Not really a matter of being scared of going back but you can't compare life abroad with life in nigeria. . huge gap!

i agree with u busta thats it. plus ppl are gonna expect to much out of u. its crazy, ur just gonna hear mu wa , mu wa

It is mind boggling. My attitude has always been to compare the ratio of these "bad events" to the population ratio. If you do, Nigeria's ratio is low. Just two doors away from my home in Essex (UK), a man was taking to an industrial site to be gunned down. It is the MAGNIFICATION of Nigeria's crime scene to those abroad that is causing fear of coming back talk less of foreign white visitors.

Nonetheless I continue to increase the frequecy of my visits to Nigeria.

One major reason not yet included in the above list:
SOME NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA CANNOT COME HOME BECAUSE MATES THEY LEFT BEHIND IN NIGERIA
HAVE DONE TOO WELL IN LIFE. For example coming home to buy land of N18m cash in Lekki (without mortgage) can be pretty scary.

By the same token my research in 2005 showed 1 million UK residents escape from UK every year to go and live a better life! That's to tell you people are scared of leaving in the UK as well.

Cheers

Thanks guys for stating the obvious reasons why many Nigerians find it difficult returning home after a long stay away from the Fatherland or is it Motherland.For me I think that there many more problems Nigerians face when going back home,these I will state here.

Family Commitments: Many Nigerians living the diaspora are not married to Nigerians,it takes a lot of convincing to bring your "Foreign Wife and Children" back home,where a lot of things lets face it don't work.

Financial Commitments:Its difficult moving to a country where there a less job prospects  than the one you are currently living in,anyone wishing to relocate back would definitely want to get a better pay than the one they are already getting at the moment.An example is in Ireland minimum wage is about €320 a week and you don't get to pay any tax if you earn less than €360 a week.On a minimum wage you save over €10,000 a year if you don't have to send money home.

There are so many sad stories of Nigerians who tried to start a business in Nigeria,from corrupt Officials who extort money from you for you bringing in machines you intend to run your business,family members who "419" you of all the little money you have saved over the years, the list goes on and on.

There are so many other reasons Nigerians are scared to return home but I still remain an advocate of Returning Home.

Naija4ward,

While in Essex a man may  have been gunned down for whatever reason at least the Police investigate and they would get a conviction for that murder.
A read through Nigerian news sites,you see so many people dieing for stupid reasons,Armed robbers killing dozens,Buses overturning while running away from armed robbers,pastors burning church members,corpse left in the streets and people walk pass it as if its no big deal,Soldiers and Police killing innocent citizens for N20 (naira),thousands killed in religious and tribal riots,Soldiers wiping out half a village off ,need I go on.

How is bad things happening in Nigeria lower in Essex?Essex being one of the safest places you can live in the UK

to hopefully bring this thread to a close , I think "scared" should be substituted with "reluctant". Also, when you say "going back", is it temporarily (as in vacation) or permanently (as in never ever to leave again)? I personally am not scared to go back to my homeland. Sure, naija has its vices, but all in all, its better (not amenities- or facilities-wise) from a "peace of mind" standpoint.

I wd however say I am reluctant to go back "permanently". As for "temporarily, I would go 2ce or 3ce a year if I could afford it If u r like me, u can slip in and out unnoticed (wear kaftan, don't utter a single word in english), take public transportation, etc) and some pple may even swear u never crossed river niger.

many of the reasons for my reluctance have been stated above. My main reason is akin to a footballer who having played at the top flight for years is faced with sudden retirement. Sure, the money is there and the ideas to perhaps start a new career is there also. In th end, the question is asked "what am i going to do now?". Here I am, being "programmed" for years to wake up at 5am, sit in traffic for 2 hrs (one-way), get stressed out at work and corporate america, get home to numerous missed calls, spending "quality time" with pikin and madam and going to bed at midnight (no "siesta", no house-help). Here I am, with 3 out of every 2 (no exageration ) envelopes in my mailbox being a bill or marketing material. Now imagine doing this for 20 years plus. Meanwhile your kids become more and more americanized (your fault if u don't take them back home at least once every 2 years ) and you're faced with the prospects of returning alone. U get the picture? What r u going to do in a place where for the most part, people are at your beck and call, you're not working, no car note, no house note, no property taxes, no sitting in traffic, etc. U cd die of heart attack at the slowness of it all.

Back to the issue at hand, I think its more a reluctance and not being scared. To end it all, I think it is very sad when people who came from naija, knowing how it is, are the scared ones when on the other hand, there r people like me who were born here, and yet yearn more for home than them. I think such people (who often forget their culture "I don't understand the language anymore or eat fufu" upon landing at their destination) deserve a big "shame"

i get where all you guys are coming from, but wat about people from other countries like japan, u.s relocating to naija and building a better life for themselves, building huge business and making alot of money out of we nigerians. its not like all of you that are complaining haven't experienced the nigerian lifestyle,

As for me, i am going back to naija to make something out of myself in my own country, i am not gonna keep working for someone for the rest of my life in another country, you can't deny naija has alot to offer, if not because of our stupid politician draining naija of all its quality, it would have been a much more better place to live in, but all not withstanding i still think its a great place to show off your potentials and get recognized for it.

No matter how much you like think the worst of nigeria, it is still your country, who else would make it a better place to live if not us, i would say go back home get something going and make something out of yourself.
Most people dwell on safety being the issue in naija and i agree with that but you no be mumu, you know how to protect yourself, afterall you have been doing it almost half of your life before you go a visa to come here, so wats the big issue, abi now bcoz you get small money you think say thief go dey line up to steal from you.

Some Nigerian abroad are scared to come home because their is fire over there
This December alone six different people were attaked by robbers(these are people i know, im not talking about the ones i did not know or hear.
Some Nigerian abroad also contribute to that. When they come back home
they act whereever they come from.
For me once i land for dat airport, i will remove America in me and become son of the soil.
Some are faced with much expectation from families and friends
DO NOT SAY I TOLD U

Well Nigeria has its own problems, but i believe things will get better. It would be nice to come
back home, and settle. It has numerous opportunities, the only thing we need to do is get our act together.

Give me a break. as sad st this may sound a fellow Nigeria told me he was glad the plane that is crashing is killing all the rich people. They should drive by road and see what poor people are experiencing.

This is exactly the kind of attitude that i dislike about Nigerians. if i work hard and honestly and make my money, and i can afford to ride in a plane
therefore i should die abi? People die in road accidents like flies. I remember taking a Night bus from Abuja to Lagos, i had to pray before i could sleep.
When i have the money, why should i risk my life on the road?

No malice to anyone by the way, just saying my own.

u wan go back make air commanders go kill u, no be me and u

all these reasons for being "scared" are the reason y most of us, to oyibo's delighest delight, will remain in their countries, working menial jobs and dying of premature heart attacks.

What if there are 2 armed robbers per household? what if there are ofala shrines on every street? what if there is no light/water? no b our country? weren't these things there b4 we left? as i said, generally spking, it is those who just left the place (having been nowhere else in their lives) who voice this pessimistic opinion. Another problem is, again generally spking, those who "hv seen the light" abroad are typically worse off than those who are there and hv never left the country, and guess what? Those back at home know this.

Na our country. If we no make am correct, na who go do am?

@ My2cents, God bless ypu real good

Please tell them.
People should stop painting naija as a death trap , if yr time is not up u go nowhere.
is this not the same country we all left from and we did not die, is it now that we decide togo back that we suddenly become attractive to death, please lets trust God , make up our minds if we have to and go back and do something positive to ourcountry. most of us can make enof pounds, euros or dollars and go back to create jobs for others.
no matter how rich you areliving abroad, life is hectic here, from the bills to the stress of everyday life.there is rest at home, peace of mind and an better opportunity to help humanity.

why worri about these prodigals nigerians fool with no passport to travel back

The way i see it, all these NIDs that bag Naija 24/7 are actually doing the nation a favour by reducing naija's population in retrospect.

Typical Nigerians,as usual instead of talking about the real issues why Nigerians are reluctant to return home,they are taking the soft option of "Nigerians without Passports".If the economic,social situations in Nigeria are so fantastic why then are thousands flocking to embassies in a bid to escape their Fatherland?

The estimate of more than a million Nigerians living outside the country,whats the percentage of those that don't own the passport of the host country;even Nigerians living in Ghana don't have passports to return back home to rebuild what they didn't destroy abi?

Well @ Afam u made so much sense to me.Nigerian abroad talk of Nigeria like its worst than hell but they have forgotten that if not for corrupt leaders its one of the richest countries to stay in.Well for me i think the basic reason why 60% of Nigerians are scared of coming back home is :

(1) Flight tickets are too expensive to fly back home.

(2) No credit facilities for them to borrow and pay back.

(3) They cant help but live the life of reality as wat entails here is false @ times

(4) Laziness.

(5) Scared of the unknown

(6) Have commitments like marrying for papers and paying child support

The list goes on and on.Its rather sad though that instead of sons of Nigeria to make their country proud dey condemn it infront of whites.You even find some white people loving Nigeria and everything abt them.This same people finding fault shld flash deir little minds back to the time it was reported that Nigerians are the happiest people on planet earth.People say security?HOW SECURED IS US/CANADA/UK AND WHEREEVER?Abeg dt is no excuse @ all for what i know is no matter what someone who wants to change a place will always be commitd to d clause.We are talking cos no one has d insight to change Nigeria.

Egbon ke rethink.E no good for una to dey blab opax

Going back home as in Visit? or for Good? All the same, I just got back from there (naija) this Sunday (Jan 14 07) and I strongly believe they should or rather have good reason to avoid Naija atleast for now! Someone already pointed out the overstay part of it (holidays to holiyears)! might be another reason! and guys no bad belle Oh! but naija na hell! in almost every aspect! seriously!

I get am before no be propaty! would have, could have and all that might have na story! we're talking of today! Corrupt leader oh! corrupt followers oh! all na excuses! naija generally dey messed up lets just admit the fact! maybe God go send solution (if him never give up be that)! instead of sitting here defending naija! And folks its about time we let this OIL RICH COUNTRY TITLE shit go! we get oil! we get this! we get that! what has the average cityzen gained from it? not even good roads! not to talk of schools, hospitals and other little things any nation need to live on oil or no oil! pls!

prince_onx:

I get am before no be propaty! would have, could have and all that might have na story! we're talking of today! Corrupt leader oh! corrupt followers oh! all na excuses! naija generally dey messed up lets just admit the fact! maybe God go send solution (if him never give up be that)! instead of sitting here defending naija! And folks its about time we let this OIL RICH COUNTRY TITLE shit go! we get oil! we get this! we get that! what has the average cityzen gained from it? not even good roads! not to talk of schools, hospitals and other little things any nation need to live on oil or no oil! please!

I no go answer you cos you are biased in saying this.Anyhow na u get ur mouth and mind.

nigerians like ready made,like to complain while contributing nothing too make a difference.it is funny that some of us are living in countries that has the worst cases of firearm killings,where snipers move around killing for fun and they still consider naija as too dangerous even to visit.a million nigerians might be living abroad,but over 140 millions are still living in nigeria,people are moving around form one country to the other for different reasons.there are americans,europeans,indians,lebaneses and so many others living in nigeria.many britons are buying houses and moving down to spain,while the french are moving to britain.so the trend is not peculiar to naija alone.that is globalization for you.

well its understandable that some nigerians were down right failures at home before going abroad,so the thought of going home is like an ugly nightmare to them.

mrmayor

The estimate of more than a million Nigerians living outside the country,whats the percentage of those that don't own the passport of the host country;even Nigerians living in Ghana don't have passports to return back home to rebuild what they didn't destroy abi?

and dont u have the obligation to change things which u didnt destory when u are in nigerian ABI?

oh we are waitin for the oyibos to do it for us

It's not the country that makes the people, it's the people that make the country
Nigeria is how it is cos of Nigerians, don't diss the land, it's a beautiful place, but thankfully there are nigerians out there that are willing to fix the place up.
I find it funny when i see Nigerians and other africans crossing the dessert trying to get out of africa, when the journey which they take is twice as bad as what they are leaving behind. Don't sell out the country of your forefathers just because of ammenities, cos as for me i left Nigeria Involuntarily

dis is ludacrous.i thinki is because of th eives cos me i konw wan die but i will definitely come home cos no place like home. init

his is where enterprising nigerians should come in- set up agencies that can take care of transport, health, accomodation and so on for a free,

Hi guys,

I have my quota to contribute to this discussion. I live abroad and was in Nigeria between October 29, 2004 and January 15, 2006. Prior to Oct. 29, 2004, I was living in Ireland and came to Nigeria to process the Canadian Immigration Visa. When I arrived at Murtala International Airport, I was asked by an Immigration officer to go inside a room and wait. On getting there, there were some other people there. I asked them why we're waiting there, and was informed that I would have to 'drop' something for coming into the country on a travelling certificate issued by the Nigerian Embassy in Dublin! I was incensed. Honestly, I was ready to have a scene with them at the Airport that day. Thanks to my friend who came to meet me, I went through without 'dropping' any dime. That's was not the end of my troubles, it went from being stopped by the police, harassed, extorted of your hard earned money. On 26th January 2005, my wife came to join me. Four days after she arrived our apartment in Felele, Ibadan was burgled. Everything from wedding rings, brand new laptop, etc was stolen. So what more can you experience, oh may be you have to loose your life as well? I know guys who have gone through more worse experience than mine. A Nigerian born wrestler in Canada was stabbed on the neck when he went to Nigeria recently to open a new school in his village of Eniwari. If you want to read more goto: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061122/igali_returns_06112?s_name=&no_ads=
I will still come to Nigeria, but will be battle ready as well, may be get some Kevlar vest, etc.

Am speechless!!!
Though we stil survive, thnx God!

If you have not been outside the country, believe me you won't know the difference. Ghana is even a more sane place to live.

home it's not as bad as being painted.

I must agree with most people home is not as bad as it sound, but it's hard to go back and stay in your parents home after been away for so long, no light, toilet and mosquito will hammer you as well, but in all cases I love naija pepper soup and suya and ODEKU

I think the situation in Nigeria is largely exagerated, I mean i would know I've been there done that. Only Two Problems I've got with Nigeria is Affordable Education and Ethnic Violence, I don't give a damn about no infastructure, When i was in Jos, I went three months with no elcectricty, but that didn't bother me.

How many people do you know that would leave a place of convenience to return to a cave. No disrespect. Human nature seeks comfort not suffering. When people have done without and then they get a taste of having a good thing it takes a strong constitution and selflessness to go back to suffering for the sake of culture or loyalty. Let's be honest, there is nothing wrong with being reluctant to return to a place where one can make little difference. If they can make a difference by sending money home, do it. It is easy to cry that someone is a traitor when you have not been anywhere, wait until you taste the honey and see if you prefer to eat the lemons abi.

Why do all of us assume that the only reason Naija would marry an American is for papers. Please, there are some good women and men in America. African Americans that we choose to hate on partially due to jealousy, perhaps, maybe we wish we had the opportunities they have had to show them how to work it. I have met some strong educated African Americans that respect our culture and traditional heritage that they admit they lack. For the comment about not wanting to leave due to marriage for papers or child support, maybe its for LOVE.