THERE has been an increase in the number of Nigerians in the Diaspora making the return journey back home. This phenomenon known as reverse migration may have started at the beginning of the new millennium with the re-introduction of civilian democracy after long years of military dictatorship, a period that witnessed mass exodus of Nigerians who went abroad in droves in search of better life.


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One could argue that the various socio-economic reforms of the Obasanjo government provided some kind of incentive and renewed hope in the Nigerian nation amongst many Nigerians in the Diaspora. The renewed calls for Nigerians abroad to come back home and contribute to nation building and the increasing alienation and frustration experienced by many Nigerians living abroad may have contributed to the first wave of returnees. The second and current wave of returnees may have been persuaded by other factors, most importantly the current global economic downturn which kicked in sometime in 2007 resulting in job losses, repossession of homes and other assets in the developed economies where majority of the Nigerian Diasporan professionals reside.

Nigerians living in the Diaspora still contemplating the return journey back home are best advised to familiarise themselves with some of the challenges they may face when they return, so that they can at least be better prepared. The first hurdle to cross is the 'mindset hurdle'. How does one start being a Nigerian again after long years of living in near-perfect and enabling socio-economic systems? How does one begin to deal with the issue of living two lives; that of a 'Nigerian' and that of a 'returnee Nigerian', with each life having its own demands and expectations. Can one easily get on in life in a system without any social safety net? How does one overcome the various infrastructural challenges including housing, energy, transportation etc?

There is also the big issue of getting a job or starting up a business. It is on the job angle that many returnees may question their original decision to come back home. The sudden realisation that not a lot may have changed since they left the shores, and that there are still not enough jobs to go round becomes a bitter reminder of the many lost opportunities to nationhood by successive governments. With mounting bills including mortgage repayments, credit card bills, college loans and other expenses waiting to be taken care of in the countries they are returning back from, it is not surprising if frustration sets in if after a short period, especially if there is no major breakthrough in business or career in the new Nigeria that is expected to absolve all the millions of Nigerians currently living abroad. The matter is not helped by the fact that the oil and gas, and banking sectors which showed a willingness to absorb the returnees have now shut their doors to Diaspora recruitment as an after - effect of the global financial crises. Perhaps the telecommunications and other sectors may still present potential alternatives.

Perhaps the most challenging issue yet, one which yours truly suffer the most is that of living apart from one's family. According to Ade Oduyoye of jetpages.com, "Quite a number of friends have now had to maintain their father and husband roles remotely". This is worrying. The situation is such that before embarking on the return journey back home, the returnee, usually the man or husband elects to keep his family behind in the safe and stable environment while he undertakes the journey by himself to initially test the waters, after which the whole family will be relocated.

Such initial plans of 3-6 months absence usually extends to a year or more as things are not usually as simple as they may seem. At this stage, emails, chatrooms, facebook and mobile phones come to the rescue but all these can hardly substitute the physical warmth of one's family. For some like me, you resort to following the progress and growth of your kids through weekly email photo updates. The other alternative is to commute regularly on your frequent flier package or your family does but this has major financial implications.

Charles Okoli, a manager with UBA in Lagos says that this is his biggest challenge yet since he moved back home 2 years ago leaving his wife and 3 kids back in the U.K. "The original plan was for them to join me a little later but that didn't happen for some reasons. I miss my wife and kids and sometimes wonder if it was the right decision to have relocated to Nigeria in the first place, not when you have a young family and can't watch your kids grow up".

There are mixed views from various Nigerians who have braved the odds and plunged into the unknown world of the journey back home. Onyinye Adigwe who returned home in 2009 after completing an MA in Music Business Management from the University of Westminster says that she doesn't regret her decision, "Though I'm yet to get a job, I still like the fact that Nigeria is a developing country. I can put a lot of my ideas and talents to good use while waiting for a proper white collar job. So many businesses have run their course abroad and such ideas are yet to be trialled here, we have enough population and resources to carry them out in Nigeria".

Arthur Ekwensi, Senior Consultant at Woodhouse Consulting, a Brands, Events and People consultancy who came home in 2008 after several years of living in the U.K however cautions Nigerians living abroad to look carefully before they leap, "People have got to assess their personal circumstances before coming home. You can not hop on the flight to Nigeria because everybody is doing so. You have got to be clear in your mind which values you are coming home to add, the mere fact that you have lived or are living abroad is no longer an express route to a good job in Nigeria".

There is hope still for those who are considering making the move. Formal and informal support networks are gradually developing in churches and local communities to ensure a smooth return back to the fatherland by the returnees. This is also not taking away the importance of family networks in the process of re-settlement. For example, on any given Sunday at my local church - This Present House, The Dome located at the end of Admiralty Way, Lekki Lagos, you will find many Nigerian returnees, many of whom their accent give away easily. Those who have been back for some time now help new returnees to settle in by sharing experiences. There are also many church activities to engage them while they go through the motions of settling in once again. Pastor Toni Rapu and his team also have a good way of encouraging returnees by bringing to the notice of all emerging business and other opportunities.

There may not be an easy way to settling back in Nigeria as one can only gauge the warmth or coldness of the water by feeling the water. Although Ngozi Okafor, a 2009 returnee from the United States is planning a guide book to relocating back to Nigeria, but still that should not replace the benefits of practical and first hand experience.

Even if one has the benefit of securing a job before coming back, it still has to be said that the process of settling into a system one has left for many years does take a while. I am still not fully settled in after almost a year of relocating back but you can bet that I don't plan on going back again. This is my country, and as they say, East or West, home is the best. Nothing beats the satisfaction and joy of living and working in one's own country, and contributing your quota no matter small, using the skills and experiences you may have acquired abroad to making your country great again.


http://odili.net/news/source/2009/apr/23/36.html

Someone needs to forward this topic to Mikeansy. The dude will sell his mama's house for UK or American visa.
Africa is the best place to be.

Depilot:

Someone needs to forward this topic to Mikeansy. The dude will sell his mama's house for UK or American visa.
Africa is the best place to be.

point of correction : Africa is best place for a skilled person who has witnessed or being part of a team or solely implemented solutions that have been tried and tested in the western world. That person is bound to make lots of money. Many of my friends that have moved back to Nigeria are doing exceptionally very well.

blacksta:

point of correction : Africa is best place for a skilled person who has witnessed or being part of a team or solely implemented solutions that have been tried and tested in the western world. That person is bound to make lots of money. Many of my friends that have moved back to Nigeria are doing exceptionally very well.

Agreed, however people like me are not contemplating a moving back yet, due to lack of of development in my field back home.

due to lack of of development in my field back home.

and what field is that.

People like us moved back, not waiting for the development of our field, but actually pioneering the development and earning money in the process - why do i have to wait for the development, why cant i spearhead that development? It is a case of what you can do for your country and not what your country can do for you, if everyone waits till their field is developed, then, who will develop the country or how will the country develop then?

@labiyemmy:

People like us moved back, not waiting for the development of our field, but actually pioneering the development and earning money in the process - why do i have to wait for the development, why cant i spearhead that development? It is a case of what you can do for your country and not what your country can do for you, if everyone waits till their field is developed, then, who will develop the country or how will the country develop then?

u read my mind - why not be a trend setter

if everyone waits till their field is developed, then, who will develop the country or how will the country develop then?

10 out of 10. always remember 9ja is high risk, high turnover. once that at the back of your mind you are on a winner.

True talk.

Labiyemmy - Well said. I commend your stance, we know what the problems are, individuals need to start effecting the changes.

We are on our way,we are on our way,we are going home.It is a brand new day.Nobody but us can change our destiny.

ode remo:

and what field is that.

Biomedical Sciences. With emphasis on Haematology and other areas.

@labiyemmy:

People like us moved back, not waiting for the development of our field, but actually pioneering the development and earning money in the process - why do i have to wait for the development, why cant i spearhead that development? It is a case of what you can do for your country and not what your country can do for you, if everyone waits till their field is developed, then, who will develop the country or how will the country develop then?

The problem here is the lack of recognition of what I do. The doctor back home seem to have blurred this line. If you go to a doctor here in the UK, he's got no idea what is wrong in most case. Especially if samples are collected. It is my work as  a BMS [Biomedical scientist] to analyse these samples and give my findings - which then aids the doctor in their diagnosis.

My work place recently fitted analysers that cost £50,000. These machines can analyse thousands of different samples etc. Ranging from your hba1c, down to those on warfrins.  A simple microfuge [a very small centrifuge machine needed for separation techniques] cost £10,000 and that is even second hand price. Then let us not forget the supplies that requires cool environment for storage etc. Some of these cost £400 each for a single test etc.

You can see that I will be fighting an uphill battle here. I will need close to hundred of millions to have it the same standards I have been trained in. Remember, I cannot be cutting corners here as people's life depend on it.


While it is easier to set trends in certain fields, it is somewhat difficult to do so with Biomedical sciences in my view, unless you have the money and need constant training. I have the training, but not the kind of money needed.

yep just gathering all the experience I can get so that I can come back and be a value add/ leader in any company i work for and not just a worker bee

Did anyone even bother to read the article?

OneNaija:

THERE has been an increase in the number of Nigerians in the Diaspora making the return journey back home. This phenomenon known as reverse migration may have started at the beginning of the new millennium with the re-introduction of civilian democracy after long years of military dictatorship, a period that witnessed mass exodus of Nigerians who went abroad in droves in search of better life.

One could argue that the various socio-economic reforms of the Obasanjo government provided some kind of incentive and renewed hope in the Nigerian nation amongst many Nigerians in the Diaspora. The renewed calls for Nigerians abroad to come back home and contribute to nation building and the increasing alienation and frustration experienced by many Nigerians living abroad may have contributed to the first wave of returnees. The second and current wave of returnees may have been persuaded by other factors, most importantly the current global economic downturn which kicked in sometime in 2007 resulting in job losses, repossession of homes and other assets in the developed economies where majority of the Nigerian Diasporan professionals reside.

Nigerians living in the Diaspora still contemplating the return journey back home are best advised to familiarise themselves with some of the challenges they may face when they return, so that they can at least be better prepared. The first hurdle to cross is the 'mindset hurdle'. How does one start being a Nigerian again after long years of living in near-perfect and enabling socio-economic systems? How does one begin to deal with the issue of living two lives; that of a 'Nigerian' and that of a 'returnee Nigerian', with each life having its own demands and expectations. Can one easily get on in life in a system without any social safety net? How does one overcome the various infrastructural challenges including housing, energy, transportation etc?


There is also the big issue of getting a job or starting up a business. It is on the job angle that many returnees may question their original decision to come back home. The sudden realisation that not a lot may have changed since they left the shores, and that there are still not enough jobs to go round becomes a bitter reminder of the many lost opportunities to nationhood by successive governments.


With mounting bills including mortgage repayments, credit card bills, college loans and other expenses waiting to be taken care of in the countries they are returning back from, it is not surprising if frustration sets in if after a short period, especially if there is no major breakthrough in business or career in the new Nigeria that is expected to absolve all the millions of Nigerians currently living abroad.


The matter is not helped by the fact that the oil and gas, and banking sectors which showed a willingness to absorb the returnees have now shut their doors to Diaspora recruitment as an after - effect of the global financial crises. Perhaps the telecommunications and other sectors may still present potential alternatives.

Perhaps the most challenging issue yet, one which yours truly suffer the most is that of living apart from one's family. According to Ade Oduyoye of jetpages.com, "Quite a number of friends have now had to maintain their father and husband roles remotely". This is worrying. The situation is such that before embarking on the return journey back home, the returnee, usually the man or husband elects to keep his family behind in the safe and stable environment while he undertakes the journey by himself to initially test the waters, after which the whole family will be relocated.

Such initial plans of 3-6 months absence usually extends to a year or more as things are not usually as simple as they may seem. At this stage, emails, chatrooms, facebook and mobile phones come to the rescue but all these can hardly substitute the physical warmth of one's family. For some like me, you resort to following the progress and growth of your kids through weekly email photo updates. The other alternative is to commute regularly on your frequent flier package or your family does but this has major financial implications.


Charles Okoli, a manager with UBA in Lagos says that this is his biggest challenge yet since he moved back home 2 years ago leaving his wife and 3 kids back in the U.K. "The original plan was for them to join me a little later but that didn't happen for some reasons. I miss my wife and kids and sometimes wonder if it was the right decision to have relocated to Nigeria in the first place, not when you have a young family and can't watch your kids grow up".


There are mixed views from various Nigerians who have braved the odds and plunged into the unknown world of the journey back home. Onyinye Adigwe who returned home in 2009 after completing an MA in Music Business Management from the University of Westminster says that she doesn't regret her decision, "Though I'm yet to get a job, I still like the fact that Nigeria is a developing country. I can put a lot of my ideas and talents to good use while waiting for a proper white collar job. So many businesses have run their course abroad and such ideas are yet to be trialled here, we have enough population and resources to carry them out in Nigeria".

Arthur Ekwensi, Senior Consultant at Woodhouse Consulting, a Brands, Events and People consultancy who came home in 2008 after several years of living in the U.K however cautions Nigerians living abroad to look carefully before they leap, "People have got to assess their personal circumstances before coming home. You can not hop on the flight to Nigeria because everybody is doing so. You have got to be clear in your mind which values you are coming home to add, the mere fact that you have lived or are living abroad is no longer an express route to a good job in Nigeria".

There is hope still for those who are considering making the move. Formal and informal support networks are gradually developing in churches and local communities to ensure a smooth return back to the fatherland by the returnees. This is also not taking away the importance of family networks in the process of re-settlement. For example, on any given Sunday at my local church - This Present House, The Dome located at the end of Admiralty Way, Lekki Lagos, you will find many Nigerian returnees, many of whom their accent give away easily. Those who have been back for some time now help new returnees to settle in by sharing experiences. There are also many church activities to engage them while they go through the motions of settling in once again. Pastor Toni Rapu and his team also have a good way of encouraging returnees by bringing to the notice of all emerging business and other opportunities.


There may not be an easy way to settling back in Nigeria as one can only gauge the warmth or coldness of the water by feeling the water. Although Ngozi Okafor, a 2009 returnee from the United States is planning a guide book to relocating back to Nigeria, but still that should not replace the benefits of practical and first hand experience.


Even if one has the benefit of securing a job before coming back, it still has to be said that the process of settling into a system one has left for many years does take a while. I am still not fully settled in after almost a year of relocating back but you can bet that I don't plan on going back again. This is my country, and as they say, East or West, home is the best. Nothing beats the satisfaction and joy of living and working in one's own country, and contributing your quota no matter small, using the skills and experiences you may have acquired abroad to making your country great again.


http://odili.net/news/source/2009/apr/23/36.html

kobojunkie - We are simply championing the spirit of the enterpreneurship. If people return with the intention of writing 'dear sir/madam, i beg to apply' letters, then 'e go hard dem'.

@Sapeleguy, the same article also suggests a cautious approach in that area. I agree with the piece; people need to ensure that they are ready for what this likely entails, before jumping out there to "supposedly" change things.

Kobojunkie:

@Sapeleguy, the same article also suggests a cautious approach in that area. I agree with the piece; people need to ensure that they are ready for what this likely entails, before jumping out there to "supposedly" change things.

Oh no, you are just supposed to jump in and be a "trend setter". [where is the roll eyes smiley/emoticon when you need one?]

I personally do not subscribe to that, in my opinion, arrogant approach to changing things. I mean the “I HAVE TO MOVE DOWN THERE TO IMPROVE PEOPLE’s LIFE” thinking. I just have something against that whole messiah thingy!!

People can definitely go home to change things but I also believe that people can cause change from where they are right now. It was proven to a great degree the last decade, where people in various areas of the world, were able to cause change in how the war in Iraq and Afghanistan were being handled.
I personally, would not advice anyone who is comfortable with handling things remotely not to move back to Nigeria until he or she understands it is a necessary move.

Why will someone ask us if we read the article? Someone must think everyone on NairaLand is a fool.

ElRazur - what you just described as your field sounds to me like a lab scientist kind of job which is many here in Nigeria.

Why will i wait for the economic meltdown before deciding to come home, back b4 the meltdown, people like us used our brains to see that there are a lot of opportunities in Nigeria, which we went for, if you are coming home due to the economic meltdown, let me tell you, you have a long long way to go, it is a process that is much more complicated than just waking up, packing your baggages and heading home thinking you will be the champion or something, it takes a long long more process and planning than being chased out due to the economic meltdown.

@labiyemmy:

Why will someone ask us if we read the article? Someone must think everyone on NairaLand is a fool.

I don't have to think people on nairaland are fools to make such a suggestion. From experience, people rarely read the attached article on here. If you read the article, you will  note that it seems centered on cautioning people to ensure they are ready for the many issues likely to face down there,  as they make the decision to move back to Nigeria.

Please read it for yourself!!

Kobojunkie - I agree that 9ja is not a place most people can just relocate to at the drop of a hat. You need some serious planning and a phased return (several trips). I just returned last week and I saw nothing to change my opinion that the opportunities are there for the taking, for those willing to put in the work. I am not a politician so can't make the arrogant changes you refer to but from a business perspective I can have an effect in my own small way.

One of the things that I detest about the this diaspora tag is the feeling that they feel they have all the answers simply because they have been abroad. Nothing could be further from the truth.

this is a matter of choice is int it , we are just enumerating  the points made therein that if eventually anyone wants to make the move the opportunities are there to take,the Christopher Colombo's and mun go parks believed that there are continents undiscovered by the west and they just went for it. so whats the problem here. moreover we r talking about our country.

@labiyemmy:

Why will someone ask us if we read the article? Someone must think everyone on NairaLand is a fool.

ElRazur - what you just described as your field sounds to me like a lab scientist kind of job which is many here in Nigeria.

There are many types of scientist and what I do hasn't taken off in Nigeria to that extent I am after.

How many time do doctors routinely send off blood for analysis? How many times do we have a "group and save" done on a blood prior to operation? How many times are amniocenteses are carried out on pregnant ladies? Do we check for things like "Fragile X syndrome"? Are there patients on Warfrins treatment in Nigeria [something that is standardized across Europe now]. What about Freud's test?

I think you will find that answer to these questions will be over-whelming NOs. What we have instead are elementary microbiology checking for routine stuff like Typhoid, HIV, etc. These are routine stuff and do not really need specialised machinery like I described before.

The role is being hampered in my opinion by the doctors of Nigeria playing "jack of all trades" they seem to know what is wrong with a patient, without even testing them in a lab. A practices that will get people struck off the register here. All illness are either Malaria, Typhoid or some other common ailments. [A very wrong approach as anyone who know what am talking about will tell you]

SapeleGuy:

Kobojunkie - I agree that 9ja is not a place most people can just relocate to at the drop of a hat. You need some serious planning and a phased return (several trips). I just returned last week and I saw nothing to change my opinion that the opportunities are there for the taking, for those willing to put in the work.

There is a time for everything. And Time is relative! Yes, it may be your time to move back does not mean it is time for the next man to do the same. That, I believe this article makes clear!

Glad you were able to move and I hope it works out for you there.

SapeleGuy:

I am not a politician so can't make the arrogant changes you refer to but from a business perspective I can have an effect in my own small way. One of the things that I detest about the this diaspora tag is the feeling that they feel they have all the answers simply because they have been abroad. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Like I said earlier, I don’t believe Diasporas have “THE ANSWERS” for Nigeria. In fact, anyone who actually knows and READS my posts on here would realize that I believe the power to change Nigeria lies in the hands of every Nigerian; even more, the hands of those already in Nigeria, so I don’t believe diasporas need to move back to Nigeria for things to change in that country.  I happen to believe that the best time for me to move back, would be when I actually see some small signs that people in Nigeria are willing to stand up for change, else, it would just be as if I were moving back to Nigeria to IMPOSE MY VIEW OF CHANGE on the people, which, I believe is arrogant and disrespectful. I still stress that I agree with the author of this article. The move back to Nigeria should not be taken lightly by anyone planning to do so.

Majority of the politicians spoiling the country today had been diasporians - James Ibori, Ayo Fayose, Bola Tinubu, and I am sure the list goes on, what they stole in grandeur was all commensurate with the life style they were used to abroad, if they saw what life was abroad b4 they became governors, why didnt they replicate life abroad in the states which they governed? I ask over and over.

ode remo:

this is a matter of choice is int it , we are just enumerating the points made therein that if eventually anyone wants to make the move the opportunities are there to take,the Christopher Colombo's and mun go parks believed that there are continents undiscovered by the west and they just went for it. so whats the problem here. moreover we r talking about our country.

Opportunities HAVE NEVER BEEN IN SCARCITY IN NIGERIA. They existed back during Idiaghon’s time and will continue to exist even after Yar adua is gone. Why continue to sell the same old product as if they were new ones, is what I ask when people say these things. No need to suddenly treat them as if they were new and use them as reason to jump without thinking carefully first and making sure it is the right time for such move.

why didn't they replicate life abroad in the states which they governed? I ask over and over

your answer is in kojunkie reply{

realize that I believe the power to change Nigeria lies in the hands of every Nigerian]

it is human nature if people you govern shows no likelywood of responding to any ills in there environ be it health , politics, legal etc  then the executive will ride  them on and on and on till the people put a stop to it but until then the largess goes on.

ode remo:

it is human nature if people you govern shows no likelywood of responding to any ills in there environ be it health , politics, legal etc  then the executive will ride  them on and on and on till the people put a stop to it but until then the largess goes on.

BINGO!!! Hence the reason why the Diaspora “MAGIC PILL” is not going to work, in my opinion, until the Nigerian people, as a whole, need change and start to stand up to demand it.

Till then, all we will continue to hear of are stories of individuals who went back and were able to amass wealth for themselves, be it through legit or illicit means, while the problems in the nation as a whole continues with barely any change. I read these success stories; stories of how lagabaja and lagbelu moved back to Nigeria and made millions more than they did when they were outside of Nigeria and I wonder what that has to do with Nigeria actually improving.

Kobojunkie:

BINGO!!! Hence the reason why the Diaspora “MAGIC PILL” is not going to work, in my opinion, until the Nigerian people, as a whole, need change and stand up to demand it.

Till then, all we will continue to hear of are stories of individuals who went back and were able to amass wealth for themselves, be it through legit or illicit means, while the problems in the nation as a whole continues with barely any change. I read these success stories; stories of how lagabaja and lagbelu moved back to Nigeria and made millions more than they did when they were outside of Nigeria and I wonder what that has to do with Nigeria actually improving.

Same thing i have been hammering.Most nigerians see nigeria as an enterprise to make money from and not a country to build and serve.

@labiyemmy (m)
London
Posts: 511

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 Re: Nigerians In The Diaspora Making The Return Journey Back Home.
« #5 on: Today at 09:12:33 PM »  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

People like us moved back, not waiting for the development of our field, but actually pioneering the development and earning money in the process - why do i have to wait for the development, why cant i spearhead that development? It is a case of what you can do for your country and not what your country can do for you, if everyone waits till their field is developed, then, who will develop the country or how will the country develop then?


@labiyemi[b][/b]
i totally agree with the above written comment,something new will start to happen in nigeria once diasporians can start to think like you do and knowing that waiting for the an utopian nigeria will translate to waiting endlessly, im however glad that[b][/b] most nigerian diasporians[b][/b] have started to come round to this way of reasoning,including the younger generation moving home in droves

amass wealth

you can easily do this because once you overslave your workers under pay them and cream the profit, what laws stop you paying cheaplabour in Nigeria? its only your fair of GOD  and probably your conscience if ever you have one. all of us must be ready to effect a change in Nigeria without any talk talk. even govt doesn't obey its own labor laws. on wages , healthcare , insurance etc.
i once lived in a community of so called upper class in Abuja, a mai guard was employed on barely 10k monthly , this guy was killing himself on this job to the point of opening the gate for this idiots at 2.30 am without any sleep. this i challenged vehemently low and behold  your so called OGAs called me all sort of names including the fact that i have stayed too long in oyinbo contry hence my attitude. you see once you challenge the status quo the beneficiary will put up arms. so we must be ready for this fight or we shut up for ever.

ode remo:

i once lived in a community of so called upper class in Abuja, a mai guard was employed on barely 10k monthly , this guy was killing himself on this job to the point of opening the gate for this idiots at 2.30 am without any sleep. this i challenged vehemently low and behold your so called OGAs called me all sort of names including the fact that i have stayed too long in oyinbo contry hence my attitude. you see once you challenge the status quo the beneficiary will put up arms. so we must be ready for this fight or we shut up for ever.

Now tell me how you “FORCE CHANGE” on these people, without possibly giving them, the very people you came to “SAVE”, the go ahead to kill you?

Notice how the attack did not come from those in government but from fellow Nigerians?