There is the general parlance that there is nowhere like home. It makes me wonder why People with decent means of livelihood abandon the Country in search of better opportunities in Europe and America.

Life as a second class citizen in a foreign land can be tasking.

Please share your sincere experience with intending Emmigrants. You may be saving a soul.

It very predictable that nobody will want to share his/her experience with us.

Everybody wants the next person to take a leap in the dark.

For those of you abroad, know that you have an opportunity to relate your experiences- good/bad so that other can learn from it.

But if you decide to keep silent, please know that your silence is not golden

its cmplicated some good times some bad times, so it depends o ma byother if anybody get uk visa make him show after 3months he should be able to know what he or she wants in life. if na to stay dey hussle make him stay if na to dey entre commot no shaking, there is no where that is all fun sometimes its crazy.

ciao

owenjay this is an enlightening thread-thanks a bunch.


C'mon guys set the ball rolling.someone should open the floor,

okay nobody's forth coming.
i

Amsky,

amsky:

owenjay this is an enlightening thread-thanks a bunch.


C'mon guys set the ball rolling.someone should open the floor,

okay nobody's forth coming.
i

Amsky,

Thanks for dropping a note. I will however, like you to share your experience with me.

I am not planning to leave Nigeria for good. I am a Chartered Accountant and a Middle Mgt Staff in a Bank in Nigeria

I travel to London yearly on vacation. The tale one hears and the living conditions of so many Nigerians abroad leaves much to be desired.

Very many Africans, who have not travelled out of their Countries oversea, believe that London and North American streets are paved with Gold. That one can practically pluck money on Trees.

I know it is not so.
I know that there are so many People as we speak that are willing to walk through the desert of Morroco and swin the Mediteranian to get to Spain. That is why I feel we owe them, as people that are living abroad to Share our Experiences with them.

My Parents were in London between 1962 and 1970. My Elder sibblings were born in London and they currently reside there.
I have the good fortune of being the first Child among my sibblings born in Nigeria and I dont have any other Passport other that the Green, and believe me, I am proud of it.

Your contribution will therefore, be invaluable.

owenjay,
you are very correct again
life out here is notas rosy as people back home think.well,i am a british as well as a nigerian citizen. i came here after my first degree in nigeria.i have seen people who get here illegally and are regretting the day they ever thought of leaving Nigeria.
For now i'm here to earn a living,but will i go back home to nigeria you bet i will. i have a fairly good job,my husband has a great job too,but that's not to say that we did not have better potentials in Nigeria. As i'm talking to you,i know someone who came here from nigeria illegally.she got friendly with a guy who stays in a council flat.things went sour bw them and the guy reported her to the police,saying she is came in illegally and all that.now the cops are hot on her trail.life has been bad for her.she now lives by handouts from the few nnigerians she has met so far.it's only a matter of time before she's caught and the rest will be history.
the disheartening thing is the way the guys get here.i lost a classmate in 2005 who entered a container and hope to get to Germany or europe alive.
My husband is a staff of an oil company with offices in nigeria.his colleagues who were sent here on STAs or some sort of posting were lamenting when they were due to leave after spending 4-6 yrs here. They barely had any savings.

anyway,there is one thing i enjoy here-order,24hrs power supply,when you pay tax,you see benefits,no fuel queues or scarcity. one advice i'll give here is: if one can live comfortably in nigeria,pls stay put.

owenjay have i helped you? hope i have. Enjoy your evening.

amsky:

owenjay,
you are very correct again
life out here is notas rosy as people back home think.well,i am a british as well as a nigerian citizen. i came here after my first degree in nigeria.i have seen people who get here illegally and are regretting the day they ever thought of leaving Nigeria.
For now i'm here to earn a living,but will i go back home to nigeria you bet i will. i have a fairly good job,my husband has a great job too,but that's not to say that we did not have better potentials in Nigeria. As i'm talking to you,i know someone who came here from nigeria illegally.she got friendly with a guy who stays in a council flat.things went sour bw them and the guy reported her to the police,saying she is came in illegally and all that.now the cops are hot on her trail.life has been bad for her.she now lives by handouts from the few nnigerians she has met so far.it's only a matter of time before she's caught and the rest will be history.
the disheartening thing is the way the guys get here.i lost a classmate in 2005 who entered a container and hope to get to Germany or europe alive.
My husband is a staff of an oil company with offices in nigeria.his colleagues who were sent here on STAs or some sort of posting were lamenting when they were due to leave after spending 4-6 years here. They barely had any savings.

anyway,there is one thing i enjoy here-order,24hrs power supply,when you pay tax,you see benefits,no fuel queues or scarcity. one advice i'll give here is: if one can live comfortably in nigeria,please stay put.

owenjay have i helped you? hope i have. Enjoy your evening.

Amsky,

Thanks a million. You've really being of immense help. God bless you.

No regrets at all. I came here for a purpose and fulfilled that purpose.  To really educate myself and join people who really wish for progress.  I would have relocated a million times over--in a jiffy!  I am glad my siblings all did the same thing!  If your country cannot meet your needs, please adopt another that will. 

No sentiments attached please.  This is business!

Life is not a bed of roses anywhere in the world. So long as it gives the right opportunities for education and employement you will definitely succeed.  Unless you are the typical impatient Nigerian with "get rich quick" as his or her motto.

If you are illegal, life is very miserable.  You may need to go back to Nigeria and be as miserable as you want to be!

And who says life is rosy anyway?   Only lazy people think like that!

owenjay:

There is the general parlance that there is nowhere like home. It makes me wonder why People with decent means of livelihood abandon the Country in search of better opportunities in Europe and America.

Life as a second class citizen in a foreign land can be tasking.

Please share your sincere experience with intending Emmigrants. You may be saving a soul.

Home is where you make it honey!  Once again, no sentiments attached! Nothing in this world will make me considering living in Nigeria! I will only visit because my parents are still alive and still reside there.  As for my kids, only took them there once and myself and Mr. Almond were severely warned not to ever try that again.  All of them came back sick!!! ALL OF THEM!  I thought they were all going to die!   See wahala!!!!  From diarrhea to nausea and vomitting!!!  Fever nko? One was hospitalized for 2 months with intravenous feedings only!   We have complied ever since.   When we go over there we respectfully live them behind with their aunts and uncles.   Darling Mr. Almond no wan hear am again oh!

Once you mention Ni not to talk of Ni-ge-ria they start having convulsions! The place traumatized them no be small!  Oooooooooooooooooooooh, they do not want to hear that name at all!  Can't say I blame them at all! The place na wah!

If only for the kids, I will never try to relocate back to Nigeria!  Lai lai!!!!!

Funny !.

Different strokes for different folks. I take my kids to naija almost every year with no issues. They love the change of environment. Not that they would live there though. But naija is not that bad.

@ almondjoy
sorry for your experience.i have had that once too and believe me,it's not funny.i had to cut the visit short.

I'll like my kids to visit Nigeria as often as possible.That's their home.The way things are in that country leaves a bitter taste in the mouth i tell you. I'll go back home to Nigeria much later,but without my children. Those guys there have brought the country to its knees and the way they are going to it's tummy,lying flat.

It's sad.We are even thinking of relocating to the US or Canada,but not to 9ja.when the kids are grown and have found their feet,then 9ja here we come.

yes siena,the fear of the knock on the door makes life misreable for so many.I was once in thorntonheath to pay a visit to an ill Nigerian colleague. The cops went by and i noticed her brother began to fidget . then the buzzer went off. AH!!!! check out the guy's sprinting.

The lady and her family have moved to Sweden,and the guy is still here.He's been there for about 2yrs and can hardly be of use to himself.He is a graduate of electrcal engineering.

It's really good here if one has a good job,accommodation and all that before hand.when one has no concrete plan in place,the result is living from hand to mouth,inconveniencing others in the name of''help your country man'', and of course looking behind you to know if the cops are trailing you. The answer to all these is: make sure you are a legal immigrant,be a hard worker, and everything will fall into place.

Goodluck to all intending LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

It still beats my imagination why some fellow 9ja would see one country a bird of roses and the other not!!!. A place is all about what you make out of it, and sometimes has nothing to do with location. One can stay in Nigeria and still be very sucessful,UK & US citizens still migrate to other countries, People still migrate to places like Togo,Angola,Ruwanda etc make it their home and suceed.Home is all about what you make it to be.

It all depends on your dreams and aspirations in life and necessarily does not mean making more money.Making money shouldnt be the only reason for migration.

Ah! No place like my Naija. I am making my cool cash here and guess what, CASH RULES HERE!! No strict laws, You get to enjoy yourself and get respect from people around.
Get to be with your family everyday and feel the warmth of motherland.

Ruggedness is also one of the reasons I love my Naija. She has made me so strong that I can live anywhere I wanna.

I have more than enough money to Jand now but I prefer to stay here till further notice!

The only reason I might consider travelling would be Vacation to a place where u get respect with your money, like Dubai or Barbados

amsky:

@ almondjoy
sorry for your experience.i have had that once too and believe me,it's not funny.i had to cut the visit short.

I'll like my kids to visit Nigeria as often as possible.That's their home.The way things are in that country leaves a bitter taste in the mouth i tell you. I'll go back home to Nigeria much later,but without my children. Those guys there have brought the country to its knees and the way they are going to it's tummy,lying flat.

It's sad.We are even thinking of relocating to the US or Canada,but not to Nigeria.when the kids are grown and have found their feet,then Nigeria here we come.

Are you telling me?  I say I will never EVER try that again!  I see pepper no be small.  That place called Nigeria almost wiped out Mr. Almond's whole lineage!   I do not blame you at all ma sista!  That is a risk I will never take again!

_{Witches and Wizards!}

Folks,

Your comments have been very enlightening. It's a case of different strokes for different folks.
But one thing that is inalienable in this, is that no matter how British you are, the whites still look at black people as second class citizens and usurpers.

When I see Africans on the streets of London doing menial jobs, it reminds me of what Ghanaians were to Nigerians in the early 80s before they were sent back to their country during the "Ghana must go era". Those days, we used to have them as handymen, househelps, shoemenders (not makers) and mobile Tailors.

Thank God Ghana is out of the doldrum as a result of their never-say-die spirits and visionary Leadership.

Nigeria, will indeed, fly again. The Current President has started well unlike Former President Obasanjo, who played lip service to economic development throughout his 8 years in Government.

So do not give up on the Country.

As a travel advisory, for those of you mothers with Children born and bred in Britain, your hubbies and children will go back with fond memories if they stay in the Cities. You can pay visits to the Villages on weekends for them to have a feel of your roots.

Because of lack of basic infrastructure in most of our Villages, a first time visitor to Nigeria will draw conclusion that we still duel in the mediaeval times. I am sure that is the impression the Almonds left Nigeria with.

But I must tell you, Nigeria is it. Get a good education, get a good grade from school and leave the rest to God. Good jobs will always come.

A fresh graduate earns a minimum of =N=1.5million in the least paying bank in Nigeria. My bank pays =N=2million.

Owenjay thanks so much. you see,i love nigeria so much.Infact more than Yaradua does , and i'll be happy if Nigeria flies again.i'll be the first to rush back there.

last time i was there,it was not a good experience at all.not for me,not for my kids.I'm planning another trip at easter, but without the children.I saw my dead grandmother honestly.Nepa struck as usual for 3 consecutive days

Talking about education,it's better off here.i've ''tasted'' the two and i can testify to it.Nigerians send their kids to school in GHANA.GHANA for crying out loud!!My younger sister graduated with honours,she studied pharmacy.She was without a job for 4yrs.Thank goodness for great mercies,she's now in the US and doing very well in a research firm.

Owenjay,thanks for this oppurtuinity,but as Almondjoy says, if your home country cannot meet your needs,then adopt another.That is what i did o. My children will get a good education and that's what matters most to my husband and i.I came here and he was back home.His company posted him here and on getting here,he found a job that would provide more''garri'' and he grabbed it with both hands.
I miss Nigeria, but right now let's earn a reasonable living here.

@owenjay.
, because you have a good job and come to the uk yearly, , you will never understand why some people travel to other 'better' parts of the world.
till (God forbid), you lose your job, and theres nobody to help you, no job, no money, no friend, no hope, the only thing left for you will be to relocate, then you will understand.

[, ]
IMHO, where you are now, is where God wants you to be. if you are in nigeria today and having no problem, it is because God planned it that way. if in london or new-york today, that is where you are meant to be.

so just enjoy yourself where you are.

Now am confused,
I was thinking seriously of relocating because i have a british passport and i hate my job in Naija, infact am frustrated by Lagos stress , traffic and ofcourse NEPA.
With all this am hearing i am beginning to think hard.
i recently got back from the UK on vacation and i loved it there, i really like the organised life, last time i was there before now was 1991 and some of my friends there think am stupid for staying in Naija with a british passport.
If i move, where do i start from, i schooled in Naija remember and i dont really have relations in jand except friends , got the passport because my father was born there but he stays in Naija.
Other factors are ; i am to get married this year but my husband to be is not so sure about relocating yet.
i think about this everyday, what are my options

aysometin:

Now am confused,
I was thinking seriously of relocating because i have a british passport and i hate my job in Naija, infact am frustrated by Lagos stress , traffic and ofcourse NEPA.
With all this am hearing i am beginning to think hard.

i recently got back from the UK on vacation and i loved it there, i really like the organised life, last time i was there before now was 1991 and some of my friends there think am stupid for staying in Naija with a british passport.
If i move, where do i start from, i schooled in Naija remember and i don't really have relations in jand except friends, got the passport because my father was born there but he stays in Naija.

Other factors are ; i am to get married this year but my husband to be is not so sure about relocating yet.
i think about this everyday, what are my options

10 years of hard labour without the possiblity of parole!   The fact that you have a British passport only makes it 10% better.  You must go back to school and "retrain" as a professional.  And you are a female?  Make that 20 years!   Make sure you are married first honey.  This is not the time to venture out of Nigeria without a "spouse".  Your chances of finding one there without being a "liablity" is very slim.  Nigerian guys are not so generous or kind to their sisters in Nigeria not to talk when on foreign soil!  You are a high risk for an "abusive" relationship too.

Think well before you make any decisions! I did and did not leave as a single female!---Praise the Lord!

May God be with you!  MARRY FIRST A BEG YOU! you have a British passport and can always bring your family over in the long run. But get that dude first! You definitely will not like the ones over here. Trust me!

allelujay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the NEPA wahala na wa sef.

amsky:

allelujay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the NEPA wahala na wa sef.

Advise our sista abeg! Abroad no be where you wan go as a "single" lady oh!

We know about NEPA and all the wahala. But as a female she needs to have some powerful spiritual plans. Not with all the crap I see around me here in terms of relationships!

Almond Joy,
Their is no need to worry,. i aint leaving my fiance and we are getting married quite alright. I know a lot about guys abroad already. and am in love
I am more concerned about my relocation whether before or after the wedding because its in August.
What to expect and all?
Then go back to school to study what o?

@ALMONDJOY

Sorry for your experience and thank Jesus you made it out alive with your family (Edo state especially).

I lost my girlfriend in that state during her NYSC orientation service inside the camp.
Some said it was spiritual but I leave everything to God.

So as you take clear comot for Edo state I no blame you at all

@aysometin

abeg send me IV o and return ticket
Congrats in advance

eh Awon Boiz,
Where have you been??
Dont worry u will be there life and direct.
Am really sorry to hear about your girl, i almost cried.
Edo people a gbedi fun yin

anusule:

@owenjay.
, because you have a good job and come to the uk yearly, , you will never understand why some people travel to other 'better' parts of the world.
till (God forbid), you lose your job, and theres nobody to help you, no job, no money, no friend, no hope, the only thing left for you will be to relocate, then you will understand.

[, ]
IMHO, where you are now, is where God wants you to be. if you are in nigeria today and having no problem, it is because God planned it that way. if in london or new-york today, that is where you are meant to be.

so just enjoy yourself where you are.

Anusule,

I sincerely get your drift. My worries are for those with decent and well paying jobs and who turn their heels on the jobs and emigrate from the Country.

See my introduction to the thread below:

There is the general parlance that there is nowhere like home. It makes me wonder why People with decent means of livelihood abandon the Country in search of better opportunities in Europe and America.

Life as a second class citizen in a foreign land can be tasking.

Please share your sincere experience with intending Emmigrants. You may be saving a soul.

awon boiz:

@ALMONDJOY

Sorry for your experience and thank Jesus you made it out alive with your family (Edo state especially).

I lost my girlfriend in that state during her NYSC orientation service inside the camp.
Some said it was spiritual but I leave everything to God.

So as you take clear comot for Edo state I no blame you at all

@aysometin

abeg send me IV o and return ticket
Congrats in advance

aysometin:

eh Awon Boiz,
Where have you been??
Dont worry u will be there life and direct.
Am really sorry to hear about your girl, i almost cried.
Edo people a gbedi fun yin

He he he he he he he! You are not serious! Who said it has anything to do with Edo State? You can drop dead anywhere in Nigeria and ain't going to be anything spiritual about it. Anytime you put something in your mouth, you are taking a big risk.

As for the kids--it was due to change in eating/drinking habits. It was extremely difficult to feed them there. All that our diet did not seat well with them at all. Do do not eat it over here, so feeding them rice and plantain and eba and egusi soup was tantamount to a death wish. Then those poisonous chemicals called coke and fanta just added insult to injury. Even the 5-ALive was the most deadly. The moment they smelled it--diarrhea straight up the cracks! I cannot even drink that shit! My stomach will be singing from morning till night waiting to explode!

Then one complained he could not hear in one ear. Then the drama really began. We had to travel to Lagos looking for an ENT specialist, the we were referred back to Port Harcourt. Then finally to Warri. It was miserable. Also change in environment. I too nearly died after 5 years of not going home. But have been okay since then. So please don't blame Edo State at all. You never know what you can pick up with the careless way we do things over there. Please to each his own oh. I say I will never try such rubbish again. Wetin ma eye see, my mouth no fit talk am!

aysometin:

Almond Joy,
Their is no need to worry,. i aint leaving my fiance and we are getting married quite alright. I know a lot about guys abroad already. and am in love
I am more concerned about my relocation whether before or after the wedding because its in August.
What to expect and all?
Then go back to school to study what o?

Good girl. Just marry that dude first abeg! Everyother thing can wait! Relocation will be just fine as long as you guys are together. It is difficult for one person only. Goodluck honey!

Almond Joy,

Can we be friends?

aysometin:

Almond Joy,

Can we be friends?

Sure? How?

@almondjoy

na real wah o! From Edo to lagos to ph to warri for ENT specialist
There is an ENT specialist at the military hospital behind Yabatech now
I was went to see him when I catarrh wey no gree go wen i was in naija some yrs back, He said I needed operation to clear some dust or whatever

Na so I tell am say I de come , Ofcourse I clear come back yankee , na for BWI the catarrh vamoose

@aysometin

almondjoy na old mama yongie oo
na me be your mate abeg,
make we be friends instead, almondjoy go bless our friendship, abi

awon boiz:

@almondjoy

na real wah o! From Edo to lagos to ph to warri for ENT specialist
There is an ENT specialist at the military hospital behind Yabatech now
I was went to see him when I catarrh wey no gree go when i was in naija some years back, He said I needed operation to clear some dust or whatever

Na so I tell am say I de come , Ofcourse I clear come back yankee , na for BWI the catarrh vamoose

@aysometin

almondjoy na old mama yongie oo
na me be your mate abeg,
make we be friends instead, almondjoy go bless our friendship, abi

Yeah right!!!

You think I was going to let a jack of all trade/animals attend to my pickin?

Sorry darling, I was looking for a Pediatrician.  Sure we talked to one in Lagos and all Mr. Almond needed to do was listen to his arse for 10 minutes and decided to strangle him. This one sounded like he had a farm instead of a hospital. Hope that is not where you went ooooooooooooooooooh? Most of them sounded like doctors that treat both horses and cows with semi-humans too!   So they can shoot the poor kid with 10 times the dosages of drugs used without caring if it a child or monkey they are treating.  I say may God forbid.  I have learned my lesson trust me!  

So I am here pursuing my golden fleece please.   I will never return to that jungle!  


That is how it is done in "other" parts of the world.  Sorry we ended up in Shell Clinic that had a "pediatrician" Oyinbo man in Warri thank you!  Bullshit!  He needed an operation alright--but over my dead body would it have been done in Nigeria!!!!

Na when you picking sick for Nigeria you go understand say the place na useless place!

As for the friendship thingy.   Why you dey jealous?  aysomentin no wan befriend you.  Na me im wan befriend so stop trying to snatch!!!!!

I dropped this on another thread,Nigerians in the UK.

The measure of a man/ woman is not in his location but in the content of his character.

What’s valuable to you? The pursuit of the £££ at any cost no matter the cost.

If you have the qualification tickets, the knowledge and the edge you may find some satisfaction for a while. And the term is for a while, after a while the pains of poverties past life in Naija will soon be forgotten.
Reality will hit, you may be more qualified, experienced, capable and able but not presentable for the top position, you see your Black; we do have racism here alive and kicking.

And if you’re not legal well that’s a whole new lecture and another way of life, indeed a desperate life, not another life.
That’s why come the holidays like captive tigers we’ll pay anything for that flight home, just one week in Lagos or Warri to get back to life, Naija Life.

Your faith cannot rise above your expectation,and if your expectation is low so also will be your vision, and sooner or later you will find yourself crawling in lowly situations. Now happiness is dependent on the happenings around you. But PEACE na only God deh give that one & its not location based.
I REST OH !!!

almondjoy:

As for the kids--it was due to change in eating/drinking habits. It was extremely difficult to feed them there. All that our diet did not seat well with them at all.

i would say it was a function of the mind

what about Nigerians that relocate with their children to other countries have u seen them running back to Nigeria cos of the food

what crapy food are u talking about compared to our home food? i hope it is not a biologically enhanced supplement u r referring to

i think probably cos ur mind was not in 100% support of ur visit to nigeria then every thing started playing tricks on u

i have stayed in europe for quite some time now and i have had enough of the crazy taxation the crazy food the stiff neck people i am going back to Nigeria and i mean it

u can have every thing u want in nigeria u only just have to pay for it

if u complain about NEPA there are cheaper alternatives
if u complain about the Holdups get up early and go to work, there is no country in the world without traffic jam

i cant guarantee security in Nigeria and i cant guarantee it any where else, thank God nigerians dont wake up one morning and start shooting every one around and claiming mental instability

we Nigerians at times just luv complaining and complaining and wont look for solutions to solve the situations we are in

for me Europe is not a place to live

if u have a job in Nigeria dont resign cos u may not find it easy outside Nigeria