I was born in Bata. I started working at 21 as a clerk in a timber company in Litoral Province. The work was tough and the pay was low, but looking back, it's what instilled discipline in me. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my working life.
In 1992, I moved to Malabo in search of better opportunities, and that's when I joined the public sector. I spent the next 25 years as an administrative officer at the Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure.
My salary during those years was modest, but I made a decision early on not to trust banks with my savings. Instead, I invested in my home. Bit by bit, using the bonuses I earned along the way, I bought cement and roofing sheets and built my house in the Semu neighbourhood of Malabo. I also managed to purchase a small plot of land back in my hometown, which has always meant a lot to me.
Now that I'm retired, I receive a pension of 180,000 XAF per month from the National Social Security Institute. With the pension, I can cover food, electricity, and water. But it's not enough. Health expenses for my wife and the cost of getting around Malabo eat up almost half of what I receive, so I've had to turn to my children for support at times.
What's made things harder over the past five years is the rising cost of living here in Malabo. Everyday essentials like rice, cooking oil, and fish have become far more expensive than they used to be, and it's a constant struggle to keep up.