Mosquito Solutions Ranked: I Tried 6 Nigerian Methods for 2 Weeks and Here Is What Actually Stopped Them

I counted 23 mosquito bites on my legs and arms last Monday morning. Twenty-three. I was sitting at my desk in Yaba, Lagos, wearing shorts and a vest because of the heat wave, and by 7 AM I already looked like I had been attacked by a small army.

That was the morning I decided enough was enough.

As a freelance writer who works from home in a self-contained apartment, I spend between 10 and 14 hours a day in my room. My room is my office, my studio, and essentially my life. And the mosquitoes in Lagos this rainy season are relentless. I am not exaggerating. They come through the louvres, they hide behind my curtains during the day, they breed in the open gutter about six metres from my building, and they make working at night nearly impossible.

I had already tried the usual methods. A coil here. Some spray there. A net that kept falling down. Nothing was consistent and nothing was giving me real protection while I sat at my desk trying to get work done.

So I decided to run a proper test. Over two full weeks (14 nights, 14 days), I tried six different mosquito repellent methods commonly used in Nigeria. I kept a daily diary, counted my bites each morning, tracked costs, and documented everything. My goal was simple: find the one method that actually lets a remote worker, student, or content creator work in peace without getting eaten alive.

Here is exactly what happened.

Why Mosquitoes Are a Serious Problem, Not Just an Annoyance

Before I get into the test results, I want to be clear about why this matters beyond just itchy skin.

According to the World Health Organization’s 2025 World Malaria Report, Nigeria accounts for 31.9% of all estimated malaria deaths globally. That makes Nigeria the single worst-affected country on the planet for malaria mortality. The WHO also reports that children under 5 years accounted for about 76% of all malaria deaths in the African region in 2024.

This is not some distant problem. In Lagos specifically, transmission is year-round because of the tropical climate, high humidity, and the amount of stagnant water in drainage systems across the city. The Anopheles mosquito, which carries the Plasmodium falciparum parasite responsible for the deadliest form of malaria, is the dominant species here.

For anyone working from home in Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, or any southern Nigerian city, you are exposed to mosquitoes for significantly more hours than someone who leaves for an air-conditioned office every morning. Your room is your workplace. If your room is not protected, you are sitting in a malaria-transmission zone for 10 or more hours a day.

That is the reality that motivated this experiment.

My Room Setup and Testing Conditions

You need to understand my environment because mosquito solutions work differently depending on room size, ventilation, and location.

Room details:

• Location: Yaba, Lagos mainland
• Room type: Single room in a self-contained apartment, ground floor
• Room size: Approximately 3.5m by 4m (about 14 square metres)
• Windows: One jalousie window with no mosquito-proof netting (just bare louvres)
• Door: Wooden door with approximately 1.5cm gap at the bottom
• Nearest breeding site: Open gutter about 6 metres away, consistently holding stagnant water
• Electricity: Band B, roughly 8 to 12 hours of power per day

This is a fairly typical setup for a Lagos apartment. If you have been through the process of apartment hunting in Lagos, you know that mosquito screens on windows are rarely included by landlords. It is one of those hidden costs you only discover after moving in.

How I Tracked Results

I used three metrics for each method:

Bite count: Every morning, I counted fresh mosquito bites on my exposed skin (arms, legs, face, neck). I always wore the same clothing to bed during the test: a sleeveless vest and shorts.

Visual count: Before going to sleep each night, I spent 5 minutes scanning the room for visible mosquitoes on the walls and ceiling using my phone flashlight. I counted and recorded the number.

Sleep quality: I rated my sleep quality from 1 (terrible, constant buzzing and biting) to 5 (uninterrupted, no awareness of mosquitoes).

I tested each method for at least two consecutive nights before moving to the next, and I tested some for longer periods. The full test ran from March 3 to March 16, 2026.

The Baseline: No Protection at All

Before testing any method, I spent two nights (March 3 and 4) sleeping with zero mosquito protection to establish a baseline. This was miserable but necessary.

Baseline results (average of 2 nights):

Metric	Night 1	Night 2	Average
Fresh bites (morning count)	19	23	21
Visible mosquitoes (before bed)	11	14	12.5
Sleep quality (1 to 5)	1	1	1

An average of 21 bites per night with no protection. That is absurd. And the sleep quality was a solid 1 both nights because the constant high-pitched buzzing near my ears kept waking me up every 30 to 45 minutes.

Honestly, I was exhausted the next day. If you have ever wondered why you are always tired and have no energy, disrupted sleep from mosquitoes could be a bigger factor than you think. Two nights of poor sleep left me unable to concentrate, irritable, and reaching for instant coffee by 10 AM.

Now, let us get into each method.

Method 1: Mosquito Coil (Wasp Killer Brand)

This is the most common mosquito repellent in Nigerian households. You have seen the green spiral. Almost everyone has used one at some point. I bought a pack of Wasp Killer mosquito coils from a provision store near my apartment.

What I Bought

• Product: Wasp Killer mosquito coil (green spiral, standard Nigerian market brand)
• Price: ₦500 for a box of 10 coils
• Cost per night: ₦50 (one coil lasts approximately 8 hours)

How I Used It

I lit one coil each night at about 9 PM and placed it on a small ceramic plate on the floor near the door, roughly 2 metres from my bed. I kept one louvre window slightly open for minimal ventilation, as I always do because of the Lagos heat.

My Results (March 5 and 6)

Metric	Night 1	Night 2	Average
Fresh bites (morning count)	9	11	10
Visible mosquitoes (before bed)	4	6	5
Sleep quality (1 to 5)	2	2	2

The coil reduced my bite count from the baseline average of 21 to about 10 bites per night. That is roughly a 52% reduction. Not bad on paper, but I was still getting 10 bites, which means mosquitoes were still actively feeding on me.

The Real Problem With Mosquito Coils

Here is what the numbers do not show: the smoke.

By the second hour, my room had a visible haze of smoke. My eyes were slightly irritated. My throat felt dry. And when I woke up in the morning, my nose was congested and I had a faint headache.

According to research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and referenced by the University of Sydney, one study estimated that the particulate matter produced from burning a single mosquito coil was equivalent to burning roughly 75 to 137 cigarettes. The same research identified volatile organic compounds in the smoke, including several suspected carcinogens.

A separate study published in the Malaria Journal tested the actual mosquito-killing effectiveness of coils and found that mortality rates ranged between only 24% and 64% across different brands and conditions. The researchers concluded that coils may not provide adequate repellency and that the associated indoor air pollution represents a meaningful health risk.

As a remote worker spending 10 or more hours in the same room, breathing in mosquito coil smoke for 8 hours every night is simply not sustainable. The short-term irritation is unpleasant, and the long-term risks are concerning.

My Verdict on Mosquito Coils

Rating: 3/10 Cost: ₦50 per night Would I recommend it? Only as an absolute last resort in an emergency, and only with proper ventilation. For daily use in a room where you work and sleep, no.

Method 2: Aerosol Insecticide Spray (Raid Multi-Insect Killer)

Every Nigerian household has a can of this somewhere. The approach is simple: spray the room, leave for 15 to 30 minutes, come back, and sleep in a supposedly mosquito-free environment.

What I Bought

• Product: Raid Multi-Insect Killer aerosol spray (regular size can)
• Price: ₦2,800 (one can lasts roughly 2 to 3 weeks with daily use)
• Cost per night: Approximately ₦130 to ₦200 depending on how heavily you spray

How I Used It

At about 8:30 PM each night, I closed the window and door, sprayed the room thoroughly (ceiling corners, behind the bed, behind my curtain, and the area around the door frame), then left the room for 30 minutes. When I returned, I opened the window for 5 minutes to air out the chemical smell, then closed it and went to bed.

My Results (March 7 and 8)

Metric	Night 1	Night 2	Average
Fresh bites (morning count)	3	7	5
Visible mosquitoes (before bed)	0	2	1
Sleep quality (1 to 5)	3	3	3

Night 1 was genuinely impressive. I counted zero visible mosquitoes after the 30-minute spray session and only got 3 bites all night. But Night 2 was worse. By midnight, fresh mosquitoes had entered through the louvre gaps (which I had to re-open because of the heat), and the spray’s residual effect was clearly wearing off.

The Problem With Aerosol Sprays

Aerosol sprays kill mosquitoes that are present in the room at the moment of spraying. They do not prevent new ones from entering. In a Lagos apartment where your jalousie windows do not seal properly and you need ventilation because of the heat, new mosquitoes enter within 2 to 3 hours.

You also cannot spray multiple times per night without significant chemical exposure. The manufacturer’s label explicitly warns against spraying enclosed spaces without ventilation, and the smell lingers for hours.

There is also the cost factor. At ₦2,800 per can and roughly 14 to 20 nights of use per can, you are spending about ₦4,200 to ₦6,000 per month. That adds up, especially when the cost of living in Lagos is already crushing most workers.

My Verdict on Aerosol Sprays

Rating: 4/10 Cost: ₦130 to ₦200 per night Would I recommend it? As a supplement to other methods, yes. On its own as your primary defence, no. It is a temporary kill, not ongoing protection.

Method 3: Plug-In Liquid Vaporiser (Mortein Liquid)

This is the electric version of the mosquito coil. You plug a small device into a wall socket, insert a bottle of liquid repellent, and it gently vaporises the chemical into the room all night.

What I Bought

• Product: Mortein Liquid Mosquito Repeller (plug-in device plus refill bottle)
• Price: ₦3,500 for the starter kit (device plus one refill), ₦1,500 for additional refills
• Each refill lasts: Approximately 30 to 45 nights
• Cost per night: Approximately ₦33 to ₦50

How I Used It

I plugged the device into the wall socket nearest to my bed (about 1 metre away) and left it on continuously from 9 PM to 6 AM. The device has a small indicator light that shows when it is working.

My Results (March 9 and 10)

Metric	Night 1	Night 2	Average
Fresh bites (morning count)	6	5	5.5
Visible mosquitoes (before bed)	3	2	2.5
Sleep quality (1 to 5)	3	3	3

The vaporiser reduced bites to about 5 to 6 per night, similar to the aerosol spray but with the advantage of continuous protection throughout the night. There was no visible smoke, no eye irritation, and only a very faint chemical scent.

The Catch

The vaporiser needs constant electricity to work. On the nights when NEPA cut power at 1 AM (which happened on Night 2), the device stops working immediately. By the time power returned at 5 AM, I had already accumulated several new bites.

For anyone on Band B electricity getting inconsistent power, this is a serious limitation. The device cannot run on a rechargeable battery. It needs a wall socket.

If you are running a solar inverter setup, the vaporiser draws very little power (roughly 5 watts), so it works well with solar. But most people I know in Yaba are not on solar yet.

My Verdict on Plug-In Liquid Vaporisers

Rating: 5/10 Cost: ₦33 to ₦50 per night Would I recommend it? Yes, as a supplementary method, especially if you have reliable power. On its own in a room with louvre windows and unstable electricity, it is not enough.

Method 4: Topical Mosquito Repellent Cream (DEET-Based)

This is the method most travellers use. You apply a cream or spray containing DEET directly to your exposed skin, and mosquitoes avoid you.

What I Bought

• Product: Odomos mosquito repellent cream (12% DEET concentration)
• Price: ₦1,800 for one tube (approximately 30 applications)
• Cost per night: Approximately ₦60

How I Used It

Every night at about 9 PM, I applied the cream to my forearms, lower legs, ankles, feet, and the back of my neck. I did not apply it to my face. I reapplied once around 1 AM when I woke up for a bathroom break.

My Results (March 11 and 12)

Metric	Night 1	Night 2	Average
Fresh bites (morning count)	4	3	3.5
Visible mosquitoes (before bed)	8	9	8.5
Sleep quality (1 to 5)	3	4	3.5

This is interesting. The visible mosquito count was high (8 to 9 mosquitoes in the room), but the bite count was low (3 to 4 bites). That tells me the DEET cream was genuinely repelling mosquitoes from landing on my skin, even though they were still present in the room.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, DEET works by making it hard for biting insects to smell humans. Research also shows that DEET-based products with 25% to 30% concentration provide several hours of protection. The WHO recommends using repellents containing DEET, IR3535, or Icaridin after dusk in malaria-endemic areas.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends DEET concentrations of 30% to 50% for preventing the spread of insect-borne pathogens. My 12% cream was on the lower end, which may explain why I still got 3 to 4 bites. A higher concentration product would likely perform better.

The Problem With Topical Repellents

Applying cream to your entire body every night before bed is annoying. The cream has a mild chemical smell. It leaves a slightly sticky feeling on the skin. And you have to reapply it if you shower or sweat heavily, which in Lagos heat, you will.

Also, DEET protects your skin but does nothing about the mosquitoes buzzing around your room. The high-pitched whining sound near your ears is still there, and it still disrupts sleep even if they cannot land.

For a freelancer working at a desk during the day, you would also need to apply it during daytime hours, doubling your usage and cost.

My Verdict on DEET Topical Repellent

Rating: 5/10 Cost: ₦60 per night Would I recommend it? Yes, as a personal protection layer, especially when combined with another room-level method. On its own, the buzzing and the application hassle make it impractical as your only solution.

Method 5: Untreated Mosquito Net (Basic Market Net)

Now we get to the mosquito net vs coil comparison that everyone argues about. I bought a basic, untreated mosquito net from the Yaba market.

What I Bought

• Product: Polyester mosquito net, rectangular, fits a standard single bed
• Price: ₦3,500
• Cost per night: Essentially ₦0 after the initial purchase (this is a one-time buy)

How I Set It Up

I hung the net from four nails I hammered into my ceiling (landlord, forgive me) directly above my bed. The net draped down to the floor on all sides with about 15cm of excess fabric pooling on the ground to prevent mosquitoes from crawling under.

I made sure to tuck the edges under my mattress on the sides and foot of the bed, leaving only the head-side accessible for getting in and out. I wrote about the full DIY process for making a proper mosquito net setup in my guide on how I made a DIY mosquito-proof net.

My Results (March 13 and 14)

Metric	Night 1	Night 2	Average
Fresh bites (morning count)	2	1	1.5
Visible mosquitoes (inside net)	0	1	0.5
Sleep quality (1 to 5)	4	4	4

The bite count dropped dramatically to an average of 1.5 bites per night. On Night 2, I got only a single bite, and that was because I found one mosquito had gotten trapped inside the net with me (it probably entered when I got up to use the bathroom at midnight).

According to the CDC, insecticide-treated nets are one of the most effective methods to prevent mosquito bites and malaria. Even untreated nets provide significant physical barrier protection. Research from the Cochrane Review of 22 randomised controlled trials found that insecticide-treated nets reduced child mortality by 17%, uncomplicated malaria episodes by 50%, and severe malaria by 45% compared to no nets in areas of stable malaria transmission.

My untreated net is obviously less effective than an insecticide-treated one. But even as a plain physical barrier, it reduced my bites from 21 per night to under 2. That is a 93% reduction for a one-time cost of ₦3,500.

The Problem With Mosquito Nets for Remote Workers

Here is the limitation that most mosquito net guides do not address: you cannot work under a mosquito net at your desk.

A mosquito net covers your bed. It protects you while sleeping. But as a freelancer or remote worker, I am at my desk from 8 AM to 6 PM, and often later. The mosquitoes are not waiting politely until bedtime. They bite during the day too, especially the Aedes mosquitoes that are active in daylight hours.

So while the net was brilliant for sleep, it did absolutely nothing for me during my 10-hour workday. I was still getting bitten at my desk, still swatting mosquitoes off my legs while trying to write, and still losing focus every time I heard that awful buzzing.

For sleeping, the mosquito net is hard to beat. For an all-day, all-night solution, it needs a partner.

My Verdict on Untreated Mosquito Nets

Rating: 7/10 Cost: ₦3,500 one-time Would I recommend it? Absolutely, for sleeping. It is the single best nighttime protection per naira spent. But it does not solve the daytime mosquito problem for people who work from home.

Method 6: Window Net Screen Plus Door Draft Seal (DIY Barrier Method)

This is the method that won. And honestly, I almost did not try it because I thought it would be too complicated and too expensive for my budget. I was wrong on both counts.

The Idea

Instead of repelling or killing mosquitoes inside my room, what if I stopped them from getting in at all? What if I sealed every entry point so that my room became a mosquito-free zone 24 hours a day?

What I Bought

Item	Source	Price
Fibreglass mosquito mesh (1.2m × 3m roll, fine weave)	Computer Village, Lagos	₦4,500
Self-adhesive Velcro tape (2 rolls, 5m each)	Computer Village	₦1,200 each (₦2,400 total)
Foam weather stripping tape (12mm × 10m roll)	Computer Village	₦1,800
Adhesive door sweep (rubber, for bottom of door)	Computer Village	₦2,200
Silicone sealant (small tube)	Building materials shop, Balogun	₦800
Scissors, measuring tape, utility knife	Already owned	₦0
TOTAL		₦11,700

Combined with the ₦3,500 mosquito net for sleeping, my total investment was ₦15,200. That is well under ₦20,000 for a complete mosquito-proof room.

The Installation Process

I did everything on a Saturday morning. Total time was about 3 hours.

Covering the Jalousie Window With Mesh

This was the most important step. My jalousie window has gaps between the glass louvre blades that mosquitoes fly through effortlessly.

I cut the fibreglass mosquito mesh to a size about 10cm larger than my window frame on all sides. Then I attached Velcro strips around the entire outer edge of the window frame (the hook side stuck to the wall with its self-adhesive backing) and attached the corresponding soft Velcro strips to the edges of the mesh.

This creates a removable, sealed screen that covers the entire window from outside the frame. Air flows through the fine mesh freely, but mosquitoes cannot pass through. The Velcro attachment means I can remove the screen for cleaning or adjustment without damaging the wall.

I then ran foam weather stripping tape along the edges where the mesh meets the wall, just inside the Velcro, to create a secondary seal. Belt and braces.

Sealing the Door Gap

The gap under my door was about 1.5cm high. Mosquitoes do not need much space. A 1cm gap is more than enough for a mosquito to enter.

I attached the adhesive rubber door sweep to the bottom of the door. This creates a flexible seal that compresses against the floor when the door is closed. I also ran foam weather stripping tape around the door frame (top and both sides) to seal the smaller gaps.

Sealing Small Cracks and Holes

Using the silicone sealant, I filled a few small cracks near the window frame where the plaster had chipped and two small holes in the wall where old nails had been removed. These tiny openings were potential entry points.

The Result: A Sealed Room

When I closed the door and the window mesh was in place, my room was effectively a sealed barrier against mosquitoes. Air could circulate through the mesh (critical for the Lagos heat), but nothing larger than the mesh weave could enter.

If you are interested in how this affects ventilation and room temperature, I tested several methods to cool down a hot house without AC and the mesh screen allows airflow almost as well as an open window.

My Results (March 15 and 16, Plus Extended Testing Through March 20)

Metric	Night 1	Night 2	Night 3	Night 4	Night 5	Night 6	Average
Fresh bites (morning)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.33
Visible mosquitoes (before bed)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.17
Sleep quality (1 to 5)	4	5	5	5	5	5	4.83

The one bite on Night 1 was from a mosquito already inside the room when I installed the screen. I killed it that morning. The one bite on Night 5 happened because I left the door open for about 20 minutes while bringing food from the kitchen and forgot to close it quickly.

Every other night: zero bites. Zero visible mosquitoes. Sleep quality of 5.

But here is the part that matters most for remote workers: daytime results.

During the six full days of testing, sitting at my desk for 8 to 12 hours each day, I received a total of two mosquito bites across the entire period. Both happened on the same day when I left the door open too long.

For comparison, during the baseline period, I was getting 5 to 10 bites during daytime hours alone while working at my desk.

This method did not just improve my nights. It transformed my entire work-from-home experience.

Why This Method Is Different From Everything Else

Every other method I tested works by either killing mosquitoes (spray, coil) or repelling them from your skin (DEET cream, vaporiser). The fundamental problem with all of those approaches is that they are reactive. They deal with mosquitoes after they are already in your room.

The barrier method is preventive. It stops the problem at the source. No mosquitoes enter, so there is nothing to kill, repel, or hide from.

It also works 24 hours a day, requires zero electricity, produces zero smoke or chemicals, has zero ongoing cost after the initial installation, and lasts for years with minimal maintenance.

My Verdict on the DIY Window Mesh and Door Seal Method

Rating: 9/10 Cost: ₦11,700 one-time (plus ₦3,500 for a sleeping net as backup) Would I recommend it? This is the single best mosquito solution I have found. If you work from home, this should be your first investment.

The Complete Rankings: All 6 Methods Side by Side

Rank	Method	Avg. Bites/Night	Cost Per Night	24-Hour Protection	Electricity Needed	Health Risks	My Rating
1	Window mesh + door seal	0.33	₦0 (one-time ₦11,700)	Yes	No	None	9/10
2	Untreated mosquito net	1.5	₦0 (one-time ₦3,500)	Night only	No	None	7/10
3	DEET topical cream	3.5	₦60	While applied	No	Low (skin irritation)	5/10
4	Plug-in liquid vaporiser	5.5	₦33 to ₦50	While powered	Yes	Low to moderate	5/10
5	Aerosol insecticide spray	5	₦130 to ₦200	Temporary	No	Moderate (inhalation)	4/10
6	Mosquito coil	10	₦50	While burning	No	Significant (smoke, PM2.5)	3/10

The Ideal Combination: What I Use Now

After two weeks of testing, here is the setup I now use every single day:

Primary defence: Fibreglass mesh on my window with Velcro attachment, plus sealed door gap. This stops 95% of mosquitoes from entering.

Secondary defence: Untreated mosquito net over my bed for sleeping. Even with the window sealed, I keep this as a backup. If one mosquito somehow gets in (through the door when I enter, for example), the net catches it at night.

Emergency backup: Aerosol spray. On the rare occasion a mosquito does make it inside, one targeted spray at the wall where it is resting kills it immediately. I use this maybe once or twice a week now, compared to daily use before.

Total ongoing cost: ₦0 per night. The mesh, net, and door seal are one-time purchases. The spray can lasts months because I barely use it.

What About During Power Outages?

This is a question every remote worker in Nigeria will ask. During power outages, you cannot run a fan, which means you get hot. When you get hot, you want to open windows and doors. But opening windows and doors lets mosquitoes in.

The beauty of the mesh screen is that it solves this problem. Your window is open behind the mesh. Air flows through. Mosquitoes stay out. You can even point a rechargeable fan at the window to pull more air through the mesh.

I wrote about how to stay focused during power outages and one of the tips I mentioned was managing your environment. Having a mosquito-proof room that does not depend on electricity is a huge part of that.

The Productivity Impact Nobody Talks About

I want to share something that surprised me.

In the week before I started this experiment, I tracked my productive work hours using a time-tracking app. I averaged about 5.2 productive hours per day out of the 10 to 12 hours I spent at my desk. The rest was lost to distractions, breaks, and constant interruptions from mosquitoes (swatting, scratching, getting up to spray, repositioning fans to blow them away).

In the week after installing the window mesh and door seal, my average productive hours jumped to 7.4 per day. That is a 42% increase in productivity with no other changes to my routine, tools, or schedule.

The difference was that I could sit at my desk for two or three hours straight without once reaching down to slap my ankle. I could take late-night client calls without the buzzing being picked up by my microphone. I could actually think.

For anyone trying to manage their time between a 9-to-5 and a side hustle, those extra 2.2 productive hours per day are enormous. That is more than 15 extra productive hours per week. Over a month, that is 60 extra hours of focused work.

The ₦15,200 I spent on this setup paid for itself in improved output within the first week.

What I Would Do Differently

If I were doing this again, here is what I would change:

Buy an insecticide-treated net instead of an untreated one. Treated nets not only block mosquitoes physically but also kill any mosquito that lands on the net. According to the CDC, the insecticides used on ITNs have been shown to pose very low health risks to humans but are toxic to insects. The treated nets cost more (₦5,000 to ₦8,000 from pharmacies in Lagos), but the added protection is worth it.

Invest in a better quality mesh. The fibreglass mesh I bought works well, but a stainless steel micro-mesh would last longer and resist tearing. It costs about ₦8,000 to ₦12,000 per roll but would last 5 or more years compared to 1 to 2 years for fibreglass.

Seal the kitchen and bathroom windows too. Mosquitoes can enter through any opening in your apartment and then come into your room when you open the door. Sealing only your bedroom creates a safe zone, but sealing the whole apartment makes it permanent.

A Note on Malaria Prevention Beyond Mosquito Control

Physical barriers and repellents are critical, but they are one part of malaria prevention. If you are experiencing symptoms like fever, headache, chills, or muscle pain, get tested immediately at a local clinic or pharmacy. Rapid diagnostic test kits are available at most pharmacies in Lagos for ₦500 to ₦1,500.

Do not self-medicate with antimalarials. According to the WHO, the recommended first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in Nigeria is artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), and it should be prescribed by a healthcare provider after a confirmed diagnosis.

Your health is the foundation of everything. No amount of productivity or side hustle income matters if you are sick. If you need more ideas for taking care of yourself, I have a full guide on self-care ideas for Nigerians and tips on quick stress relief methods you can do at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

I spent two weeks getting bitten, losing sleep, and testing every common mosquito repellent method available in Nigeria. And the answer was not a chemical or a gadget. It was a ₦4,500 roll of fibreglass mesh and some Velcro tape.

The best way to stop mosquitoes is to prevent them from entering your space in the first place. Everything else is damage control.

If you are a remote worker, freelancer, or student working from home in Nigeria, invest the ₦15,000 in sealing your room properly. It will improve your sleep, boost your productivity, reduce your malaria risk, and eliminate the ongoing cost of coils, sprays, and creams.

This is not a luxury upgrade. In a country where malaria kills tens of thousands of people every year and disrupts the lives of millions more, a mosquito-proof room is a basic health and productivity investment.

Set aside one Saturday, buy the materials, seal your room, and reclaim your space.

Want to make your home workspace even better? Check out my guides on how to set up a home office in a bedroom and essential gadgets for remote work in Nigeria for more practical improvements you can make today.