olujastro:

I didn't want to comment but I just have to let you know everything Nigeriadondie said is true. Not even one is false. I currently reside in a Scandinavian country. This is by far the best place in the world to live in.

Pidgin2:


I doubt the sanity of that person, read all his previous posts on other threads or click on any thread he created

Lagbaja425:


Your argument actually unintentionally justifies several other opposing views on the topic. Let me break it down for you:

1. Middle Class Nigeria vs. Middle Class US

You quote N150K as a somewhat comfortable salary I assume for a middle class person in Nigeria and further state that someone who earns N150K can employ a maid, driver etc. Great, that all makes sense. But since when did an army of domestic employees become a universal measure of standard of living? While a middle class person in the US may not be able to afford a maid or a driver, I would definitely argue that they may very well have a standard of living much higher than what the N150K earner has in Nigeria depending on the city they live in as well as their responsibilities. As a middle class earner in the US, you may very well be able to do what several in Nigeria consider as very luxurious e.g. drive a brand new Honda or Toyota.

2. Lower Class Nigeria vs. Lower Class US

Let's talk about the maid that a middle class person can hire with their N150k. That is a supposedly low class, low earning employee in Nigeria right? How much does that person earn? They are barely able to get by and are by most standards poor. They are barely able to pay for life's basic necessities. Now let's look at that person's peer in the US. For sake of simplicity, a maid as well. Even you cannot deny that a maid in a developed country (or a janitor or doorman or whatever equivalent low level position in the US) has a much better standard of living than the maid in Nigeria. In fact the reason most middle class people in the US cannot afford a live in maid or driver is because the wage of those 'low class' employees is beyond what they can afford to pay on a consistent basis.

3. Low Class US vs. Middle Class Nigeria

Depending on unique circumstances and responsibilities, supposedly low class people in the US may live a life equivalent to (or even better) than that of a middle class person in the Nigeria. Mind you, I did not say a rich person in Nigeria. Trust me, I know of several lawyers or lecturers (middle class examples) in Nigeria who can barely afford a decent car. If N150K is your measure of middle class in Nigeria, then trust me, a lot of middle class folks in Nigeria are on par with low class people in developed countries. I once lived, worked and earned in Nigeria so I know exactly what I am talking about. N150K is not a lot of money to live well with.

4. Low Class US vs. Upper Middle Class (or Wealthy) in Nigeria
This is the only domain where your argument is accurate. No one is saying an administrative assistant in the US is equivalent to (or better than) a General Manager in a Nigerian Bank or an oil and gas employee in Nigeria. That does not make sense. If you are pretty successful in Nigeria, you are clearly better off than a low earner here and obviously have no incentive to relocate abroad except you are on track to earn even more.

In summary the major point here is that low class in certain circumstances (e.g. an administrative assistant/secretary) in the US may have a standard of living that is on par with so-called middle class folks (e.g. a lecturer) in Nigeria. They may not be able to afford a maid or driver but those are by no means universal indicators of a high standard of living. Secondly low class in the US (again an admin. assistant) is several times better off than someone in a similar low class position in Nigeria.

Of course there are pluses and minuses everywhere but except you are pretty financially well off in Nigeria, your standard of living is pretty much below what is considered average in a developed country. I am Nigerian and am not celebrating the fact that Nigeria is how it is today but it irritates me when people are delusional about how bad the situation is.

Finally for whoever else is reading, for the last time not every Nigerian in the US or other developed countries is struggling and doing low skilled work with low pay. If you take the legal path, get educated and are prepared to work hard, you can live very very well in the US regardless of where you are originally from. Several Nigerians here are doing just that.

ayodele234:
Driving a new car you won't own till 5 years time and might even default on your payment and lose it altogether. I see no difference with someone paying cash for a 5yrs used Tokunbo car in Nigeria. Most of dis privileges are debt driven and debt will never be equal to success. People lose their houses everyday you can check zillow.com for foreclosed homes. The middle class in America is shrinking everyday with more people barely able to afford the basics, struggling to afford the necessities. Even rich Americans are ditching their U.S. passports in record numbers, a sign of growing frustration with a system that taxes U.S. citizens. Funny enough Americans complain more about their roads and infrastructure decay than Nigerians. Anyone interested in knowing the financial status of Americans should talk to a bonafide American citizen not some immigrants. These things we see as El dorado are just normal to them

ayodele234:
Driving a new car you won't own till 5 years time and might even default on your payment and lose it altogether. I see no difference with someone paying cash for a 5yrs used Tokunbo car in Nigeria. Most of dis privileges are debt driven and debt will never be equal to success. People lose their houses everyday you can check zillow.com for foreclosed homes. The middle class in America is shrinking everyday with more people barely able to afford the basics, struggling to afford the necessities. Even rich Americans are ditching their U.S. passports in record numbers, a sign of growing frustration with a system that taxes U.S. citizens. Funny enough Americans complain more about their roads and infrastructure decay than Nigerians. Anyone interested in knowing the financial status of Americans should talk to a bonafide American citizen not some immigrants. These things we see as El dorado are just normal to them

FortuneTeller:


You don't even have any shame about posting this rubbish. You don't consider the people you hire as human beings, so you want to pay them slave wages or not at all. I really pity the Nigerian mentality. It's no wonder the country is in such poor conditions.

Pidgin2:


Shame for being an employer of labor? Why should i be ashamed of feeding, accomdating and paying m'y employee, are you people reasoning at all, stop quoting me and spewing rubbish in thé process or have you seen a fulltime made that isnt fed and accomodated in the process, bush beings

FortuneTeller:

`
There is no hope for people who think like you. That's why there is no hope for Nigeria. The zoo is filled with animals.

Pidgin2:


You must be a Biafran under thé leadership of that confused mongrel, i even thought you were a Nigerian that was why i bothered to explain further but now that i know your true country of origin you can choke on grass for all i care.

FortuneTeller:


Continue to suffer. Your life of being a slave master is only confined to Nigeria.

Pidgin2:


Madam Biafran, i ain't suffering at all, i'm very confortable thanks for your unsolicited concern.

FortuneTeller:


You are comfortable being trapped and being a min slave master. Yes I'm sure you are comfortable without 24 hour electricity, poor roads, and absymal health care. Continue to be comfortable.

Pidgin2:


Madame Biafran, i enjoy about 22hrs supply of electricity per day, thé roads i sée and pass through daily is good enough, as for health care? I'm on hygia and so far so good, government workers are on NHIS and we have other insurance plans HMOs that people can key into, madam biafran has any european médical research center discovered thé secret of eternal life?

Schwartz:

I have been laughing so hard reading your posts. Wow! You have actually repeated many times that there are no poor people abroad. I boldy declare that you do not live abroad. I have travelled far and wide within and outside Germany were I live and yes there are many many homeless, poor people here who cannot even afford a home, food. I mean very poor. At major train stations in germany free food is given to the poor only once a day by charity. People beg on the streets, in the cold! People deep their hands into dustbins to pick used bottles and cans so they can at least see a cent or two. And yes, people stay on train tracks to commit suicide out of frustration. Abroad is good but don't blow it out of proportion.
Here is a picture I took during the winter at Munich, Germany

StarPlayer:
Nigerians are seeing fire abroad. Forget all this talk, it's because of the shame attached to comming back empty handed that makes them remain there, sometimes till the suffering kuku kill them there.

youngestland:


Please I dont like arguing without facts
how much do you spend on your basic essentials of life I mean accomodation, feeding and clothing state them here without lies and i will state mine lets do the maths

and there are lots of people earning 150k and above and very constant in nigeria stop forming stories to justify your leaving nigeria

Nigeriadondie:

Talk for yourself perharps u re describing your situation. Even d one I know of in d UK with his little vows he wud never return home as he knows he is better off d way he than he wud ve been if in Nigeria. You ve heard from other Nigerians here on thread living abroad.