The 27-year-old single mother of two relates how acquaintances dubbed her frugal for holding onto her NYSC money as she launches a food company.
In an interview with PUNCH, the former corp member known as Gladys Adija disclosed that she had served in Plateau State and had tried her hardest to save her NYSC budget.
She said that she had stayed with a friend who lived close to her principal assignment location and tried to avoid incurring additional costs.
Despite just using N8K each month, she said that she saved N320K from her NYSC allowance.
Her media interview went like this:
I had the honor of lodging with a longtime friend who happened to live close to my main assignment area when I was in Plateau. It was beneficial for both of us that she worked at a nearby place. I asked her if I may stay at her apartment for a while, and she kindly granted my request,” Gladys remarked.
What was your initial perception of the NYSC program?
“By the time my service year ended, I had saved almost N320,000.” I still found it difficult to maintain my friend’s quality of living even though I only spent N8,000 of my stipend each month and saved the remainder. I started taking up cleaning and laundry jobs to help me make ends meet. I also started tutoring kids to supplement my income. Even though at the time my friends made fun of me for leading a thrifty lifestyle, I am thankful for where I am now. Still, my parents were looking after my child while I was serving. I therefore usually counsel women against having premarital sex because my NYSC experience was not enjoyable.
When you failed to live up to your friend’s expectations, how did she feel?
My mother would send me food supplies to keep us going at the end of each month. I also managed to earn a little money from a part-time job I had, which I utilized to buy necessities for the residence. I made every effort to help as much as I could while still seeing to my friend’s requirements. But as I started to realize that I couldn’t afford to do some of the things that required large sums of money to save up, I started to avoid social events. I used to graciously turn down invites to hang out by saying I had other commitments, like going to Bible study, or I was busy with other things. Because most people didn’t realize that I wasn’t stingy and that I was following my goals, I ended up with the nickname “stingy coco” from others who didn’t know about my financial limitations.