RodgersAkpafu:


This is one stupid thing my igbo ppl do all the time smh

Only to get shafted most of the time by the supposed Nigerian women they get entangled in this Web and they come online to cry like babies

This disgusting gutter mentality 😤

Send your account number make I find you something make you chop see road

I noticed most of the die-hard Japa fans are Southerners.Yes Northerners do travels as well but they are still more patriotic than Southerners.
If you like Japa to the best county in the world ,if you are destined to make it in Nigeria,you will still come back even if you spend 100 years abroad,enough of this Japa noise.

Well no one has ever lost betting against Nigeria.

RodgersAkpafu:


as someone who used to earn way over ten times minimum wage before moving to the UK, I ha e lived both sides and I'll tell u that quality of life wise, especially as a single person, even 13 times naija minimum wage cannot match £12 quid an hour earner in the UK, especially if you are not living in London

Forget it
being able to buy sharwarma and suya for girls, flexing over the weekend and fooling yourself in shop rite no be quality of life lemme not lie you

Not hearing generators noise alone sef
noise pollution
safety concerns
envious people around you
the list is endless abeg

I made a post here on Nairaland that a pick packer in Australia lives a better life than the manager of any commercial bank in Nigeria.

One guy insulted me and called me names.

One week later, the manager of a commercial bank in Nigeria was kidnapped and killed after paying ransom.

The fool that called me names ran away in shame.

If you have the means to leave Nigeria legally please do. Ensure that you're healthy enough to work.

banku:
Some of you may be right if you believe the reason you cannot do well in Nigeria is because you are a second class citizen.

As a second class, even not a member of privileged class, you will miss your village when you realize you belong to the LAST class.

I agree that money and food means a lot. But how good is that money and food you cannot enjoy? If you think looking down on you despite your classy house and cars is fun, ask yourself how sweet it is as an African that brags because your children, families and friends, at least give you respect as a man in Africa

Compared to a place where they look down on you despite your clean hardwork for your success. Even when you become the head of the dog catcher with all your degrees, watch your back constantly because many cannot wait to replace you with less qualifications. Wondering how you got the leadership position in the first place.

No need to talk about lost children, wife and dear culture you would come to appreciate in Africa when it is too late. I pity those who japa after age 30 more.

Even untouchables have more pride in Africa with success. But desperation in Africa, turns hell into paradise abroad. Goodluck!

People like you are blind. Just travel and change your mindset forever.

The Racism abroad is 1000% better than the tribalism I Nigeria.

Life expectancy in most advanced countries is between 75 to 90 years.

Nigeria is about 45 years. There are 0ne million ways to die in Nigeria and no one cares.

Even the police that are paid to protect you can kill you at any time.

I'm sure you have heard the latest trending story of Mr Andrew.

sonofsteven:



Send your account number make I find you something make you chop see road

This is something only one from a deprived, wretched background will say.

Me and you are no contemporaries in any facet of life, be it career wise, family pedigree, educational qualifications, or anything your feeble mind cam conceive.
So while your infantile, yet lineage disgracing gesture have exposed how the cankerworm of low self esteem have eaten you up, my honest admonition to you is to take that money you want to "dash" a faceless person on nairaland and credit the account of someone wretched in your family who needs it.

By the look of things; you are spoilt for choice in whom to select as the unfortunate candidate for this giveaway of yours.

ewu

RodgersAkpafu:


This is something only one from a deprived, wretched background will say.

Me and you are no contemporaries in any facet of life, be it career wise, family pedigree, educational qualifications, or anything your feeble mind cam conceive.
So while your infantile, yet lineage disgracing gesture have exposed how the cankerworm of low self esteem have eaten you up, my honest admonition to you is to take that money you want to "dash" a faceless person on nairaland and credit the account of someone wretched in your family who needs it.

By the look of things; you are spoilt for choice in whom to select as the unfortunate candidate for this giveaway of yours.

ewu

I understand that frustration is real

Stay strong and you will come out of it..... naija can frustrate her citizens

Chaiiii... since midnight, stop thinking hard,do your best and leave the rest,no give up,who give up na him lose..... stay strong, sending love ❤️ to you

sonofsteven:


I understand that frustration is real

Stay strong and you will come out of it..... naija can frustrate her citizens

Chaiiii... since midnight, stop thinking hard,do your best and leave the rest,no give up,who give up na him lose..... stay strong, sending love ❤️ to you

This local boy is still swimming in the murky waters of seld delusion....
This is a funny sight to see

Ebenny12:
It well my prayer is that God should connect me to find my way out of this country to a good country to survive because this suffering is too much in the country. Last year we're telling them not to vote for this wicked people they ignored our message and now we are all into it together but what am sure is that a day is coming that God will save us from the hands of this wicked politician.

brother, the suffering is too much o. I never see this kind hardship for my life. Chai!

Best thing

SoNature:


Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/06/japa-people-now-liquidate-investments-savings-to-travel-alibaba/

The motivating factors here is for children to become independent at the age of 18 and that of free education.

SoNature:


Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/06/japa-people-now-liquidate-investments-savings-to-travel-alibaba/

Japa remains the best way out of poverty when it is on a legit ground.

Don't allow anyone to deceive you that 10m or 20m will set you up well in Nigeria, Baba na very big lie. As Nigeria stands now, that money is water. If a foreign multinational companies can leave your country, who are you?

The only way I can accept your excuse is when you don't have the resources to move, but if you have, Baba relocate ASAP.

The future of your children are not certain in this country as it stands now. Even if you don't have the mind or interest in relocating maybe your ancestors is against you, then try and push your children, the move will be to make their future and generations more better.

That dirty jobs you see in Nigeria, men are cashing out big abroad.

In conclusion, Japa if you have the means. Don't allow anybody to decide your future and that of your family.

Okay.
But we still need at least one or two subsidies in some sectors. Subsidies is the only way nigeria citizens can still get a share of the national cake. Because the useless palliatives dat federal govt is sharing does not reach the suppose or particular people dat it is intend for.

Angelfrost:


No developed nation on Earth subsidises the way Nigeria does... Not one!

I might be wrong, and I stand to be corrected, but this level of subsidy we do in Nigeria will never enable us attain the peak of human capital development (coupled with our shocking level of corruption).

Up till now we haven't been able to recover from fuel subsidy removal (and we won't recover fully in a decade).

Even our taxing system is ridiculously low and barely enforced.


Haven't you wondered why so many Nigerians complain bitterly whenever they relocate to developed nations?!!

SoNature:
My biggest concern about leaving this country is starting a generation that will never return to their country ever again.

This is my greatest concern too

SoNature:
My biggest concern about leaving this country is starting a generation that will never return to their country ever again.

Follak:
This is my greatest concern too

I'm continually forced to question these assumptions.

In the 1970s during the Oil Boom, a lot of Nigerians with skills and education from abroad migrated back to Nigeria permanently, with no Green Cards or foreign citizenship. Maybe because I attended an FGC, I knew a lot of these people....but even in the small towns I grew up in, some of the local regular workers were returnees from abroad. I mostly grew up in a small tourist town in Imo State.

The local post master returned from Greece. The doctor who attended the births of my siblings was a returnee from Germany. The local vetenarian returned from UK. At least 3 of the school teachers came back from UK or USA. Heck, there were TWO Asian Indians families who were teachers too!

So there must have been many more such people in the bigger cities of Lagos, PH, Enugu and Ibadan. Have you heard of Pius Adesanmi, the Yoruba writer who died in the Ethiopia Airline crash? His family returned to Nigeria from UK and he wrote a bit on the internet about growing up with that background in Nigeria.

How come nobody talks about what happened to those families? Did they prosper? Did they regret returning or were they happy?

There were families that refused to return to Nigeria in the 1970s and remained abroad, some ILLEGALLY. Their children lost their connection to Nigeria. How do they or their parents feel about that?

Do you people ever ask yourselves what were the outcomes? Today 50 years later, what were the lessons learned? 🤔 It beats me silly that there's an entire body of experience and statistics that can guide our decisions and people are still stuck on speculation.

In particular I've asked @Gerrard and a few others that I suspect should know. How come nobody ever discusses this issue?

Anyway Oga, nature will take its course, pun intended. See I didn't make any claim about what is better or about the value of a connection to our native land. All I'm asking is, has anyone bothered to ask what happened to those who have lived through similar times in the past? Yes, because this isn't the first mass migration in our history. Because I remember when Buhari was President back in 1985, he was urging Nigerians to stop migrating abroad. Jakpa was called "Andrew" back then.

So Oga Nature your worries are beyond your power. Igbo people say use your tongue to count your teeth.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

Mcslize:


Yes o brother. I have a dorm account. I started saving aggressively lately into my dorm account. Naira has no value at all.

Free advice. Going by the trajectory of similar economic crises in Venezuela, Lebanon and Zimbabwe, the government will LIKELY seize those dollars and force you to take naira. In fact our CBN already tried in the past 1 year, that certificate thing they were offering.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

valentineuwakwe:
One often wonders why our leaders will travel out n see how society is being formed n lived in, yet they return back to NIGERIA and still make things hard for us!

The underdevelopment of Nigeria is a deliberate action by local and international collaborators.

IbeOkehie:


Free advice. Going by the trajectory of similar economic crises in Venezuela, Lebanon and Zimbabwe, the government will LIKELY seize those dollars and force you to take naira. In fact our CBN already tried in the past 1 year, that certificate thing they were offering.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

Nothing will happen to dorm accounts. It's just lamba. Some banks actually put an interface where you can convert to naira by yourself. Government will never do such. It's just rumour. Domiciliary accounts have been in existence for quite a long time. Banks only put an interface in their banking apps where you can convert directly to naira at a good rate on their banking app. No be today.

Villa12:
please always add fearurcreator to the list of men eating crumbs from these agents of politicians

Okay.
Thanks a lot.

valentineuwakwe:
One often wonders why our leaders will travel out n see how society is being formed n lived in, yet they return back to NIGERIA and still make things hard for us!

That's what black heart do... Hrtless morons

Love800:
But i heard there are no jobs in U.K and Canada.

Not true at all. Those people telling those lies don't want people to come. There are lots of jobs in UK, I'm a student and working as an exam invigilator. There are lots more

Okay.
You are a student. Which program are doing. Undergraduate studies or masters?

And i thought the work you get as a student hardly sustain one?

osothermal:
Not true at all. Those people telling those lies don't want people to come. There are lots of jobs in UK, I'm a student and working as an exam invigilator. There are lots more

DaddyJapan:


Are you aware that even the government makes a distinction between "minimum wage" and "living wage", with the latter being higher.

You really think someone earning 300,000 Naira in Nigeria - 10 times the minimum wage - will fair a lot worse than a minimum wage earner in the UK?

If you believe this to true, you need to get out and interact more with the real world.

YoshihideSuga:


He should be left alone. Most of them don't grasp the basic economics behind minimum wages.

You're the ones making baseless arguments. Yes, a person earning minimum wage in the UK is likely to live at a higher standard than someone earning ₦300K in Nigeria today. You must also take into consideration that less than 1% of Nigerian adults likely earn ₦300K/month or higher. That's the truth and you know it, so even if we say it's a better life with that salary in Nigeria, HOW MANY NIGERIANS earn it and what are their future prospects? We heard all this rubbish on Nairaland back in 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2020 sef. How far

When I came to the USA, I started at minimum wage. I lived with someone for 6 months during which I saved enough money to buy a used car and move into apartment with a room mate - 2 bedroom 2 bathroom. I've even posted pictures of the apartment complex where I lived.

Interestingly, a Gambian hair braider that arrived this town maybe a year ago just bought a used Honda Civic from a Nigerian used car dealer I know for $5,000 and lives in the same neighborhood that I did when I got here over 30 years ago. Most assistant bank managers and doctors with 10 years experience or business owners making ₦120K per month *back then* and ₦1 million per month today in Nigeria couldn't and still can't afford that kind of place back then and they can't afford it today.

How do I know? Because when I moved back to Nigeria in 2011, I had such friends and I know how they lived. Even today, what kind of place will you be able to afford if you earn ₦1 million per month? More important, HOW MANY PEOPLE earn such an income in Nigeria? How many workers or business owners do YOU know earning ₦1 to ₦3 million in Nigeria today?

Dude, ₦1 million = $650... earning that amount in ANY COUNTRY will give you roughly the same standard of living, it can't afford anyone a car OR a decent apartment or house. It just isn't possible. Now here's the koko of the matter....NOBODY working or doing business earns less than $650/mo equivalent in the UK or USA but's it's a glorious salary in Nigeria. And ANYONE working full time in the USA can comfortably afford to save $200 per month and send it to Nigeria. It's that simple, stop yarning rubbish.

Hair braiders in this USA get $400 for doing a single head, an adult man hair cut is $25. Tell me what such workers earn in Nigeria!!!! In fact let me tell you....we own a wholesale business supplying hair care products to salons, that's how I know!

The other thing though is that it's EASIER to improve your skills and INCOME in most Anglo-Western countries. I have friends and relatives in Nigeria, I know how they live, I have friends and relatives in USA who have done low skill jobs for over 25 years and I know how they live. You can't be telling me crap about a life I've lived and observed for over 30 years. Dude come on!!! Why do you guys spew such ignorance on a public forum? What percent of Nigerian resident adults own a car Just car, ordinary car. The ones that do own, most are condemned scrap shipped from abroad. How much does it cost to run and maintain a car in Nigeria as a percent of income? When I was in Nigeria it cost me ₦7K to fill up my SUV, the person using it now says it cost him ₦60K today. Neither salary or profit margins have increased by 900% since 2012, that's for sure.

How many I-Phones are sold in Nigeria? I ask because it's a good sign of disposable income.

How many people in that Nigeria have functional flush toilets AND functional running piped water in their homes?. Whether owned or rented? Very few. Why? They can't afford it, you can blame government all you want but even here in the USA a significant number of homes are NOT connected to public water and sewer, I bet more than 20% of USA homeowners dig their own wells and pipe their own homes. That's a secret many Nigerians don't even know. Americans do it because they can afford it. Having a borehole in your house is a luxury in Nigeria, I know because I lived there.

Anyway I guess anonymity is your shield. Carry on. Ignorance is its own glory. 😤

Good Luck to Nigeria.

IbeOkehie:


You're the one who is making baseless arguments. When I came to the USA, I started at minimum wage. I lived with someone for 6 months during which I saved enough money to buy a used car and move into apartment with a room mate - 2 bedroom 2 bathroom. I've even posted pictures of the apartment complex where I lived. Interestingly, a Gambian hair braider that arrived this town maybe a year ago just bought a used Honda Civic from a Nigerian used car dealer I know for $5,000 and lives in the same neighborhood that I did when I got here over 30 years ago. Most assistant bank managers and doctors with 10 years experience or business owners making ₦120K per month *back then* and ₦1 million per month today in Nigeria couldn't and still can't afford that kind of place back then and they can't afford it today.

How do I know? Because when I moved back to Nigeria in 2011, I had such friends and I know how they lived. Even today, what kind of place will you be able to afford if you earn ₦1 million per month? More important, HOW MANY PEOPLE earn such an income in Nigeria? Dude, ₦1 million = $650... earning that amount in ANY COUNTRY will give you roughly the same standard of living, it can't afford to maintain a car OR live in a decent apartment or house. It just isn't possible...and NOBODY working or doing business earns $650/mo equivalent in the UK or USA but's it's a glorious salary in Nigeria. It's that simple, stop yarning rubbish. Hair braiders in this USA get $400 for doing a single head, an adult man hair cut is $25. Tell me what such workers earn in Nigeria!!!! In fact let me tell you....we own a business supplying hair care supplies to salons, that's how I know.

The other thing though is that it's EASIER to improve your skills and INCOME in most Anglo-Western countries. I have friends and relatives in Nigeria, I know how they live, I have friends and relatives in USA who have done low skill jobs for over 25 years and I know how they live. You can't be telling me crap about a life I've lived and observed for over 30 years. Dude come on!!! Why do you guys spew such ignorance on a public forum? How many Nigerians adults own a car Just car. How many I-Phones are sold in Nigeria? How many people in that Nigeria have functional flush toilets AND functional running piped water in their homes? Very few. Why? They can't afford it.

Anyway I guess anonymity is your shield. Carry on.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

very interesting points you raised

SisterAnn:
Helinues is just a funny little man you must be amused. There's a time the heat on him on this forum got so much that he started bragging that he's no longer in the country and has moved to a better place while his traducers were still stuck in one place. He was also using the line to justify why he sleeps and wakes on NL, citing timezone difference. 😅

baby, love how you called him A LITTLE MAN because that exactly what he is

MajorOvakporaye:


Ekuke still dey feel funky.

Stop giving yourself airs, a strong Urhobo woman? I'm scared now 😃

YoshihideSuga:


No vex sir, are things really so hard in Nigeria, especially outside Lagos, Port-harcourt and Abuja?

Things hard for me oooh!

Everyday buy fuel for car and gen.
The prices of things we consume n use at home skyrocketed.

zudozz:



Things hard for me oooh!

Everyday buy fuel for car and gen.
The prices of things we consume n use at home skyrocketed.

Don't mind the guy. As if he hasn't lived in Nigeria or have relatives and friends there. They keep referencing ₦300K...that's $200 or £160 for goodness sake!!!

Earn even ₦500K per month and use ₦25K to buy fuel for car and gen each week. Add rent for 2 bedroom apartment with 24 hour water supply and 24 hour electricity, then what? How much is left?

Some people are just not worth discussing anything with.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

RodgersAkpafu:


Well
different people with their different philosophy
as for people like me, our kids cannot grow up, or spend their formative years in Nigeria.
There is no advantage whatsoever in doing that if you ask me.

I want my descendants to lead Fortune 500 companies and that's where the entire focus is...
you can't lead a fortune 500 company from Nigeria so...

Like you said everyone has what they want. I grew up in northern Nigeria where my parents worked in the academia. Moved to USA at age 19 and moved to UK at age 23. Returned to Nigeria after Grad school at age 25 and worked for three years (NYSC year, one year at a tech company and a little over one year in a bank). Moved to South Africa on a work permit in 2021 and moved to Canada in 2022. Growing up in Nigeria did me no harm. If anything I keep going back to Nigeria on vacation every 6 months. I understand the country and the people and I'm grateful for spending my formative years in Nigeria.
When I meet Nigerians who have lived for long in Canada and USA I even appreciate my years in Nigeria more. They are very naive. They think they are in paradise (carrying heavy debts and living the rat race) while they also Nigeria is hell . Their host society has changed their way of thinking to the point that they think every rich Nigerian is a thief.
How many Nigerian immigrants or children of Nigerian immigrants lead Fortune 500 companies today ? My guess is zero or one but most likely zero. What is the social capital of an average immigrant ? In Nigeria I worked for three years but the social capital I built is much more valuable to me than the one I have in USA or even Canada.
To each there own though

tshtsh:

Like you said everyone has what they want. I grew up in northern Nigeria where my parents worked in the academia. Moved to USA at age 19 and moved to UK at age 23. Returned to Nigeria after Grad school at age 25 and worked for three years (NYSC year, one year at a tech company and a little over one year in a bank). Moved to South Africa on a work permit in 2021 and moved to Canada in 2022. Growing up in Nigeria did me no harm. If anything I keep going back to Nigeria on vacation every 6 months. I understand the country and the people and I'm grateful for spending my formative years in Nigeria.
When I meet Nigerians who have lived for long in Canada and USA I even appreciate my years in Nigeria more. They are very naive. They think they are in paradise (carrying heavy debts and living the rat race) while they also Nigeria is hell . Their host society has changed their way of thinking to the point that they think every rich Nigerian is a thief.
How many Nigerian immigrants or children of Nigerian immigrants lead Fortune 500 companies today ? My guess is zero or one but most likely zero. What is the social capital of an average immigrant ? In Nigeria I worked for three years but the social capital I built is much more valuable to me than the one I have in USA or even Canada.
To each there own though

This is a very interesting read...
Seems like we have had one or two engagements on twitter before
anyways that aside, this is my perspective sha

Just like you, I'll say that the biggest pro, despite the many ugly sides to spending your formative years in Nigeria is that you learn GRATITUDE and appreciate more, what the west has to offer.

A second generation American or Brit will see the country as his country (which is the norm and expected) and only see the issues and conplain a lot, entitlement may even creep in
but for us that came from literal "hell fire" , we appreciate more what is available in the west and work with it.

You made a reference about the rich in Nigeria and how people think they are criminals.
My fellow Nigerian, take it from me, most "rich" fellows in Nigeria are "criminals" or lemme use a more polite word, rent seekers.

The Nigerian economy is what you call a near imperfect economy, in an economic sense, that means that outlandish economic returns are very much possible, especially when you throw in cronyism and weak institutions in the mix.....
That explains how soneone can out of the blues blow, in Nigeria and say China, than in the west, because as an economy nears perfection, the returns normalise, and the returns tend closer to zero as the economy nears perfection (there is no 100% perfect economy sha, because that will mean zero returns)
My point is the supposed elite class claiming big boys in Nigeria, operating in a space where the economy nears the perfection line exposes their underbelly, so I understand WHY they will think that rich Nigerians are crooks (not all but most) and I side them on that one.

The undertone as to why I say that my descendants have minimum interaction with Nigeria is because the dominant cultural mentality in that space is antithetical to common sense and proper development...
to put it more mildly, I don't agree with it and to be frank that is the major motivation for escaping the country

I strongly believe that burning myself out and sending them to the best schools here like Winchester Eton or one fancy school in Switzerland that i used to admire will be better for them in the long run, as they will make global connections which will better position them for great things in the west , which Nigeria cannot offer let's be frank.

I see my sons as a Kwasi Kwarteng, Sajid Javid, Sunak or Chan...... or even Tidjane Thiam
that's the vision for them....
but for now they are all dreams and that's what I work towards day and night everyday.

the above answers your question about social capital. Going to Eton or Winchester gives you social capital that BIS or Turkish international cannot give.

on a final note, you made mention of the rat race and the debt accumulation that they have.
I wonder why a typical Nigerian who grew up in Nigeria have this kind of antagonist mentality towards debt.
Debt is the number one wealth building tool and has been what have pulled hundreds of millions of folks across the western world and even China out of poverty.
Our aversion to debt is the reason why Africa will remain poor and wretched, because just like a knife that is a good tool, but could kill as well, debt is the same
will you say cos knife can kill, I won't use it ?

On a final note, I can tell that you are a very intelligent person who has some balance.
I wish you the very best out there mehn.

RodgersAkpafu:


my uncles spent 40 years here and are not returning
my aunt died and was buried here
according to her, if her kids (my cousins) take her body to that "accursed land" (her own words) she will torment them forever

Sometimes when you migrate, you just cut ties kpata kpata
That will be more difficult for me to do because my parents are still alive, and refuse to move out of Nigeria, but once the inevitable happens.....

Well *shrugs*

Until then