We bring the final part of the conversations we had with three fathers on how they provide for their families and how they are coping with the challenges that come along their way.
Engr Yomi Alowonle

How many children do you have?
Three
What does providing for your family mean to you?
Everything; High value, top priority and very important.
How do you balance the financial aspect of providing for your family with other responsibilities?
Family first even before business or other things. Everything revolves around the family. My business and work is all about my family, which is my future, so, 70 percent of my income goes to them and 30 percent to other things.
What steps do you take to ensure the financial stability and well-being of your family?
I am an on-site engineer, and I get paid on a daily basis. This is a project that helps me financially. My skills, my brain and my profession fetch me income. I have a business that I invested in as well.
Life and society is a complex organization. It is like a tree that has a root, branches and leaves; all these work together to become a tree. This is my school of thought as a philosopher and sociologist. I am a society manager, a sociologist, a banker, an engineer; not an ordinary being. I am just wonderfully made.
For instance, this week, I am an engineer till the end of the month. Next month, I will be resuming as a branch manager of a financial institution. My wife is into business and presently in the farm, harvesting cassava for food production and consumption.
How do you involve your family in financial decisions and teach them about money management?
Through my spouse, she manages well for me. I hardly hide things from her.
Have you faced any significant challenges or setbacks in providing for your family? What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
I lost my official job and my income had to stop, but I had savings which really helped me, followed by my business investment as my side hustle.
Do you share the financial responsibility of your family with your spouse?
In a hard country like Nigeria, YES. When things are smooth, I don’t, but in this present time, I do share very well.
In what ways do you strive to create a supportive and nurturing environment for your family beyond financial support?
The basic needs of man is food, clothing and shelter; I strive to make all these available for my family.
How do you manage the pressures and expectations of being the primary provider?
By understanding the nature and the present econmic situation in the country, and cutting to the size that I can chew; not passing my boundary. I do exactly within my capacity. I don’t do more than my strength.
What are some of the values or principles you instill in your children regarding the importance of financial independence and responsibility?
Prudence, that is management of commodities. The second is self reliance and the third is education. By being prudent, you manage your resources well. You don’t spend extravagantly no matter what, and don’t waste resources.
Self reliance is important especially in the present time. You must have a skill that can fetch money. Self reliance will fetch you 70 percent income while education fetches you 30 percent, and if you have the two (which is 100 percent), you are good to go.
How do you communicate with your spouse about financial matters and ensure a unified approach to providing for the family?
Aside the fact that trust is present, I relate with her in a friendly manner that she can understand and align with, because it involves money. I won’t want to pressure her especially if she is not in the right state of mind.
How are you coping with the present economic situation as regards to providing for your family?
We sell and make money from cassava plantation. I have acres of land for cassava plantation right now. I can easily pay my children’s school fees from it. Farming is good. I feed on cocoyam, cassava – Fufu, Amala, etc. I also have a pepper and tomatoes farm. I hardly buy meat. This morning I have been to the farm to check traps for bush meat.
I multitask. Projects and contracts come once in a while. I have not ‘officially worked’ for a year but we live and eat fine in Nigeria.
Can you share any rewarding or challenging experience you have encountered in relation to providing for your family?
Yes. I lost my banking job of N300,000 monthly salary while my spouse was a full housewife. It was hell for us, but after a few months when my 25 percent pension was released, things changed financially.
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Obadiah Monday Dogo, Teacher and Evangelist.

How many children do you have?
I have four children – three boys and a girl.
What does providing for your family mean to you?
Providing for my family is always my top priority, as the man of the house. First is to make sure they have food on the table, at least twice a day. The second is to provide shelter, you know, I am still living in rented apartment, so, I have to pay the rent as when due. Lastly, is to provide basic essentials like clothing and other stuff.
How do you balance the financial aspect of providing for your family with other responsibilities?
Presently, the situation of the country made things very difficult to provide the basic necessities as well as balance them with other responsibilities. My eldest daughter just got admitted into the school of nursing and health management. Paying her fee now has added to my loads of responsibilities.
What steps do you take to ensure the financial stability and well-being of your family?
I work hard. Apart from teaching and evangelical work, I farm just to meet the demand of my family.
How do you involve your family in financial decisions and teach them about money management?
I involve my wife in any financial decision I take. My wife is my manager. She helps us to make decision in what to do and how to spend money.
Have you faced any significant challenges or setback in providing for your family? what were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
Yes. Providing food for my family and helping my daughter secure admission into the nursing school and paying her school fees has been a huge challenge for me. I took a salary advance from GTbank to settle my daughter’s school fees. To say the fact, God has been sustaining us, the church has been giving some palliatives to my wife and other women in the church since the fuel subsidy wahala started.
Do you share the financial responsibility for your family with your spouse?
Yes.
In what ways do you strive to create a supportive and nurturing environment for your family beyond financial support?
Apart from being the head of the family, I am also the spiritual head of my family. I support my children with fatherly advice and spiritual guidance.
How do you manage the pressure and expectation of being the primary provider?
It is not easy o! But God has been helping us. However, I focused on the needs rather than the wants. This helps me douse the pressure.
What are some of the values or principles, you instill in your children regarding the importance of financial independence and responsibility?
I have taught my children self-discipline as well as financial discipline. Like, my oldest son has started learning a trade in order to help himself.
How do you communicate with your spouse about financial matters and ensure a unified approach to providing for the family?
Hmmm, I open up to my wife about my finance. As I am taking to you now, my wife is aware of the amount I have in my account.
How are you coping with the present economic situation as regards to providing for your family?
This is the toughest time to be a family man. The prices of food and transport are skyrocketing. Even the school fees of my children have been increased. Coping is not easy at all.
Can you share any rewarding or challenging experience you have encountered in relation to providing for your family?
The most rewarding experience I have had as a father was when my wife gave birth to our first child. The most challenging experience was that the child came through caesarean section.
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