5 Lucrative Self-Employed Jobs N-Power Volunteers can Engage in While the Programme Lasts | CNR

Oyo State Npower volunteers during 2018 Democracy Day celebration

N-Power Volunteers Corps, the Social Investment Programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria set up to enhance employability of young graduates through on-the-job training in teaching, agriculture, healthcare etc. is today, the delight of many young graduates.

The monthly stipend if well managed, can help you set up your own business and become independent at the end of the two-year period of the programme.


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But while the programme is on, we have articulated five lucrative part-time businesses volunteers can successfully engage in while carrying out their primary assignments in their place work. Below are the businesses and how to start them right away.

#Laundry Services: As a part-time job? Yes! Particularly for volunteers who live in heavily populated towns and cities. But even volunteers who live in university host communities can take advantage of the student population to run a successful laundry service business.

If renting a small collection and distribution office may prove a big obstacle, you may consider house-to-house pick-up and delivery. Do the washing and ironing at home, and deliver to your customers at record time. Irregular power supply may require you to get a medium-sized electric generator to enhance your efficiency and effective service delivery.

Remember you have competitors. And you need to cover the cost of your gasoline and expenses? You need not worry. Quality service, timely delivery and good customer relations, as well as charging a fair and competitive price will not only help you to attract and keep customers, but will certainly give you a competitive edge.

#Bakery Business: How often do you eat snacks, cake, meat pie, and fish rolls? If you can recall, you've probably been making some dudes richer. Now if you're not a good baker, you may need two weeks of training to learn the necessary skills needed to run a successful snacks baking business.

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With a medium-sized gas cylinder and gasoline, shaped baking pans, baking oven, and row material like flour, oil, eggs etc., you're good to go. A clean, well ventilated, attached room will make a good factory. Don't forget to start small, use your good products to endear yourself to retailers and carve a market share for yourself.

When demand for your product increases, you may consider adding to your raw materials but don't forget you're in a full-time volunteer job. However, as you already know, every business involve risk and snacks baking is no exception. So a day may come when your snacks could get burnt, or there could be spoilage, or price fluctuation.

Remember you're the sole distributor. So ensure your products gets to your customers early in the morning of distribution days and then zoom off to work. You'll certainly have a busy, but rewarding weekends. As your bakery business expands, get yourself NAFDAC registration.

#Blogging: You probably own a laptop or smartphone. But even if you don't have any yet, being N-Power volunteer means you're entitled to one Samsung or Tecno or HP or Zinox or Afrione tablet etc.(depending on your choice) with one-year free internet connectivity. A goldmine indeed!

Today, as more and more people are going online for their news and information needs, some people are taking advantage of the development by running successful blogs and earning extra income of it.

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That's why the likes of Linda Ikeji, Seon Osewa, Omoleye Sowere and countless others are now multi-millionaires. But they began from somewhere -simply by setting up a blogger account and writing and publishing their passion in their blog sites. Luckily, setting up your blogger account can only cost you few minutes and some megabytes.

So turn your passion into business and start publishing your write-up, happenings around you for the pleasure of your readers. As your readers visit your blog, so your chances of getting monetized increases.

The good news is you can run this business from your bedroom. However, your greatest assets in this business are patience and persistence; especially at the early stage. There are several online resources on how to run a successful blog business. So, take advantage of them.

#Garri Processing: Not so fashionable? Maybe. But that's where the money is. One N-Power volunteer in Okija town of Ihiala area in Anambra state told me he's already making fortune from it.

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Garri is everybody's food in Nigeria and has a ready and waiting large market of buyers and consumers. It is said to be the most patronized product even without any form of advertising. Imagine!

You can leverage on these advantages by venturing into garri processing business. This is the area N-Power volunteers in rural communities have a comparative advantage over their colleagues in big towns and cities.

All you need is a fraction of your stipend to buy cassava tubers in large quantity at cheap price from your nearest rural market and proceed to pilling, washing, taking it to the grinding machine (usually the very big one) and after grinding, drilling of the watery power to ultimate drying for at least 2 days. Then sieve to separate cassava powder from particles and proceed to frying. Remember you don't need to advertise.

While the garri is still in frying pan, you'll certainly have some ready customers eagerly waiting to be your 'favourable' customers and distributors. A normal custard container of red garri is presently sold between N500 and N600, depending on the area. Put your weekend and after-work to use and start smiling to the nearest bank.

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#Extra Lesson: As most parents are no longer satisfied with their wards' performances in school, they are now employing the services of extra lesson teachers to help improve their children's performance. This has resulted in high demand for extra-lesson teachers for after-school hour lesson.

This opportunities are more in big towns and cities. But those in rural communities can also organize after-school hour lesson for pupils and students at a specific location.

While volunteers in the cities can run a house-to-house extra lessons services for an agreed wage, those in rural areas can visit primary and secondary schools to mobilize students for extra lesson programme.

All you need here are just a good and up-to-date textbooks and regular revision in your subject areas. If you can patiently teach them very well, you'll soon be considering getting some good hands to assist you as the number of students is sure to multiply.

Please try any of these and thank me later. Good luck!