Money isn’t the problem, you are.

Written by Miriam Onyemenam

---

Imagine if universities started paying students to attend classes. Think ₦1,000 for every lecture you attend, or even ₦5,000 if you show up on time. There’s no way people wouldn’t show up, right? But honestly, we both know some of you would still ghost your classes. Money won’t fix the attendance struggle because, at the end of the day, some habits run deeper than your love for cash.

Let me tell you why your attendance would still be questionable, even with money on the table.

1. Oversleeping is your biggest opp

You set five alarms the night before, convincing yourself they’re guaranteed to wake you up. But when the first one rings, you reach for the snooze button as if it offended you before. By the time you open your eyes, it’s already 10 am, and your chance at making ₦5,000 has dissolved into thin air.

Don’t blame your village people. It’s you and your sleeping habits. If sleeping was a course, you’d probably graduate with first-class honors.

1. “I’ll Just Attend Next Time”

You miss one class and tell yourself it’s no big deal. “I’ll just make up for it in the next lecture.”Except next time comes around, and you’ll decide to make up for it in the next one again. This cycle continues until the semester ends, and you’re looking at your attendance record with shame. Let’s not lie, some of you are the reason lecturers introduced minimum attendance requirements in the first place.

1. “Is it for garri?”

Imagine they’re paying you ₦1,000 per lecture. You’ll start calculating: “Okay, that’s like ₦5k for a week if I go every day…but what is ₦5k in this economy?” By the time you think about how much you’re spending on transportation, data subscription, and maybe one or two miscellaneous spendings, you’ll convince yourself that ₦5k is just pocket change and is not worth your stress.

1. Peer pressure wahala

You’re all set to leave for class, but your roommate hasn’t even showered. They look at you like, “Where are you rushing to?” And just like that, you start second-guessing yourself. After all, it’s not like your entire department will fall apart because you skipped one lecture.

Next thing you know, you’re sitting back down and gisting about random stuff, forgetting the ₦1,000 attendance bonus you’re missing out on.

Now even if you miss 1k for not attending class, you shouldn’t miss out on premium entertainment from this newsletter. Subscribe now to get fresh updates straight to your inbox.

1. You are just stubborn

Some of you are so stubborn that even if God Himself descended from heaven and invited you to class, you won’t attend. It’s as if once you’re told to do something, you automatically want to do the exact opposite. In this case, it’s not about the money again. You’ve just have coconut head.

So, Will You Show Up?

Let’s be real: attendance isn’t just about motivation, it’s a lifestyle. Even if universities start paying for it, some of you will still find ways to avoid it because the hustle of waking up early, fighting distractions, and overcoming excuses isn’t for everyone.

But if you’re reading this and thinking, “Hmm, maybe I should take my attendance seriously this semester,” then congratulations, you’re thinking the right thoughts. If not, it’s time to fix up.


Check out this week\’s edition of Opportunity Friday with TFS for internship, scholarship, and study abroad opportunities for you.

TFS (The Family of Students) is a community of university students; we connect university students and bring the best out of their university experience.

Join us on WhatsApp

Join our group of University students on Telegram

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn ( Linktree)

See our interesting TikTok videos here 👈🏾

Buy TFS merch

Thanks for reading Letters from TFS! Don’t forget to subscribe.