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By Christopher Oji
Stakeholders in financial and wealth institutions have advised workers, especially salary earners, to invest part of their earnings in money-making businesses if they do not want to end up impoverished.
The professionals urged salary earners to move beyond dependence on monthly pay cheques and focus on converting their income into long-term assets capable of generating sustainable wealth. The professionals spoke in Lagos at the third edition of the Game of Money Conference convened by financial educator and media personality, Tope Mark-Odigie, where business executives, bankers, investors and human resource professionals stressed the importance of disciplined investing, financial planning and intentional wealth creation amid Nigeria’s economic pressures.
The 2026 edition of the conference, themed, ‘How to Build Wealth on a Salary,’ focused specifically on helping salary earners understand how to maximise earnings, build investments and avoid financial stagnation. Speaking at the event, business executive and investor, Victor Afolabi, told participants that salaries alone rarely create lasting wealth unless they are consistently converted into productive assets.
“Your income alone cannot build lasting wealth,” he said. “What creates wealth is the quality of assets you build over time.” He said many professionals fail financially because they focus primarily on consumption instead of asset accumulation and investment discipline.
According to him, financially successful people intentionally move money into businesses, investments and appreciating assets rather than spending excessively on lifestyle upgrades. “Money should work for you,” he said. “Investment is about putting money into assets and businesses that continue to grow in value.”
He warned young professionals against attempting to impress others through unsustainable lifestyles, saying financial discipline and patience remain critical to long-term wealth creation.
“Don’t live your life trying to impress people,” he cautioned. “Build substance first.”
He also emphasised the importance of multiple income streams, noting that salaries are increasingly vulnerable to inflation and economic instability. He said his own financial structure combines consulting, business operations and investments to provide stability and long-term growth.
He stressed due diligence, warning participants not to assume trustworthiness in business dealings without verification. In his view, financial discipline begins with careful decision-making and intentional investment behaviour.
“Whether you earn from salary or business, your income should be directed towards investment,” he explained.
He also challenged conventional thinking around income as a measure of success. Income, he argued, is fragile and temporary. Jobs can be lost. Businesses can fail. However, wealth built through assets provides stability that salary alone cannot guarantee.
“The key is not how much you earn, but how much you invest,” he said.
The convener, Mark-Odigie, said many Nigerians wrongly assume wealth is determined by income level or background, whereas financial growth largely depends on understanding the rules of money.
According to her, years of interacting with people through television exposed her to the widespread financial struggles many professionals face despite earning steady salaries.
“I learnt that the best way to help people is not just by giving them money, but by teaching them how money works,” the real estate executive told reporters.
She explained that the conference was created three years ago to provide more personalised financial education beyond social media platforms and help Nigerians develop long-term wealth-building habits.
She said: “We want salary earners to understand that they do not need to steal to become wealthy. There are opportunities within careers, businesses and investments that many people ignore because they do not recognise them.”
She added that speakers were carefully selected based on their personal experiences of building wealth over decades while working as employees and professionals.
She said the success of the initiative is measured not by attendance figures, but by the long-term financial transformation of participants. She cited examples of previous attendees who moved from having no investments or assets to owning properties, building savings and developing investment portfolios after applying lessons from earlier editions of the conference.
“The game of money is a long-term game,” she stated. “Our goal is to see people who started this journey years ago eventually become financially stable and capable of transforming their own families and communities.”
The conference also featured discussions moderated by Adewunmi Desalu and contributions from digital equity leader, Tobi Durojaiye, on financial literacy, economic empowerment and wealth sustainability.
Durojaiye stressed that building wealth requires patience, discipline, strategic planning and the ability to think beyond immediate income.
He also argued that entrepreneurship, investing and responsible financial management are increasingly necessary for economic survival in Nigeria’s high-inflation environment.
Participants were encouraged to focus on asset ownership, financial education and long-term wealth strategies capable of improving both individual financial security and broader economic development.
Deputy General Manager and Regional Bank Head at Fidelity Bank Plc, Chetachi Okechukwu, urged participants to adopt disciplined financial habits and avoid unnecessary spending.
According to her, income should be directed towards investments and wealth-building opportunities rather than consumption.
“Extra money is not meant for unnecessary spending,” she said. “It is meant for investment and growth.”
She added that exposure to successful individuals helped reshape her understanding of money and wealth creation.
“What impressed me most was not just their wealth, but the way they communicated, their discipline and the way they carried themselves,” she said.
Human resources professional, Nneka Jethro-Iruobe, also stressed the importance of intentional spending, psychological discipline and long-term thinking.
She advised professionals to minimise financial pressure from extended social obligations and avoid constant exposure to individuals who encourage reckless spending or repeated financial requests.
“Wealth creation takes time,” she said. “That is why patience and consistency matter so much.”
Partner at PwC, Chioma Obaro, shared personal experiences about making career and investment decisions focused on long-term growth rather than immediate salary satisfaction.
According to Obaro, she intentionally accepted lower-paying opportunities earlier in her career because they provided stronger long-term potential and exposure to investment opportunities.
She recounted investing aggressively during Nigeria’s stock market boom despite earning modestly at the time and later using loans strategically to acquire property assets.
Although the stock market crash later wiped out much of her portfolio value, she said her real estate investments eventually appreciated significantly and preserved her financial stability.
“That experience taught me the importance of intentionality and proper asset allocation,” she said.
“Never put all your eggs in one basket,” he cautioned, emphasising diversification as a core principle of financial survival.
For Ugboh, wealth is not defined by luxury or accumulation, but by freedom; the freedom to make choices, the freedom to walk away from limitations and the freedom to design one’s life without financial fear.
“If you want to become wealthy, softness cannot be part of your vocabulary,” he stated with conviction.
Another powerful contribution came from financial literacy advocate and entrepreneur, Sola Adesakin, who reinforced the importance of systems over hustle culture. She encouraged participants to move beyond motivation and focus on structure, discipline and financial systems that sustain wealth creation.
“Anything you want to do must go beyond passion. You must build systems around it,” she said. “Hustle is exhausting, but systems are rewarding.”
She broke down investing into five major asset classes, including cash equivalents such as mutual funds, fixed income instruments like treasury bills and bonds, equities, real estate and alternative investments. Her emphasis was not complexity, but accessibility.
“You can start with as little as N1,000 or N2,000,” she noted. “What matters is consistency.”
She also urged participants to continuously upgrade their skills, particularly in emerging fields such as technology, artificial intelligence and soft skills, stressing that financial growth is closely tied to relevance in the modern economy.
Complementing these insights was tech, marketing and management consultant, Victor Afolabi, who delivered a grounded perspective on investing and financial behaviour.
