For generations, a full-time job was seen as the surest route out of poverty. In Nigeria today, it is increasingly becoming another form of it. The country’s cost-of-living crisis has created a new class of workers. They are employed, work long hours and rarely miss a day on the job. Yet many still rely on tips, remittances and the generosity of relatives to survive. The popular advice to “find a side hustle” assumes workers own their time. Many do not.
At 6 a.m., Ayodele Sanusi, a 39-year-old security guard and father of three, reports for duty at a residential estate in Magodo, Lagos. For the next 12 hours, he checks visitors, opens gates, patrols the premises and responds to residents’ requests. By the time he hands over to the night shift, it is almost 7 p.m. For that, he earns N90,000 a month.
“Before the 12th of every month, my
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