sometimes, you don’t go.Because when it comes down to it,you start making quiet choices:Transport or food.Food or data.Data or saving the little you have left.Nothing is enough for everything.So you learn to cut corners.You skip meals and call it “I’m not hungry.”You trek distances and call it “exercise.”You stay offline and call it “rest.”But the truth is,you’re adjusting to a system that keeps demanding moreYou finally get to class, already tired, already drained.But lectures don’t slow down for exhaustion.Assignments don’t care that your mind is divided between survival and studying.Deadlines don’t adjust because life is hard.And data?Data has become a luxury.You need it to:submit assignments,attend online classes andstay informedBut every MB feels like you’re spending gold.So you ration it.Turn off background apps.Avoid unnecessary scrolling.Think twice before downloading anything.Education is supposed to be the focus,but survival keeps interrupting.Some students are working side hustles.Some are running small businesses.Some are just managing.Trying to balance:school,money,mental health andexpectationsAll at once.And somehow, you’re still expected to perform excellently.To read.To understand.To succeed.Like your mind is not already carrying too much.You’ll see someone smiling in class,but you don’t know they skipped a meal to afford transport.You’ll see someone quiet,but you don’t know they’re calculating how to make the rest of the week work.We laugh.We say, “Na normal thing.”We say, “We go survive.”But survival was never supposed to be the main curriculum.Being a student in Nigeria is not just a phase of learning.It’s a test of endurance.And honestly?The fact that many students are still showing up, still trying, still pushing,That alone is success.

Other insights from Bolu Tifeh

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons