We often talk about assets in the language of money, properties, stocks, savings, and investments. The things that can be measured, priced, and listed, but when you ask people what their most valuable asset actually is, the answers are rarely that straightforward.
We asked four Nigerian women about the most valuable asset they own, and it ranged from the education her parents sacrificed everything to give her to the second passport that changed how she moves through the world, and a tightly held piece of gold passed down by her grandmother.
1. “My Degree Is the One Thing No One Can Take Away” — Aisha*, 26
For me, the most valuable thing I own is my education because I grew up in a home where money wasn’t always steady, but one thing my parents never compromised on was school. They sent us to a very expensive secondary school and a private university. They always said education was the one thing that nobody could take from you, and at the time, I didn’t fully understand what they meant. Now I do, and I appreciate their sacrifice so much because all their funds went into our education. They’re enjoying the fruits of their labour now tho.
I’m confident because even if everything else changes, jobs, cities, circumstances, I know that the knowledge and skills I’ve gained will always stay with me. That’s what makes it the most valuable thing I have.
2. “My Laptop Became the Tool That Changed Everything” — Teni*, 24
The most valuable thing I own is my laptop. I bought it for N1.9M
I bought it after saving for months, when I started earning income from game development. I can’t lie, the day I took delivery of the laptop, I cried because I had survived using a laptop that, once it’s tired of my coding, shuts down and takes hours to boot up. Sometimes, after charging, I find the battery is drained when I boot it.
Once I had my current laptop, I started exploring. I watched tutorials, started learning, and began building projects.
Eventually, I started more solid gigs, and before I realised it, I was earning money from something I loved because I’m a game buff.
Today, most of my work comes through that same laptop. It’s how I meet clients, deliver projects, and make a living.
3. “My Passport Represents the Life I Didn’t Think Was Possible” — Ada, 31
The most valuable asset I own is my second passport. Living in Nigeria was difficult in ways that are hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it daily. It wasn’t just about the economic uncertainty or the constant feeling that systems were working against you. It was also about the quiet limitations that followed you everywhere, especially when you tried to move beyond the country’s borders.
Travelling with a Nigerian passport often meant preparing yourself for scrutiny; visa applications were long and uncertain, and even when you managed to secure one, the experience rarely ended there. At immigration counters, there was always the lingering possibility of being questioned, delayed, or treated with suspicion.
Over time, those experiences begin to weigh on you. When I moved abroad and started working in investment banking, my perspective shifted. I was suddenly surrounded by colleagues who moved across countries with ease. Weekend trips across borders were casual plans for them, something they barely thought about.
That was when getting a second passport became my number one goal. In 2024, after years of saving, I finally got it.
The first time I travelled with that passport, the experience felt almost surreal. There were no suspicious questions, no prolonged interrogations, no subtle reminders that I came from a place people often misunderstood.
I had always known that this version of the world existed, but experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely.
4. “The Gold My Grandma Gave Me Before She Died Is My Most Valuable Asset” — Sade, 28
The most valuable thing I own is a small piece of gold my grandmother gave me before she died. It’s just a simple gold chain, not particularly heavy or flashy. Anyone who saw it in a jewellery store probably wouldn’t think twice about it.
It has sentimental value to me as it carries a weight that no price tag could measure.
My grandmother gave it to me a few months before she passed away. At the time, I didn’t realise it would be the last meaningful gift she would ever give me.
She called me into her room one afternoon and handed it to me. I remember her saying that gold was something a woman should always have, something she could rely on when life became uncertain.
She grew up in a generation where women didn’t always have financial independence. For many of them, jewellery was security. Something they could sell, trade, or hold onto when things became difficult.
I don’t wear it every day because I’m afraid of losing it. Sometimes it stays in a small box where I keep things that matter to me, old photographs, letters, and little reminders of people I love, and whenever I look at it, I think about her.
I’ve lived many lives, but one lesson ties them all together: money is only as powerful as its utility. Through my work, I share stories about money and create guides for Africans who want to get the best out of theirs.