Have you always dreamt about going to America? Many Nigerians envision America as a land of gold and honey. A land where the government showers you daily with piles of cash, and a land where everything is free. Well, they are wrong. There is nothing of that sort in America, and recent studies and accounts have shown that it is actually better for you to stay in Nigeria than it is to go to America. Here are five reasons why.

1. Debt: The mirage that anything and everything is possible in America is a lie. Worst of all, to new immigrants, the amount of credit offered in America is so attractive that by the time you know it, you will be chin deep in Debt. Debt that will most likely take you the rest of your natural life, and half of your children's to pay off.

2. Stress: America is the capital of stress. With 12 hour shifts and continuos work, the labour takes a heavy toll on its people, unlike in Nigeria. In Nigeria, you are the boss. You decide when to work and for how long. There is not a widespread practice of 24hour shifts and round the clock work, making it much better for your health and etc. The Stress in America might cause diseases previousl unexperienced by the average Nigerian. Diseases such as High-blood pressure, Hyper tension, and Arthiritis.

3. Professional Devalue: America can be a welcoming place for highly educated and well-off immigrants but also a nightmare for others. It is often known as the "graveyard of occupations" meaning that one's previous education and occupation can easily be rendered worthless in America. There was a woman who was very well off in Nigeria. She was the head chef of a 5-star hotel back in Nigeria and upon her arrival in the US, her degree and occupation was declared worthelss. She was turned down by many other hotels and had to assume a job as a frycook at McDonalds. There is also another account of a Local Governor from Nigeria who held many outstanding degrees from Universities in Nigeria, but was denied a reasonable job in America. In short, their lives were restarted.

4. Prices: Things have become very expensive for Americans. Things ranging from household items to entire homes, and combined with the constant devalue of the Naira, the US can be a financial nightmare for Nigerians. An ordinary 4-bedroom, single family house in the US will cost atleast $500,000 which is N83,000,000, More than enough to errect a 10 bedroom mansion with a boys-quarters and a gate in Nigeria. A brand new jeep in the US can easily cost $40,000 which is N6.6 million, more than enough to buy TWO jeeps in Nigeria.

5. Cultural Diffusion: The thing that every Nigerian regards with utmost importnace is his/her cultural background. America is a slaughter house for African cultures. People emmigrate form Nigeria and give birth to their children in the US. As their children grow up, the parents avoid teaching them their native language, and from then on the children are at a loss. Then, their parents avoid teaching them about their culture and tradition. Lastly, with all this not given to them, their children effectively turn into AAsand are estranged form the culture sand tradition of their homeland, ultimately deciding their destiny in life.

With this in mind, Ill be glad to recieve your feedback and thoughts on this

The amount of people all these negatives kill in the US is probably equivalent to the amount killed in simple road accidents in Nigeria.

Blah Blah Blah Blah,

Debt, stress, property, all that makes living the United States fun.

Will the bank take my house, will they not?

That uncertainty is crazy fun, True story

ezeagu:

The amount of people all these negatives kill in the US is probably equivalent to the amount killed in simple road accidents in Nigeria.

Would you rather live in America and be enslaved by debt or stay in Nigeria?

owo2390:

Blah Blah Blah Blah,
Debt, stress, property, all that makes living the United States fun.
Will the bank take my house, will they not?
That uncertainty is crazy fun, True story

Theres nothing fun about that to me. Hosnetly, Id rather live in Nigeria than in America.

You don't have to get a credit card and if you do you can be wise about.

In America:

No sectarian violence, a lot of opportunities, best higher education in the world, and a lot more.

Nigeria:

Nothing but poverty and corruption. Count me out.

I live in America and I really enjoy the country.

More truer words have never being said.

owo2390:

You don't have to get a credit card and if you do you can be wise about.

In America:

No sectarian violence, a lot of opportunities, best higher education in the world, and a lot more.

Nigeria:

Nothing but poverty and corruption. Count me out.

Not everyone is affected by Sectarian violence. Only if you live in the hotspots like Jos, Maiduguri or the North.
There are more opportunities in Nigeria than there are in America. America is already a developed nation and there are limited opportunities for entreprenuership. You can easily found Nigeria's first public film cinema or you can drill oil and start a successful Nigerian oil company. There are so many opportunities here in Nigeria, and all you need do is invest your money here in something that will help you and your children rather than labouring and slavng in another man's land.

EzeUche:

I live in America and I really enjoy the country.

It really depends on your financial situation and when you migrated to America. Those Nigerians that left in the 1970s and 1980s when the Nigerian currency was strong are better off than those that migrated in the millenium era.

And Ive been wanting to ask you, Ole ogo iza na Aro?

1. Debt is optional. It is a sign of the US's strength over Nigeria, actually. In Nigeria, everything you must either pay cash down or borrow at very high interest rates to pay for. Here you can borrow at low interest rates. Which means a poor man can get a college/law school/mba/etc education and move up in life.
There is more class mobility in the US than in Nigeria.
2. Who works 12 hr shifts in the US? Not that many.
3. You are right about degrees, but that is the nature of things. Unfortunately, Nigerian degrees aren't worth very much in the rest of the world (not just the US), so you'll not be gifted a job w/o reproving yourself.
4. US is actually a cheaper place to live than Nigeria. Food prices, clothing, autos, homes, etc all cheaper. Only thing cheaper in Nigeria is labor.
5. Cultural issues is a problem, I agree.

More opportunities!

Oil and film,

Nigeria is an archaic country that's only regressing!!!

That's old news. In a few years crude oil will lose its hold as the world's premier commodity.

We need to start investing in alternative forms of fuel, shooting more movies shot 3D, building more bullet trains, new technologies, everything you just called an opportunity is old news. Get with the times. With illegal movie downloads and YouTube, the movie industry is crumbling and we need something else. The united states is developed but keeps growing. There are more patents per year in the United States, more businesses are started each day. Google, yahoo, YouTube, Apple, Microsoft, and all the top companies were started in the United States. Businesses started in Nigeria usually fail due to corruption. Your argument is rather pointless sir. No disrespect!!!!! The education sucks,  No world class research, I did cutting-edge research on carbon nanotubes when i was a junior in high school. There's no opportunity like that in Nigeria.

ekt_bear:

1. Debt is optional. It is a sign of the US's strength over Nigeria, actually. In Nigeria, everything you must either pay cash down or borrow at very high interest rates to pay for. Here you can borrow at low interest rates. Which means a poor man can get a college/law school/mba/etc education and move up in life.
There is more class mobility in the US than in Nigeria.
2. Who works 12 hr shifts in the US? Not that many.
3. You are right about degrees, but that is the nature of things. Unfortunately, Nigerian degrees aren't worth very much in the rest of the world (not just the US), so you'll not be gifted a job w/o reproving yourself.
4. US is actually a cheaper place to live than Nigeria. Food prices, clothing, autos, homes, etc all cheaper. Only thing cheaper in Nigeria is labor.
5. Cultural issues is a problem, I agree.

4. How is the US cheaper when compared to Nigeria? If you want cheap food you wlll ultimately grow overwheight (McDonalds etc)
2. Many Nigerians who migrate to the US take up many jobs and work long shifts doing meager jobs like security, fastfood resturaunts, janitor etc.
3. Youre right about degrees but how will you pay off your student loans? It will just be extended debt.
1. Debt was once a good thing but now its very bad for the US. The nation owes 14 trillion dollars in debt and as we speak, Obama is thinking on how to drive the US out of its debt problem.

You are not looking at the big picture.

If you go to the United States without any skills, of course you will need a plethora of jobs to survive.

But if you have skills, or a bachelor's degree or a doctorate. You will be golden.

Loans are a investment in the future. The reason the debt is that high is because of the wars. Once the wars end, and they are ending soon. The economy will be stabilized and the debt will be reduced. Think of the future, not just the present.

^^^
How many Nigerians can afford a 3D television not to talk of normal flat screens?
The fuel thing is not very realistic, Africa and the rest of the developing world will continue to rely on cheap fossil fuels for development for atleast a few more centuries.

Your argument on debt does not hold ground. America has been regressing since the 1980s before the Gulf wars. the US's problem is it consumes more than it produces it used to be a nation of producers now its a nation of ocnsumers. Everything in the US is made in China while very few things are made in the USA.

Nigeria is a young country with many opportunities. You can easily become wealthy if you work towards it. There are so many ways that you can invest in Nigeria just to name a few:
Transportation (If you own a rock supply company in Enugu and win a contract to supply stones for the Lagos Ibadan railway, you will be made.)
Entertainment
Oil
Import/Export
Electronics (design a chepa versatile laptop that millions of Nigerians can fford and you will be made)

I suggest you invest in your own country, remember, the American Empire is on the verge of collapse and where will you go when it does?

China, The future empire of the world.

Most cheap electronics don't have longevity.

I understand your point, you are a patriot who wants to invest in the country you love. I understand.

But i don't feel the same way.

4. We have stores like Walmart and Safeway. Compare the price of bread in the US to that in Nigeria. Or chicken. Or beef. If you go to the right stores, you can always get your food cheaper than it costs in Nigeria.
2. Many might, but do most? Probably not. Anyway, the nice thing about America is that you can even work as a cab driver and still send your kids to university. Can you work at the bottom of society in Nigeria and hope for your children to go to the top of society in one generation? Not really. But in the US, this can happen. So many stories of the 1st generation guy doing something lowly like being a shop keeper, cab driver, etc but his children becoming medical doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc.
3. If you take out loans for a good program that pays a lot of money, then you'll be able to pay off your loans. Imagine taking out a loan to go to a top 10 law/mba school for example. It will easily pay off over the course of your lifetime.
1. The US debt relative to GDP is still much lower than most other countries in the world:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_public_debt

36th on the list (58.9%). Better off than Japan (225.8%), Greece, Italy, Singapore (102.4%), Germany (78.8%), Ireland, France (83.5%), UK (76.5%), Spain, Netherlands.

Basically, there are very few countries better off than the US. Maybe oil-rich Norway, Monaco, or certain countries like that.

But Nigeria? Definitely not (and not trying to offend anyone, just being realistic).

The reason the United States is also in so much debt is because people look to the US for help all the time.

France wanted Ghadaffi gone, they called the United States.

Earthquake in Haiti, the US sent 20,000 marines. And food, water and medicine.

Who is protecting both South Korea and Japan from the China's growing military. The United States.

BTW all that cost money!!!!

I bet that 6.6million naira is gowin to buy you three tokunbos of Toyota Rav4 and u'll still collect over #600 thousand chengi. Hahaha. No lie

^^^
Im serious! That Rav 4 is not over 2 million Naira. You can buy 3 of them with that kind of money!

Yeah. That one in the picture cos a little over #1.9mil. bought last month. Dude, I didnt say your lying. I meant like, true talk,no lies. Catch my drift?

^^
I know, I understood you. Finally someone sees my point

if seun were an american, he might have founded a facebook variant or something of that nature

in nigeria, most of our celebrated entrepreneurs are beneficiaries  of patronage. in America, you can be anything you want to be

nuff said

Anything you want to be but on three conditions:

1. Your family spends three generations paying off your student loans, your debt, and mortgage
2. Your children will lose their cultural background
3. You pay rediculously high prices.

yeah

i bet in america nothing works and everyone is his own local government

i bet in america middle class peeps have 3 generators , suvs for bad roads, borehole, water treatment plant, security

i bet everyone in us lives in fear of sarmed robbers, kidnappers, fraud in your local bank

i bet everyone in america sees the police as predators


things cost more in us - wetin man no go hear -

This guy must have never been to america before, sound like youre repeating things someone else told you. the only valid point you have is the cultural diffusion. Everything else you said is baseless. Nigeria is alot more stressful than america, a country where there is no middle class and most people under stress havent even been diagnosed.
Majority or american work 8 hour days not 12
500k does not buy you an ordinary house in america, 150-200k buys you an ordinary house depending on where you live a 500k house is called a mansion is most places in america
The Debt situation is what lets the average man live in that 500k house and the lack of it is what keeps a nigerian in a single room with no lights, Personally id rather be in debt and live well then live where the average nigerian call a home

Lastly your logic about the jeep prices shows why nigerian professions are devalued in other parts of the world. Youre either not very well educated, or have a nigerian degree from a school there that other developed countries refuse to recognise because their graduates make the type of statement that you just made. There are Cars made in america, be at a jeep or any other type you also used the word brand new, No car sold in nigeria is made in nigeria so how do you explain a brand new car being cheaper in nigeria than it would be if that same new car is sold in the US where there is either made or the manufacturer has a dealer

Nicely said!!!

Odumchi,

You have very valid points.

The problem is we always look at those that are lucky in the U.S, like you have to play loto to win. It is a difficult country and many times inhuman to its own people too.

On the other hand, we also look at the worst in Nigeria. If you can stay middleclass, there is no place like Nigeria. But if you are dirt poor, any place but Nigeria. So it depends on how you look at it.

People will never believe you until they try and some of those that try also lie. One should know in advance what is waiting for them in the USA. No place like home.

odumchi:

Have you always dreamt about going to America? Many Nigerians envision America as a land of gold and honey. A land where the government showers you daily with piles of cash, and a land where everything is free. Well, they are wrong. There is nothing of that sort in America, and recent studies and accounts have shown that it is actually better for you to stay in Nigeria than it is to go to America. Here are five reasons why.

1. Debt: The mirage that anything and everything is possible in America is a lie. Worst of all, to new immigrants, the amount of credit offered in America is so attractive that by the time you know it, you will be chin deep in Debt. Debt that will most likely take you the rest of your natural life, and half of your children's to pay off.

2. Stress: America is the capital of stress. With 12 hour shifts and continuos work, the labour takes a heavy toll on its people, unlike in Nigeria. In Nigeria, you are the boss. You decide when to work and for how long. There is not a widespread practice of 24hour shifts and round the clock work, making it much better for your health and etc. The Stress in America might cause diseases previousl unexperienced by the average Nigerian. Diseases such as High-blood pressure, Hyper tension, and Arthiritis.

3. Professional Devalue: America can be a welcoming place for highly educated and well-off immigrants but also a nightmare for others. It is often known as the "graveyard of occupations" meaning that one's previous education and occupation can easily be rendered worthless in America. There was a woman who was very well off in Nigeria. She was the head chef of a 5-star hotel back in Nigeria and upon her arrival in the US, her degree and occupation was declared worthelss. She was turned down by many other hotels and had to assume a job as a frycook at McDonalds. There is also another account of a Local Governor from Nigeria who held many outstanding degrees from Universities in Nigeria, but was denied a reasonable job in America. In short, their lives were restarted.

4. Prices: Things have become very expensive for Americans. Things ranging from household items to entire homes, and combined with the constant devalue of the Naira, the US can be a financial nightmare for Nigerians. An ordinary 4-bedroom, single family house in the US will cost atleast $500,000 which is N83,000,000, More than enough to errect a 10 bedroom mansion with a boys-quarters and a gate in Nigeria. A brand new jeep in the US can easily cost $40,000 which is N6.6 million, more than enough to buy TWO jeeps in Nigeria.

5. Cultural Diffusion: The thing that every Nigerian regards with utmost importnace is his/her cultural background. America is a slaughter house for African cultures. People emmigrate form Nigeria and give birth to their children in the US. As their children grow up, the parents avoid teaching them their native language, and from then on the children are at a loss. Then, their parents avoid teaching them about their culture and tradition. Lastly, with all this not given to them, their children effectively turn into AAsand are estranged form the culture sand tradition of their homeland, ultimately deciding their destiny in life.

With this in mind, Ill be glad to recieve your feedback and thoughts on this

ROFLMAO!!! person get too much time on hand. Essentially, what this post tells me is the @Poster is likely one of the UNLUCKY ONES. Millions of people from China, India, Mexico, Nigeria even make it in America each year. Siddon there , . na dem they take over USA now.

Sorry but this guy shouldbe called [b]Ode[/b]mchi as in [b]Ode[/b]chukwu Jonathan. I do not want to diss anyone becuase of their level of education but you must be either educated to a very low level or you are just plain dumb. All your examples are so meh!

1. Taking up credit is a personal choice. You do not have to make use of credit facilities but it may be necessary to do so to build your credit if you plan to buy a house in the future as you do not find overnight millioanires in america who can afford to buy a $500,000 house cash like you do in that mad country Nigeria where government officials use the peoples commowealth for themselves.

2. The 24 hour system is part of what makes the country and very few people work are compelled to do 12 hour shifts. even when you do a 12 hour shift, you ahve the appropriate number of days off. If you care to know my dads driver in Nigeria arrives at my house at 6Am in the morning and only leaves after droping my dad off at 10/11pm and he does this 6 days a week. sometimes he is asked to come on Sundays as well and there is no official overtime! how many ours is that. The same goes for the boys in my mums shop. 8am to 7pm Monday to Saturday for N12,000/ month.

3. Professional devalue my a$$. In the western world, experience counts. All your paper cerificates are worthless! What do you expect? To walk of the plane and into a $100,000/ year job? Wake up mofo! pay your dues.

4 Does any memebr of your family have N83,000,000 cash to pay for a house. Cut your coat. Tthere are house way cheaper than that. You can get $50,000 house in some run down parts of Atlanta if you can afford it. Please give me the contact details of the car seller in Nigeria where I can buy 2 brand new SUVs for N6.6million.

5. Screw native language. can Barack Obama speak Kenayan or whatever they speak over in kenya? Is he not the bloody president.

In summary, You are not a very bright spark!

Ordinary 4 bedroom? Even here in Chicago, you can get one of those for about $130,000 and I am talking only a couple of minutes from downtown. You can even get a good house in some states for about $30,000 or more. Na wa ooo!! Must everyone own a $500,000 how now, to live in america.

Tutone22:

This guy must have never been to america before, sound like youre repeating things someone else told you. the only valid point you have is the cultural diffusion. Everything else you said is baseless. Nigeria is alot more stressful than america, a country where there is no middle class and most people under stress havent even been diagnosed.
Majority or american work 8 hour days not 12
500k does not buy you an ordinary house in america, 150-200k buys you an ordinary house depending on where you live a 500k house is called a mansion is most places in america
The Debt situation is what lets the average man live in that 500k house and the lack of it is what keeps a nigerian in a single room with no lights, Personally id rather be in debt and live well then live where the average nigerian call a home

Lastly your logic about the jeep prices shows why nigerian professions are devalued in other parts of the world. Youre either not very well educated, or have a nigerian degree from a school there that other developed countries refuse to recognise because their graduates make the type of statement that you just made. There are Cars made in america, be at a jeep or any other type you also used the word brand new, No car sold in nigeria is made in nigeria so how do you explain a brand new car being cheaper in nigeria than it would be if that same new car is sold in the US where there is either made or the manufacturer has a dealer

How are you so sure that Ive never been to America or that I am not IN America?
1. 50k-200k cannot buy you a decent home in America. A four bedroom single family house costs anywhere from 500k-1million USD you will be lucky to find it for 400k. With 150k you can purchase a two bedroom condo or a multi family building. Mansions are millions of dollars.
2. I am not talking about the majority of America, I am talking about Nigerian immigrants who go to America.
3. Why are you contempt in being in debt? Debt  is the chain that ties you down.
4. To your statement about cars, you clearly do not understand automobiles or pricing for that matter. Take for example a 2002 Mercedez Benz C class. In the US this car would be atleast 15k (N2.4M) While in Nigeria, this car can be N2.0M or less. American car brands arent popular in Nigeria, so please keep them out of the equation. Asian and European cars are cheaper in Africa since most of them are accidented or imported and their prices are slightly lower as compared to their American-bound models in order to appeal to a "middle class" Nigerian population. Please research information before you make any definite statements.

You can get a 4 bedroom home out in the 'burbs in many places for 200-300k.

See this for example: http://www.weichert.com/36927139/?countyid=34716&minpr=200&maxpr=250&dir=ASC

I don't know what the neighborhood is like, what the public schools are like in Clinton specifically.

But you get the idea.