By Uboh-Ekong Treasure
Nigerian born social worker and PhD candidate, Ogechukwukamma (Oge) Christine Kalu, has shared an inspiring account of her financial journey, highlighting the resilience and entrepreneurial drive that took her from radio work and dropshipping in Nigeria to graduate studies in India, and now doctoral research in the United States.
In a Facebook post, Kalu reflected on a period around 2018 when she set a personal rule never to allow her bank account balance fall below ₦3 million, which she considered her minimum threshold. “I could spend freely, but I would never go below that 3 million. It was like the minimum balance I set for myself,” she wrote.
She explained that her earnings came through multiple streams of business. After a stint at Megaband FM, she turned to dropshipping bags, shoes, and clothing from wholesalers in Lagos and Onitsha. While studying for her master’s degree in India, she launched a thriving business selling Remy hair in bundles, targeting wholesalers and retailers.
Her business quickly diversified. She added sandals and Indian-style indoor slippers, marketing them through WhatsApp where she built a contact list of nearly 5,000 people. To drive sales, she organized referral giveaways, with some customers sharing her details with thousands of contacts.
Oge recalled that at one point she almost opened a hair warehouse in Gwarinpa, Abuja, but later shelved the plan. She subsequently moved into imports from China, supplying high-grade male corporate shoes and female sneakers to trusted distributors. On her return to Nigeria in 2020 for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), she expanded into wholesale Kanin T-shirts from India and plus-size clothing from Vietnam.
Her savings, however, took a devastating hit when she invested in what she called a “lazy man’s money” scheme known as Benignant. The scheme promised a ₦14 million return on investment, but within two weeks she said all her savings disappeared.
“That was how fiam! all my savings disappeared,” she wrote, noting that the setback forced her to shift focus to fully funded academic opportunities abroad. That path eventually led her to the United States, where she is currently a doctoral candidate at the University at Buffalo’s School of Social Work.
In her post, Kalu rejected common stereotypes directed at young women who achieve financial independence, especially in Nigeria. “Not everyone came from rich families. Not everyone had the sarcastic ‘big god.’ Not every girl can be silenced with name calling,” she wrote.
She concluded with a message of faith and resilience;
“When God writes your story, no label, no insult, no stereotype can erase the chapters He has already ordained…Never give up, dear girl child.”
