i guess this post might interest you just as it does to me, but honestly i am begining to wonder if its makes any sense to travel abroad in the guise of looking for greener pasture, or if, those that have gone are truly better than we here,
well, as you all know there is a mad rush for visa, and that has been going on for a while, the visa process is rigorous, expensive cos you have to tender a statement of account and at the end of the day after getting the visa and all of that, they go for year, between 5 to 10 years, and basically nothing to show for it, that thier nigerian counterpart here cannot achieve in nigeria
while over there, they shout, bills , and bills, and they have little to send home, schooling over there is ridiculusoly expensive, most people dont even venture into it, some that do, might be lucky, to get a job, but even at that, i dont see them beating a nigerian here with a good job home,
well honestly, i feel its only people with no hopes, in nigerian that should run to another man's land, i mean, no hope, ie, no qualification, nothing, because at the end of the day, it usually tougher than they anticipated,
just my personal view share your view, your friends, family member, neighbour, that were of the same level with you, that travel, five year, 10 years later are the really better than you,
i want to here your view fellow NL

some of my mate in naija are livin well

maybe even better than me

better than Superman

thats right

Poster what do you see as good living?

You hit the nail on the right  spot, excluding utilities problem at home, Almost all naija abroad will prefer naija,

@ asha 80 i think the post was self explanatory, kindly read it over again, would be nice hearing your honest opinion,

As much as 9ja is one of my homes, there's no way I'm gonna say I'm relocating. I don't want the whole NEPA wahala. There's also the kidnapping issue. So I guess I'd rather stay here, where I feel safe, no matter how broke I may be, than go back to 9ja and live there.

But I'll be the first to run back when things are great. When I will be comfortable living there.

There's no place like home!! 9ja, I miss u. But u need to get help.

am not talking about relocating, am saying after your whole stay in the states, or europe, you are better off when you finally return, are you better of than your nigerian based contemporaries

Your definition of abroad is too ambiguous , Ghana, Kenya, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan, the UK, USA are all abroad.

Maybe u should compare Nigerians living in Europe to Nigerians back home, Nigerians living in Asia to Nigerians back home, Nigerians living in the West to Nigerians back home, etc. Define your Abroad

@Threader: It depends on the kind of job(s) I do before I relocate.

So yeah, I could be better. In fact, I WILL be better. . .by the grace of God.

ok lets limit ourselves to the us and the whole of europe since that's where we nigerians rush to,
for those abroad, i wish you sucess anyway, i pray things work out well for you guys, i just need your honest opinion so we all can learn , and share

When talking about nigerians in nigeria i hope we also include street hawkers,almajiris,ajegunle or iyani ipaja like dwellers,those living in creeks in niger delta area,nigerians that see average of 4hrs of candle per day,those that trek up to 500 meters to get water,omo niles,area boys,those that live on less than a dollar per day,those that have permanent home under bridge.

dayo1401:

i guess this post might interest you just as it does to me, but honestly i am beginning to wonder if its makes any sense to travel abroad in the guise of looking for greener pasture, or if, those that have gone are truly better than we here,
well, as you all know there is a mad rush for visa, and that has been going on for a while, the visa process is rigorous, expensive cos you have to tender a statement of account and at the end of the day after getting the visa and all of that, they go for year, between 5 to 10 years, and basically nothing to show for it, that their nigerian counterpart here cannot achieve in nigeria
while over there, they shout, bills , and bills, and they have little to send home, schooling over there is ridiculusoly expensive, most people dont even venture into it, some that do, might be lucky, to get a job, but even at that, i dont see them beating a nigerian here with a good job home,
well honestly, i feel its only people with no hopes, in nigerian that should run to another man's land, i mean, no hope, ie, no qualification, nothing, because at the end of the day, it usually tougher than they anticipated,
just my personal view share your view, your friends, family member, neighbour, that were of the same level with you, that travel, five year, 10 years later are the really better than you,
i want to here your view fellow NL

When you say schooling is expensive are talking about primary or secondary?I do not know about US but in UK these are almost free especially public ones.If you are talking about tertiary then you might have a point but if you have money i am sure you definitely will want your ward to go to university in UK or US.

and like kellorah said basic necessities of life matters a lot.Most nigerians in these countries will definitely want to relocate back to nigeria if the basic necessities of life are available.

As for the line that ONLY PEOPLE WITHOUT HOPE IN NIGERIA RUN TO OTHER LANDS you lied and failed because i personally believe that the brightest and sharpest brains that are nigerians do not leave in nigeria these days unless you can prove me right.

lets compare Like for like,  are Nigerians studying in the Uk doing better interms of quality of education, facilities, progress etc than Nigerians studying at home? YES

Are Nigerians working ful time in the Uk, for instance, bank workers, IT, Teaching, doing better than Nigerians doing the same job back home? YES,
Remember that Nigerians here have to pay tax, insurance, TV licence, councile tax, road tax, car insurance(car owners)

In Nigeria, its not compulsory for a car owner to insure his/her car, its here. How many Nigerians pay road tax?

Nigerians here in the UK are expected to send money home(infact its crime if u don't) i don't know how many Nigerians back home that sends money to the UK on monthly or yealy bases.
The list can go on and on

@ topic



it depends. Some are, some arent.

One size does not fit all.

Some people would have been better off if they'd stayed in Nigeria, while others wouldnt.

@@@@like the way some people delude themselves mostly in UK

with the exception of Tpia

chaircover:

You cant really generalise on a topic like this and a lot of issues need to be considered.

Your success abroad can depend on the type of visa you travel on, your qualifications, your personality, your background, age etc.

Please bear in mind also that good living is not only what you take home at the end of the month. Good living covers a lot of other areas such as good healthcare, good schools, good infrastructure etc

Agreed, we do pay a lot of bills here, but I am happy to pay them because I can see what the money is spent on.

My son attends one of the best Grammar Schools, I don't pay any school fees but an equivalent quality school in Nigeria will cost a parent millions of Naira each year.

Like for like, I probably spent more on fuel to keep my gen running 24/7 for the 1 week I was in Nigeria 2 weeks ago, than my electricity bill would have cost me over here.

As one poster said; it depends on what you consider good quality of life.

To add to the aboved points because I believe this is the best answer you get here for now; doing better or being better in comparison with people living abroad and home is really a broader issue. There are so many factors you should consider here. examples, luck (if you believe in that), intention/ambition, qualitification, family background, connection, and etc. and I believe with these factors and others you will really find it difficult to compare people living abroad and people living back home.
As Nigeria is it today even when you are rich you are still going to live under much stress and in these case you wont have the basic comfort you may need. Someone living abroad may not really send money home but he or she may feel good and comfortable as chaircover mentioned. the person will believe he has gotten so many things he want in life. Of course, home will always be home.
Neverthless, being comfortable abroad does not mean you not mean that everyone should now go abroad in search of better life. Infact, there are many Nigerians or even other Africans that have been living abroad for so many years that cannot afford their basic needs. and most cases these people travel to the wrong country or are illegal in that country.
At these moment, I will strong advise that is better to stay at home than moving abroad as so many countries are facing economic hardship. So if you wish to travel better know why you wish to travel and what plans do you have for yourself. e.g. do you wish to study abroad, do you want to work and do have work permit, what are you chances of getting job, do you know the country's language and so many other things you must put into consideration before you move to that country.

I wished I had never travelled but having said that my travel has allowed me to help folks back home - they should have been able to help themselves anyway. I am a simple person and I probably would have had a good enough job in Nigeria (I dont agree with the no hope no qualification generalisation) - I actually got paid when I was studying in Nigeria,

I could have been even more better of if I did not have to help the folks back home. If what you want is a settled life, good security, reliable utilities, affordable food and not too worried about 'status' then Europe is great. But there are negatives too and those negatives apply just the same with some Nigerian that are educated or have business acumen in Nigeria; the only thing we dont have in Nigeria is racism but we have our tribalism and religious fights and police brutaliy and now kidnappings and so on.

Coming to Europe now is not a good idea especially for someone who could do well in Nigeria excpt if you are a doctor, nurse and multinational employee or other specialist needed here.

NIGERIA, GOD"S own country.

chaircover:

You cant really generalise on a topic like this and a lot of issues need to be considered.

Your success abroad can depend on the type of visa you travel on, your qualifications, your personality, your background, age etc.

Please bear in mind also that good living is not only what you take home at the end of the month. Good living covers a lot of other areas such as good healthcare, good schools, good infrastructure etc

Agreed, we do pay a lot of bills here, but I am happy to pay them because I can see what the money is spent on.

My son attends one of the best Grammar Schools, I don't pay any school fees but an equivalent quality school in Nigeria will cost a parent millions of Naira each year.

Like for like, I probably spent more on fuel to keep my gen running 24/7 for the 1 week I was in Nigeria 2 weeks ago, than my electricity bill would have cost me over here.

As one poster said; it depends on what you consider good quality of life.

good point

Nigeria would have been a better place to live but for baisc amenities that are lacking coupled with security issues.

This is a very complex comparison.And it is very relative depending on one's perspective.Across Europe,education system is superb,good medical services/facilities,reliable transportation systems,steady electricity supply and other good stuffs like that.

In this regard,those in Europe are better off vis-a-vis Nigeria counterparts.However,if you are well paid in Nigeria,you could have a building of your own and other things.When some look at these,it could be concluded that one is better off.

At the same time,those in Europe could have that,even in a choice location considering the exchange rate.Over there,you live a moderate live not the the kind of 'notice me' we have in Naija.

Conclusively,lets all pray for God's guidance.Let Him direct our path.

Wel, just as justwise said, it depends on wer U ar. Also if U knw wat ur doing owta 9ja, der is notin stopin U 4rm bcumin very successful. @ poster, ur post aint abt sharin opinions, i thnk its abt condemin travellin abroad!

noble_gas1:

Wel, just as justwise said, it depends on wer U ar. Also if U knw wat your doing owta 9ja, der is notin stopin U 4rm bcumin very successful. @ poster, your post aint abt sharin opinions, i thnk its abt condemin travellin abroad!

Thats the main issue there, spot on.

Like for like comparison for a family with 2 children

Nigeria:
Salary range: 7M - 10M per annum
Tax: =>1.5M per annum
Rent: Own home. if not, rent >500K per annum
Transportation: 2 cars+fuel+driver =>500K per annum
Cost of Food: => 200K per annum
Philanthropy: =>300K per annum
Thite: =>500k per annum
Security: Living in constant fear
Healthcare cost: =>100k per annum


UK
Salary range: 30K - 40K per annum
Tax + NI contribution: => 7.5K per annum
Rent: Own home. => 7.2K per annum
Transportation: running cost for 2 cars = fuel+insurance+travel card => 5K per annum
Cost of Food: => 2.5K
Philanthropy: =>0.5K per annum
Thite: =>2k per annum
Security: Priceless
Healthcare cost: Free

living in Nigeria will probably leave more money in your pocket at the end of the year but a lot of people i know (me included) will choose the quality of life over money.
Another key thing is folks in naija generally work over 60hrs a week whereas we just work the mere 37hrs a week. So if u were to do the calculation of how much earned per HR , Uk folks will earn more per hr

Sorry OP I locked this thread earlier, i have a feeling it will go the wrong way like many posts about the same subject! Plus you dont start like you wanted a balanced debate- _{you sounds a bit angry}??

The topic is a bit off point too= Do you mean the quality of life abroad?

well i prefer nigeria as a better option simply because you can do some RUNS to earn extra money and you dont need credit for anything. You pay cash down so what you have is yours and no one can take it from you if u delay payment unlike the folks abroad.

And social life of naija especially Lagos is second to none. As for utility and Infrastructure, u sort yourself out et la BRT buses and Generators

It is a little bit easier to achieve your goals in US than in Nigeria b/c of the economic hardship in 9ja

I keep saying this:

What is my definition of a 'better life'??

A better life for me is a life of comfort with basic amenities/utilities of life, electricity, water, health care, good transport systems, good education etc

A life where I have the ability to meet most of my needs and still have some to save.( it's rare to have emergencies, I can plan)

A life where I don't have to derive an heart attack from the state of the nation and the greed of it's leaders. (Different negative stories everyday)

A life where my hardwork would lead to success and not via connection 'man know man'

A life where I don't have to sleep with one eye wide awake.

A life where i dont have to worry about accidental discharge from the police

A life where I don't have to spend countless hours of my time in traffic with fear of being attacked my hoodlums and robbers.

I could go on and on


I would rather live on the little I have here with peace of mind.

Money is not everything.

aysometin:

I keep saying this:

What is my definition of a 'better life'??

A better life for me is a life of comfort with basic amenities/utilities of life, electricity, water, health care, good transport systems, good education etc

A life where I have the ability to meet most of my needs and still have some to save.( it's rare to have emergencies, I can plan)

A life where I don't have to derive an heart attack from the state of the nation and the greed of it's leaders. (Different negative stories everyday)

A life where my hardwork would lead to success and not via connection 'man know man'

A life where I don't have to sleep with one eye wide awake.

A life where i dont have to worry about accidental discharge from the police

A life where I don't have to spend countless hours of my time in traffic with fear of being attacked my hoodlums and robbers.

I could go on and on


I would rather live on the little I have here with peace of mind.

Money is not everything.

God bless you