17 Lucrative Side Hustles for Students in Nigeria

Why would any tertiary institution student in Nigeria desire to have a side hustle? This was the very first question that came to my mind.

Although I wanted to begin this blog post by answering that “Why” but, honestly, everyone has different reasons. So I cannot sell you into why you should go into any part-time business. Your reasons are best known to you.

It could be because you want to get rid of your financial challenges. Or become independent, support yourself and your family or complement your monthly allowance. It could also be to monetize your skill. Or ball on campus. It could be anything. Like I said earlier, your reason(s) is best known to you.

On that note, let’s check out 17 lucrative side hustles university, polytechnic and college of education students in Nigeria can start.

1. Tutoring/ Teaching

Take it or leave it. Teaching people what they don’t know can earn you a good income.

It could be your course mates or junior students on campus. In fact, it could be secondary or primary school students outside your campus. You’d be surprised that parents need home tutors for their kids. So if you are good at teaching math, English language, and sciences, you can start freelance tutoring. Parents are willing to pay a decent sum of money -as long as you can turn their children’s grade around. You may even decide to tutor UTME students seeking admission into tertiary institutions.

If you work hard and find the right marketplace, you can earn up to ₦50,000 monthly or more.

2. Photography

As a student, you can decide to go into photography. You won’t be the first and neither will you be the last.

If you are good at taking wonderful pictures and you can get a camera for yourself, then you are good to go. You can also learn photography to render professional services to people. People want to take pictures of memorable events, make portraits, and things like that.

3. Freelance Writing and Copywriting

If you love writing and you know you are good at it, you can go into freelance writing. You can write articles for bloggers. Website owners and business people need copywriters that can write advertising copies and business copy. You could also ghost-write for authors.

If your writing skill isn’t poor, go ahead and enhance it by learning from exceptional writers and implementing. Luckily, there are hundreds of blogs out there that teach people how to be a successful freelance writer and copywriter.

Trust me when I say this hustle is a lucrative one. There are many Nigerian students earning up to ₦100,000. You too can! – If have good writing skills.

Luckily, there are numerous local and international freelance websites that you can find work.

Read also: 10 Best Freelance Websites You Can Find Work in Nigeria (2020)

4. Start Your Own Blog

This is another lucrative side hustle for students in Nigeria. You can blog at your own free time, anywhere. Although blogging is not a fast way to make money, it can be a great stream of passive income over time.

Find a good niche, set-up your blog, bombard it with valuable content, make it search engine optimized and monetize your blog. If you share useful knowledge that people can’t stop consuming, it can make you an enormous amount of money.

There are many blogs started by students in Nigeria. These blogs not only make them money but also add value to their readers.

5. Editing and Proofreading Services

There are many people who create blog posts, articles, eBooks, scripts, stories, projects documents, etc. These contents, however, need proofreaders and editors to improve their qualities.

If you’re fluent in English language and you are skilled at using software packages like MS Word and Grammarly, editing and proofreading wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Proofreading is about correcting typographies, punctuations, grammars, and spellings. On the other hand, editing has to do with enhancing the quality and engagement of a document. This includes the style, structure, clarity, and reference.

I have friends into this side hustle earning up to ₦100,000 monthly and more on freelance websites.

6. Phones and Computers Repair

Every student on campus uses at least one phone and virtually every student has a PC. Not just students, but lecturers, non-academic staffs, neighbours and the list go on.

These gadgets also fall sick and have accidents like humans and they need doctors to save their lives –if the owners care that much. You’d be surprised at how students will flock to your abode, seeking help for their dear gadgets’ lives. More patients, more money!

Now, if you want to go into this business, you will need to learn the skill. Say 3 to 6 months training or so. Don’t just go around claiming you can repair phones and PCs o! Learn the skill first, I beg.

7. Social Media Management

Please! Turn your addiction into a money-making hobby -seriously.

The rate at which smartphone users are freaking addicted to social media is alarming!

Guess you’re one of them, right?

Anyways, those data you burn monthly, consuming and posting on social media can fetch you fetch a decent income.

Study social media marketing/managing and render the services to business owners, celebrities that don’t know jack about promoting or managing their social media platforms.

As long as they know social media can be a goldmine for their businesses, they’ll pay you well. Just one client ONLY can pay you a minimum of ₦20,000 monthly! And no one said you should stop at one.?

8. Graphics Designing

Graphic designers reading this would have to pardon me. But I have to tell my people what you guys are hiding.

Designing just one flier costs a MINIMUM of 3k. The same price if you design a business card. You can design just one logo for as much as 10k and more (Depending on your client and skills)! Graphic designers also design cartoon, caricature, design cover, and many more.

Okay. Let’s do a little math calculation.

If you design a minimum of 20 fliers and 5 business cards, cartoon aside, caricature aside, covers aside, photo editing aside, photo manipulation aside.

How much will that make you monthly?

If you’re good at math, you can leave the answer in the comment session below. I think I should stop the secret exposure at this juncture.

9. Website Designing

Forget! In fact, remember! Web designing is a very lucrative business. It is now gaining more attention in Nigeria today because businesses are now realizing how important it is to build an online presence.

Website designing is a great technical skill you can render as a side hustle and, eventually, turn into a serious full-time job.

If you find where your service is needed and market yourself well, you will earn a very good income for designing people’s websites.

You can make as much as ₦300,000 monthly. But you have to learn this skill. Website design isn’t one of the side hustles you can wake up tomorrow morning and start without knowledge.

10. Website Development

Freelance web development is an incredible hustle. So as a student, you can go into it.

If you can learn the skill, within a few months, you’ll be swimming in money.

Fortunately, there are many websites, online courses, and eBooks that you can learn how to code for free!

Just like website design, this side hustle can become a full-time business.

11. Data Analysis

We are in a world of data. Thousands of companies and organizations out there need skilled individuals who are good at handling data. Talk of data mining, data manipulation, data scraping, data entry, and other things that have to do with data. The demand makes data analysis a lucrative side hustle a student can go into.

Data analysis is known as the sexiest job right now. So if you have a flair for numbers or you’re a student of statistics and mathematics, you’ll enjoy data analysis and make money simultaneously.

You can find companies that need these services or sell your services on freelance websites.

12. Catering Services

It could be indoor catering or outdoor catering services or both –depends on your decision. You can begin by informing people around you that you’re into the business or perhaps, approach catering services business to be a casual worker for them whenever you have time, especially during weekends.

Your job may not necessarily be cooking. It could be shopping for catering items, table setting or serving during events. If you are however good at cooking, you can actually turn it into a money-making business.

13. Tailoring / Fashion Designing

If you know how to sew, great! But if you don’t, you can learn.

Tailoring can make you extra income as a student in Nigeria. Sew and wear styles that are so amazing people ask you who made it or where you purchased it. Tada! That’s your chance to promote your side hustle.

In fact, you can brand your business and package it so well that people rate you a 5-star fashion designer.

There is a fashion designing company co-founded by a big brother of mine at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN). They import their fabrics from Dubai and sew classy shirts. Even celebrities patronize them. Now, you may not go to that length, but cut out some nice pieces, advertise your side hustle and, of course, make your money.

14. Modelling

If you can’t sew dresses, then you might want to consider modelling, especially if you have an attractive stature. Many students go into modelling and make a decent amount of money promoting brands. You too can.

Remember the cloth company I mentioned earlier? Well, the company signed some models that help promote their product. The image attached to this section is an image of a student of Lagos State University (LASU) –a friend actually.

15. Makeup Artist

Trust me. Beauty in this life, especially in Nigeria, is no longer in the eyes of the beholder. It is now in the freaking hands of makeup artists.

Seriously, I really don’t know how they do those things but they can turn a demon into an angel. And if a man isn’t careful, he’d be chasing what really isn’t.

Anyways, they earn a very good income covering up people’s facial flaws.

As a student, basically a female student, you might want to consider this hustle.

Wait, I didn’t say guys can’t become makeup artists. I only hear there are. But I haven’t seen one anyway.

16. Make and Sell Products

There are numerous products that you can learn how to make and then sell. It could be body cream, toilet soap, dish soap, beads, snacks, sandals, handbags, school bags and so on. Learn how to make any of these things or anything that I didn’t mention, produce them and sell to the public.

17. Buying and Selling (Mini Importation)

Talk of shoes, sneakers, bags, jewellery, wristwatches, phones, laptops, other electronic gadgets, books, t-shirts, gowns, etc. The numbers of things you can choose from and start selling are almost limitless. In fact, you can do mini-importation. Buy goods at ridiculously low prices from China and sell them twice or thrice the amount!

Students love to look great and use classy items. So find something useful to sell and market your items. People will surely buy from you. At least, this doesn’t require you to learn anything other than how to make profits from buying and selling.

Your Turn

Out of all these side businesses, have you decided which one you want to go into? If you’re already into one of them, tell us about your experience so far. If there’s anything else I’m missing out, let me know in the comment session below. And make sure you share this content with others –you never know whose life you might impact today.