Many people had to wade through flooded roads this week. Indeed, it is the peak of the rainy season in Nigeria.
However, floods on the road are not the only thing sinking people. There is another flood that drains bank accounts every month: black tax in Nigeria. This is the money workers send to parents, siblings, and relatives, often before they meet their own needs.
A recent tweet shows just how heavy this load has become. It held the Nigerian Twitter timeline in a chokehold for days.
The Story That Shocked the Timeline
The tweet told the story of a young man who works at MTN. He earns ₦550,000 every month. After deductions, he takes home ₦390,000.
From there, the money vanishes into a list of expenses:
- Rent
- Diesel
- Transport
- Feeding
- ₦100,000 sent to his family every month
That last line is the black tax. As a result, he had only ₦8,000 left last month. He then had to borrow money from a colleague to get by.
His exact words were painful to read: “From outside I look successful. Inside I am one emergency away from collapse.”
The tweet quickly gained over 331,000 views. Why? Because millions of Nigerians carry the same load. For many first-generation earners, one salary feeds an entire family tree.
Meanwhile, prices keep rising, and everyone feels the pressure. In fact, the high cost of living leaves many workers with almost nothing after black tax and bills.
To be clear, supporting family is not the problem. Black tax comes from love and duty. Instead, the real danger is having nothing left for yourself. Moreover, “I will start investing next month” often stays a promise for years.
How to Handle Black Tax Without Going Broke
Fortunately, there is a way to carry the load without collapsing under it. Learn to pay yourself first. This means investing money automatically, before bills and family requests start rolling in.
Here is the hard truth: people who invest only what is left over never invest anything. This is because there is never anything left at the end of the month. That is why experts recommend reverse budgeting, where your set-aside money leaves the account the moment salary lands.
It also helps to keep daily spending money separate from long-term investments. Additionally, a fixed monthly amount for family, rather than open-ended requests, makes the black tax predictable.
Secure Yourself First, Then Support Others
This is exactly the job of a FundQuest investment account. It moves money out of reach first, before every other demand comes for it. That way, black tax takes its share, but it never takes everything.
Get started today.
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www.fundquestnigeria.com/investments
