Economy
5 Uncommon Professions That Can Earn You A Living In Lagos
By Nkem Ndem
“I need a job!” That is a line you are bound to hear from droves of young professionals and fresh graduates fresh in Lagos today. Thanks to the natural consequence of the dark economic times we are trudging, there is a high rate of unemployment and people are desperate for job. The good thing about this difficult time is that it now pushes job seekers to think outside the box. They find themselves employing creative manoeuvres and unorthodox tactics…and surprisingly, when they do, they are greeted with opportunities they have never thought existed before. Some of these opportunities result in professions that are not normally viewed as common; however, they pay quite a lot.
Wondering what these unusual employment opportunities may be? Jumia Travel shares 5 uncommon vocations that can earn you a living in Lagos.
Voice-over artiste
So many adverts are shown on TV and radio on the regular with voice overs from different people. Who do you think are behind these voice overs? Celebrities? Not necessarily. Ad agencies and companies regularly hire and pay voice-over artistes for such tasks as dubbing for the television and audio productions, creating online books and audio files amongst other things. These artistes can actually make as much as N50,000 for just 5 minutes of recording. If you have a great voice and you love reading from books and other textual matter, you can try this out.
Personal Shopper
Lagosians love fashion and no matter how broke they claim to be, a majority of the city’s residents will still shop till they drop. The thing, though, is that most of these people who can afford to shop so much, do not have the time or the skill per say to go out shopping for what they need to create the style they are looking for, they instead need personal shoppers to do the task for them. Personal Shopping, though uncommon, is one of the easiest jobs to have in Lagos. The job is probably for people who like to shop all the time and it pays good money too.
Toll Booth Collector
Nobody ever thinks of this job when seeking for employment really, but if you don’t mind sitting in a cramped tin room and collecting money from people all day long, this certainly can be a dream job. From the highways to shopping malls and centers, toll booths are found all over Lagos and all a toll booth collector has to do is sit around in the tiny room, collect money from people driving off to better places. The perk is that you could get tips from people who want to brighten up your day. The good thing is you can even just decide to work just night shifts and do something else in the day time. While this seems like a lazy job, it pays quite handsomely for the little work you do.
House-Sitting
This job which literally involves babysitting a house, mostly luxury homes, may seem far-fetched for Lagos, but it really is not. A number of people who own houses within the city either live in other countries or travel a lot and need people to tend to their houses while they are away. It is not common to find houses in Ikoyi area and Banana island, including VGC being occupied by house-sitters. The responsibility of a house sitter is such that he/she ensures that when the homeowners are away, they safeguard the space, most times, living in their home like it is their own and getting paid for it.
Dog walker
Lagosians, especially those who live in highbrow areas like Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki and VGC, usually have a lot of things on their plate and barely have the time to groom, train or walk their pets. They employ dog walkers to help tackle that responsibility for them. While the mere mention of a dog walker as a source of real money will come as a joke to many, there are people who do earn a living out of this job in Lagos and making good money. Keep in mind though that this job is basically best suited for people who are in love with animals and have the patience required.
Nkem Ndem is a PR Associate at Jumia Travel.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc kept the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange in the green territory by 0.04 per cent on Friday, July 16.
The securities depository company added N2.50 to its share price to settle at N95.14 per unit from the preceding session’s N92.64 per unit.
However, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc slid during the session by N5.85 to N141.81 per share from N147.66 per share.
But when the bourse closed for the day, the market capitalisation increased by N1.08 billion to N2.593 trillion from N2.592 trillion, while the NASD Security Index (NSI) appreciated by 1.80 points to 4,320.67 points from 4,318.87 points.
During the session, the value of securities slid by 38.9 per cent to N63.5 million from N104.1 million, the volume of securities went down by 34.5 per cent to 1.2 million units from 4.8 million units, and the number of deals declined by 15.4 per cent to 33 deals from 39 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 75.4 million units traded for N5.3 billion.
GNI Plc also ended the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units exchanged for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
The bulls regained control of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Friday after surrendering power to the bears a day earlier as a result of mild selling pressure.
Yesterday, the Nigerian bourse rebounded by 0.54 per cent, mainly due to the gains recorded by First Holdco and others.
Data harvested by Business Post indicated that the industrial goods and energy sectors were flat, while the banking index chalked up 3.13 per cent. The insurance space expanded by 1.08 per cent, and the consumer goods counter rose by 0.21 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 1,316.52 points to 243,462.13 points from 242,145.61 points, and the market capitalisation grew by N850 billion to N157.057 trillion from N156.207 trillion.
The market breadth index was bullish during the last trading session of this week, printing 31 appreciating stocks and 23 depreciating stocks, representing strong investor sentiment.
First Holdco led the advancers’ log after it climbed 9.97 per cent to N95.95, Haldane McCall appreciated by 9.94 per cent to N3.65, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank soared by 9.73 per cent to N3.72, LASACO Assurance jumped by 5.26 per cent to N2.00, and Thomas Wyatt gained 5.10 per cent to quote at N3.09.
On the flip side, Red Star Express declined by 9.50 per cent to N20.00, Omatek slipped by 6.08 per cent to N1.70, C&I Leasing shrank by 5.93 per cent to N5.55, Jaiz Bank crashed by 5.03 per cent to N8.50, and Livestock Feed fell by 3.89 per cent to N8.65.
As for the activity chart, market participants bought and sold 685.9 million equities for N42.7 billion in 44,134 deals on Friday versus the 498.5 million equities worth N34.9 billion traded in 39,484 deals on Thursday, implying a rise in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 37.59 per cent, 22.35 per cent, and 11.78 per cent, respectively.
Investors’ darling for the day was First Holdco, with a turnover of 225.9 billion units valued at N21.0 billion, Guinea Insurance sold 53.4 million units for N45.2 million, Zenith Bank traded 41.5 million units worth N4.7 billion, Access Holdings exchanged 29.1 million units valued at N720.6 million, and UBA exchanged 27.5 million units for N1.2 billion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has appealed to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to deepen its sensitisation on the newly introduced Green Tax Surcharge Policy.
The chairman of APFFLON, Mr Akeem Ayobiojo, made this plea on behalf of his colleagues on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Customs House in Abuja, during a stakeholders’ engagement with the agency.
He also called for improvements in the administration of Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports and Post Clearance Audit and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Ayobiojo stated that freight forwarders were happy to work with the customs, commending the organisation for implementing Chapter 99, describing it as a major relief for manufacturers.
He, however, emphasised that a deeper understanding of the new tax was necessary for his members, saying more predictable procedures would reduce delays and unexpected costs for importers and freight forwarders.
In his remarks, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, assured manufacturers, freight forwarders and other players in the nation’s trade sector that the NCS would continue to engage them on fiscal policies affecting their businesses, saying sustained dialogue remains key to resolving implementation challenges and improving the country’s trading environment.
He also promised them the service’s resolve to enhance and facilitate trade, acknowledging that, “Your feedback is important because it helps us understand what is happening in the field, and where necessary, we will take your concerns to the Federal Ministry of Finance and other relevant government institutions.”
Speaking about Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Mr Adeniyi further explained that Nigeria would not lower the standards required under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme as the initiative is guided by global benchmarks established by the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
On her part, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs for Tariff and Trade, Ms Caroline Niagwan, clarified that electric vehicles can be imported without payment of duty only by holders of Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
She also urged importers facing classification disputes to take advantage of the Advance Ruling system, noting, “Once an Advance Ruling is issued based on genuine documentation, importers have certainty on classification, valuation or origin before the goods arrive, thereby reducing unnecessary disputes during clearance.”
