How Easybuy helped Opeyemi go from struggling salesgirl to self-funded student

For Opeyemi Oyedokun, the dream of obtaining a tertiary education was one she was determined to pursue, even when her financial circumstances made it difficult. Without anyone to sponsor her education, she knew that if she wanted to go to school, she would have to find a way to pay for it herself.

Today, Opeyemi is a first-year National Diploma (ND) student studying Business Administration at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State. She pays her tuition and other educational expenses from the commissions and bonuses she earns as a sales talent with Easybuy, a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider in Nigeria.

“There is no one to support me through school, so I am sponsoring my education with the commissions and bonuses I earn from Easybuy,” she said.

But Opeyemi’s journey to becoming a self-funded student was far from straightforward. It began with a difficult decision to leave a job that paid her ₦40,000 monthly, followed by a move to Ibadan in search of better opportunities and several challenging weeks trying to establish herself in sales.

From earning ₦40,000 to searching for better opportunities

Before joining Easybuy in June 2026, Opeyemi worked as a sales assistant at a depot that distributed non-alcoholic beverages. Her monthly salary was ₦40,000, an amount she struggled to live on.

There were months when she received even less because money belonging to the depot that had been entrusted to her went missing, resulting in deductions from her salary.

“There was a month when I was paid only ₦15,000. I managed to survive that month because I was living with my sister at the time. When my salary was reduced, I had to rely on her for feeding and transportation to work, both that month and during other difficult periods.”

After a year at the depot, Opeyemi realised that her earnings were insufficient to support her ambitions. She wanted more from life, including the opportunity to further her education, but her financial circumstances offered little room for progress.

“I worked at the depot for a whole year and could not afford anything. After the incident when I was paid ₦15,000, I decided that I did not want to continue living like that. I wanted to achieve something better with my life, so I resigned.”

Her decision to resign led her to Ibadan, where another sister encouraged her to explore employment opportunities.

“I take work seriously. I believe that you have to work to earn money. So, I took her advice and moved to Ibadan. When I arrived, I started searching for jobs and submitting my CV, hoping to be invited for interviews. However, I soon realised that getting a good job often depends on having connections, which I did not have.”

After several unsuccessful attempts, she eventually secured a job with a mobile device outlet. But the salary was even lower than what she had earned at the depot.

“The owner offered me a monthly salary of ₦30,000. I was shocked because the depot I had just left was paying me ₦40,000, and here was another business offering me even less. But because I had no other option and did not want to remain unemployed, I accepted the offer.”

A new opportunity with Easybuy

After working at the telecommunications business for a month, Opeyemi encountered another setback. Her employer was unable to pay her salary.

However, having observed her energy and determination, he suggested that she consider becoming an Easybuy sales talent, where she could earn commissions and bonuses by introducing customers to the company’s smartphone financing plans.

“He called me and said he had noticed how energetic and determined I was. He then asked whether I would be interested in becoming an Easybuy sales talent. I told him, ‘Why not, as long as I can earn money?’”

Eager to begin, Opeyemi asked him to register her immediately.

“I immediately urged him to submit my name for registration, and he did. The following morning, I followed up with him to ask for an update. By that same day, my account had been activated, and I started working immediately.”

But joining Easybuy did not mean that her financial difficulties disappeared overnight.

On her first day, she joined other sales talents for a market activation, distributing flyers and introducing prospective customers to Easybuy’s smartphone financing services. She had no money for food and barely enough to get home.

“By the time we finished and it was time to go home, I had only ₦200, and I had not eaten all day. We had spent hours walking around the market looking for prospective customers. The ₦200 was not enough to get me home, so I had to walk for about two hours before using the money to take a motorcycle home.”

The following days were equally challenging. Although she continued prospecting for customers, she struggled to make her first sale.

She also faced discouragement from family members who questioned why she had chosen commission-based work without a guaranteed monthly salary.

“They could not understand why I was spending my own money looking for customers when there was no guarantee that I would make any sales,” she recalled.

Nevertheless, Opeyemi remained determined.

“Every day, I would get dressed and leave the house for market activations and customer prospecting.”

Her persistence eventually paid off when a woman looking to surprise her father with a smartphone approached her while she was visiting her uncle’s pharmacy.

“While I was speaking with my uncle, a woman passing by overheard us and stopped. She said she wanted to surprise her father with a smartphone. I sold her an itel smartphone, and that first sale encouraged me greatly.”

That first sale gave Opeyemi the confidence to continue. By the end of June, she had sold eight smartphones.

“It took me about a month to start earning commissions and bonuses. Today, I earn three times what I earned at my previous job.”

Related News

• Police arrest five suspected armed robbers in Oyo, recover pistol 
• Tinubu, Sultan, six govs expected at Muslim assembly in Oyo
• Policeman, eight others arrested over cultism, kidnapping in Oyo

Working to earn, earning to learn

For Opeyemi, the most significant achievement since joining Easybuy is not simply earning more money. It is the opportunity to pursue the tertiary education she had long desired.

Having gained admission to study Business Administration at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, she now combines her academic responsibilities with her work as an Easybuy sales talent.

Her choice of course reflects her ambition to build a career in business.

“Initially, I wanted to study Marketing, but one of my lecturers advised me that marketing is just one aspect of business, while Business Administration covers the entire field.”

But combining work and education comes with its own challenges.

“As a student, managing my earnings is challenging. It is really tough, I cannot lie. Some days, I have to go without certain things so that I can afford textbooks and other school materials. I also cannot travel as frequently as I used to when prospecting for customers.”

Opeyemi attends classes from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. To accommodate her academic schedule, she spends her mornings prospecting for customers before returning home to prepare for lectures.

“To manage my schedule, I go out in the morning to look for customers and return home by 3:00 p.m. to prepare for school. The time I spend preparing for and attending classes takes up a significant part of my day, sometimes making it difficult to meet my monthly sales targets.”

Despite these difficulties, she remains committed to completing her education.

Her admission is also a personal milestone she has kept from almost everyone in her family, including her mother.

“If I successfully complete my studies, I will be my mother’s only child to graduate. I have only my mother, and she does not even know about my admission yet. Only one of my sisters knows.”

For Opeyemi, earning a diploma would represent more than an academic qualification. It would be an achievement made possible by her determination to work and fund her own education.

“I am grateful to God and Easybuy for making it possible for me to sponsor my education.”

Creating opportunities beyond income

The Easybuy Sales Talent Program is designed to provide flexible income opportunities for Nigerians, including unemployed graduates, students, sales professionals, stay-at-home mothers and individuals seeking additional sources of income.

Through the program, participants earn commissions by introducing eligible customers to Easybuy’s smartphone financing services, which allow customers to acquire devices and pay in instalments.

For Opeyemi, the experience has also shown her how access to a smartphone can make a difference in someone’s business.

She recalled helping a dried catfish trader who had repeatedly experienced difficulties verifying customers’ bank transfers because he did not own a smartphone.

“One day, I happened to pass by his shop when he was arguing with someone who had made a fake transfer. I tried to help them resolve the disagreement. Afterwards, I advised him to get a smartphone through Easybuy so that he could monitor his transactions more easily.”

The trader acquired a smartphone that day and later contacted Opeyemi to express his appreciation.

“Three weeks later, he called to thank me, saying that things had become much easier for him since getting the phone. To show his appreciation, he referred another customer to me.”

Interested applicants can learn more about the program and apply through the Easybuy Sales Talent Program page.

Building a future beyond the classroom

Looking ahead, Opeyemi hopes to use her education and practical sales experience to build a successful career in business.

“In a few years, after completing my education, I see myself working with a big company. I am an ambitious young woman, and I want to build a career in business, either by working for an organisation or establishing my own business.”

Her journey from earning ₦40,000 monthly at a beverage depot to financing her own polytechnic education has not been without difficulties. She still faces the daily challenge of balancing academic responsibilities with the demands of earning an income.

But the young woman who once walked for two hours because she could not afford transportation home now has an opportunity to work towards the future she wants.

For Opeyemi, Easybuy has become more than a source of income. It is helping her pursue an education, develop business skills and take steps towards financial independence.

And as she continues working towards her diploma, her ambition remains clear: to become a graduate, build a career in business and make her mother proud.