17 Side Hustles for Students in Nigeria 2020

The average Nigerian student will definitely have a better understanding and experience of what being broke looks or feels like in Nigeria. The many academic years of having to go to the lecture room with little or no cash at hand and the experience of having to walk miles or use free rides to get to the various lecture halls and the struggle of having to get a decent meal formula which can be a very frustrating experience.

Well, I   attended a Nigerian university from a decent home and I have the first-hand experience of what it feels like to be a broke kid in school.

It was upon my convocation from the university that I came to understood that this could have been avoided if I had paid more attention to certain factors which I could have leveraged on to give myself the opportunity of making cool cash while on the campus without having to resort in illicit or illegal activities to compliment what I was receiving from home.

There is no gainsaying to posit that a large chunk of the Nigerian students is heavily financed by their parents. The average age of students in the Nigerian Tertiary Institution is between the age of 18 to 27, this figure is not actually the official age bracket as no survey was carried out by me to authenticate this claim, however, we can easily peg it at that.

Outside the walls of the Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, in the Labor Market, there is a great number of people without any form of meaningful employment as they search daily the various recruiting agencies in Nigeria hoping to secure a decent job in Nigeria. The truth is job opportunities in Nigeria is limited as the number of people searching for jobs in Nigeria outweighs greatly on a scale of 10 to 1 the figures of the available jobs in the nation.

And on the other hand, starting a business in Nigeria might seem to many a herculean task because of the inability of many to raise capital to start a business in Nigeria which is a result of the economic hardship been experienced in the country.

While many might think that while it is hard in getting a decent job in Nigeria or starting a business in Nigeria, it might actually be a hard one in trying to start one as a student when the odds are largely against him because students in Nigeria in most cases are usually heavily engaged in their various institution with various academic commitments which might jeopardize their academic performance if they try engaging in one business or the other or if they ever attempt a part-time job.

Many would say that their sole purpose for going to the university is to read, learn, and pass. While this is true, it is also not complete. The university experience must not just be limited to learning and writing exams alone, there are several other skills and potentials which can be learned and harnessed in the tertiary institution. There are various world millionaires and billionaires who are what they are now because they got a solid insight into what doing or starting a business at a very tender age is.

There are several benefits that come with having or doing a business or a part-time job in Nigeria, they are listed below.

1. It reduces the Over-dependence on Parents– why many might not necessarily agree to this because it is the belief of many that the parents are exclusively responsible for the financial needs of their students in the tertiary institution. However, there is no denying that with the economic realities of the nation, having a part time job or running a side job can actually be a blessing as you do not get to bother your parents or guardians with every little need. There are various students in Nigeria who are self-sponsoring themselves, the idea of having a part-time job or business will definitely be a welcome development for them.
2. Crime Reduction– the Nigerian society is one which is filled with a high level of moral decadence which has seen people employ any means either moral or not to attain or acquire wealth. Cyber-crimes, stealing, and other forms of anti-societal vices have become a normal feature of our tertiary institutions in Nigeria. As a result of peer pressure many have been made to do illicit and illegal activities to make money, however, when a student has a viable and legal source of income, overcoming peer pressure becomes easy and in the long run, helps to curtail the rising cases or rates of crime in Nigeria.
3. Experience is key– One of the most important features of working as a student in the Nigerian tertiary institution is that it helps them garner the much-needed experience which will definitely come in handy later in life.   If you decide you want to start working part-time in the field of your studies or possible future job that’s awesome! Perhaps you want to apply as an intern or as a part-time student worker, which allows you to work fewer hours per week but still maximize your experience. Plus, the experience is something that employers look for when you are applying for your first entry-level job… All the more reason to boost your CV with experience from your student days.
4. Future Engagements– another benefit that comes with working as a student is that it helps you create a nice and strong working or business profile. Your future business partners or employers or investors will definitely see you as an ambitious individual which is actually good for you. This will in the long run give you another added value and advantage in other pursuits in life.
5. You’ll learn career skills– Also in the course of working as a student or running a business in any of the Nigerian Tertiary Institution is that through the process you get to learn new skills as the process will open you to new ideas and innovations which will come to be very useful in other future functions or engagements.
6. You can network– Networking is another benefit that comes with working as a student as in the process you get to meet new people, either mentors or clients, and customers. From there you get to expand your business circles, gaining the business acumen which will definitely come to play later. The process of the network also to a very great extent opens the door for more opportunities that you can always leverage on. In business, there is value in creating connections and partnerships.

17 Lucrative Side Hustles for Students in Nigeria

1. Tutoring– without having to place a burden on yourself and your academics, this is one of the most easily available businesses that you can do as a student in the university. You can leverage your location to teach primary school students or secondary school students in arranged time which are favorable to both parties. You can also teach your colleagues or students at lower levels than you at the university. Through this way you get to make a decent living for yourself that can cover your immediate needs.
2. Blogging– this is another business that students can do that does not require large capital to start. In doing a blogging business in Nigeria, all that is needed is a phone or a laptop with a good internet connection. Create a good and engaging niche for yourself, put on your platforms engaging content, and ensure that you are creative with your updates. You can start a food blog or a news blog. Many students are into running campus blogs where they discuss the various happenings in the school. Also in blogging, you get to make money in various means, through AdSense activation by google or through running ads for people on your platforms. The goal in blogging is to ensure that you have an active audience base online, when you have this it is easy to draw potential clients to your platform
3. Content creator– this is another remote or freelance job that students can get to do in the universities through which they can make a decent living.  There are various demands for content creators by various online platforms. Platforms like up work, Fiverr among many others is a good place to earn a living by working as a content creator
4. Photography– here all you need do is to get yourself the necessary knowledge and understanding of how to handle a camera, take amazing photos, and edit them. the academic environment is filled with individuals who engage in various social activities every week. You can leverage on this to create for yourself an amazing job experience where you get to make money every week and in no time create a studio where you get to expand your business by bringing more people under your tutelage.
5. Cake baking– this is another easy to start a business in which all you need is the skills. The university environment is filled with students with one celebration or the other, there is a high demand for cakes from the students. Leveraging on this to make money will definitely turn out to be a wise decision. All you need is to be creative with your products, establish good customer relations. Starting a cake business requires very little fund
6. Ushering– there are plenty of events in the university in which you can act or serve as ushers to make cool cash. From social activities to academic functions or religious functions, all you have to do is get yourself to sign up for any of the agencies involved in recruiting ushers for events in your university.
7. Hair making– Fashion is a culture in the university, people spend a lot to look good, starting a hair making business is very lucrative. Here you get to make hair for your colleagues during your spare hours. For the ladies, the amount used to make hairs can be very high depending on the hairstyle.
8. Event planning– an event planning business can also be very lucrative in any of the Nigerian universities. There are always different events which are done in the various Nigerian campuses. Get the knowledge on how to plan events today and start that amazing journey to planning events in Nigeria. Good luck
9. Tailoring– as earlier stated, fashion is a very lucrative business in various Nigerian universities. People invest so much to look good and trendy. Getting to know how to make clothes for people is a wise investment. Be creative with it and seek to update yourself with new skills and knowledge on amazing clothes which makes impressive fashion statements and you will see yourself making a fortune as a tailor.
10. Web design– this is another business that is very lucrative now and very common among the youths, leverage on the huge customer or client base that comes with the digital world to start a web designing business in your university. Here all you need is the skills, a computer and a good supply of electricity which can be easily gotten as the university community ensures that there is always adequate power supply for its students.
11. Bead making– making beads is another viable business that you can start in your respective school to make money. Depending on your level of creativity, there are various things that can be done or created with the use of the beads to make nice and impressive fashion statements.
12. Pencil drawing– if you have the talents, all you need is a pencil and a drawing platform to put your talent to work. Not everyone can do this so there is a limited number of people plying this art in Nigeria.
13. Painter– painting is another good business that you can actually lay your hands on. The painting of new rooms for new students can give you a decent financial gain.
14. Standup comedian– you can also serve or act as a comedian in the numerous social activities on campus and get paid for it. If you have the talents, do not waste it. Do something.
15. Musician– also there is a market for this in the university, you can get to explore the unending and numerous social events in the school to harness your talent and launch yourself into the limelight while also making a decent living.
16. Retailing hair products
17. Makeup artist

By Marcus Amudipe