coogar:

this is a lie - if you are an american citizen without a nigerian passport, you would be treated as an expatriate!

My friend.........If you are American born with even [b]1 Nigerian parent [/b]and have worked for ExxonMobil for 30yrs, if you are relocated to Nigeria to work, you will be treated like a Nigerian with Naira equivalent pay.....

You better get your facts straight before going to work for ExxonMobil for 5yrs and then realise you wouldnt be made an expatriate after all that time.

pato405:


to be frank with you, I have never really used it but I think I'll need it when relocating to Nigeria and would advise that anyone travelling back to Naija should get one as a matter of necessity because NEPA ruined my last visit. it wasn't funny. I wish someone with facts can throw more light on its capacity because carrying such a heavy 'mini-tansformer' only to get home and discover that its use value is almost zero won't be funny either. if it can last as much as 10hours with four flourescents light on, an LCD on, a refrigerator, 3 ceiling fans, and may be a home theatre system that wont be bad at all. as regards A/C, forget it o! . it may explode.

@pato405

Thanks for the info.......guess the best thing is to do that research with the guys that sell the inverters in Nigeria and then turn around and buy the same thing on EBAY........

tboy1:

I think this depends how the individual or his/her family are comfortable in UK. If you make well enough money and appreciate simple things like security,electrity,good roads etc then you really need to have a very good reason to leave UK for Lagos (unless you are guaranteed to be presented better standard of living when you move back)

There is soo much more to life than what you earn and/or how well the roads run!!

What about ensuring your kids have a solid and proud sense of identity. Contributing to ensuring Nigeria is "less of a joke" to coin an earlier poster. Nigeria has it's struggles yes but we are one of the most resilient races around. We can change things and it may be that "we" are simply taking small steps to provide an easier platform for our children to make more of a difference....

I am not coming back to Nigeria because "i coudn't make it in the UK" and that perception of relocators is a dire and sad misconception.

rakumiii:
My friend.........If you are American born with even [b]1 Nigerian parent [/b]and have worked for ExxonMobil for 30yrs, if you are relocated to Nigeria to work, you will be treated like a Nigerian with Naira equivalent pay.....

You better get your facts straight before going to work for ExxonMobil for 5yrs and then realise you wouldnt be made an expatriate after all that time.

i dunno how i would be treated like a nigerian if i don't carry a nigerian passport.

@ MrsA
It's not money it's comfort. If you and your family are comfortable and happy where you are then you need a very good reason to move to Nigeria.
BTW I am not against anyone who wants to relocate back to Nigeria

rakumiii:


Nice idea trying to go with ExxonMobil in the US but remember if you are an American citizen with Nigerian parents, ExxonMobil will treat you like a Nigerian when or if they want to move you back to Nigeria. Meaning they would not move you back as an expatriate. No free house in Ikoyi, no driver, no car etc.........and to make matters worse, they would pay you based on Nigerian rate. I know this about ExxonMobil cause I have a friend who worked for them for 5yrs and when she proposed moving back to Nigeria thats what they told her. I am not sure about the other Oil Companies in Nigeria but I believe they do that as well.

The best thing to do is to work for an Oil Servicing company in the US like Flour, WorleyParsons, Schlumberger, Technip etc and try to get transfered to Nigeria. They would give you all the benefits that is entitled to an expatriate.

The best thing IMO is to stay here and work for them. Their pay is fabulous. I wont have to waste money paying for basic amenities either. Good luck to those willing to go back.

Very comfortable, relatively happy...

With 88% of all knife crime being committed by black teenagers in London and a rising 40 % of this by those of Nigerian origin, my happiness will be greatly improved providing my kids with a more disciplined sense of self in an environment where I know violence does not provide "street cred" where my private school £££'s will go a long way to augmenting the choices and values we impart at home not undoing them....

I agree - "good reason" is very subjective though...

pato405:
guy, the boredom here no get part 2. outside London and Manchester, the others na boredom empire.

Agree but everything you can do in Nigeria for fun can be done here

pato405:


your analysis is always relative. what do you define as 'decent meal'. in any case, what you consider as decent may be regarded by another as indecent.


ok, lets go by your analysis , N300 X 3meals a day = N900 daily

N900 daily X 30 days = N27, 000

now, someone referred to a family of 5, which gives you nearly 140k. but you criticised his 150k which is almost £600 i.e £150 more than earlier mentioned/estimated £450.

so where the basis for your argument?

knowing fully well this analysis isn't viable. food still remains the most expensive in Niaja. a family of 5 in UK can hardly finish £450 even if you decide to go on exclusively Naija food that is notoriously expensive in UK

It doesn't work that way.
Bulk buying and cooking yourself will drastically reduce cost.

How many family of 5 can continuously eat out for months?

Anyway like you said, it's all relative.
I said so too in my first post but i take exception to somebody saying the average cost a family spends on feeding is about 150k a month.

tboy1:
Agree but everything you can do in Nigeria for fun can be done here

In addition to all that idealism i've just sprouted, i dey bored small too O!!

MrsA:

There is soo much more to life than what you earn and/or how well the roads run!!

What about ensuring your kids have a solid and proud sense of identity. Contributing to ensuring Nigeria is "less of a joke" to coin an earlier poster. Nigeria has it's struggles yes but we are one of the most resilient races around. We can change things and it may be that "we" are simply taking small steps to provide an easier platform for our children to make more of a difference....

I am a big skeptic of this 'making a difference' idea - most people seeking to relocate are aiming for living in high brow areas while getting paid stupendous amounts of money due to the fact that they've gained experience/education abroad. The intent of doing all of this is largely for personal benefit and not for 'making a difference'.

I may be wrong, but I don't see how a well paid Nigerian moving from the UK to V/I or Lekki, sending their kids to AIS, BIS and the like and living the good life is 'making a difference' any more than the well off folk already in those locations.

In the end it's more about seeking a better life/lifestyle (whatever that means to you) for you and your family than any real drive to 'make a difference'.

I am not coming back to Nigeria because "i coudn't make it in the UK" and that perception of relocators is a dire and sad misconception.

I agree, but the idea of coming back to 'make a difference' is simply a romantic notion as well.

MrsA: Very comfortable, relatively happy...

With 88% of all knife crime being committed by black teenagers in London and a rising 40 % of this by those of Nigerian origin, my happiness will be greatly improved providing my kids with a more disciplined sense of self in an environment where I know violence does not provide "street cred" where my private school £££'s will go a long way to augmenting the choices and values we impart at home not undoing them....

I'm not sure about the latter - the values at the dominant private schools in Nigeria are no different from those at private schools in the UK - the only difference is the physical location of the school, in fact the most popular ones are those that claim to have British or American affiliation. In terms of education, there is little or no difference between the education provided by the posh private schools in Nigeria and those in the UK.

As for the knife crime, it all depends on where in London you live and who your kids associate with - this is the same everywhere. If you live in poor, deprived areas of South East London, it isn't very different from living in deprived areas in Lagos.

What you do gain is if you have a strong family/community influence in Nigeria that fosters those values in your kids - this far exceeds anything a school or neighbourhood can offer.

My greatest joy is not having to raise my kids in any Western country.
I might send them for tertiary education there, then they would be old enough to take responsible decisions.

Nigeria is a good country to live in.
Our only problem is the infrastructure and if you have a decent income you can get by.

I must warn those wishing to come home.
If you or your kids have special health issues then don't bother coming.
Even our most highbrow hospital is still a joke compared with what you find abroad.

MrsA:


In addition to all that idealism i've just sprouted, i dey bored small too O!!

Lol

I've removed all romanticism from my intentions and yes I fit that description I guess.

What I do know though is that experience and education gained abroad (in most sectors) makes a huge difference. This is subjective from one individual to the next but i'm a firm believer in that and driven by the "well, what is stopping Nigeria and Nigerians having that level of service, product development, state of industry - eventually"....

For example, living in a "high brow" area and earning a comfortable living will mean I can substantially add value to the current mHealth programme in Nigeria. Like it or not, the private sector framework will make the difference. In a capitalist, globalised world, people get paid to do good jobs. it makes a difference.

moremi2008:

Don't let your husband trick you into relocating home without a 100% solid opportunity. If he can't make a way for himself here, then it won't be any easier in Lagos. Everything is lovely from a distance until you move and discover that life getting high on generator fumes, getting robbed in eternal traffic on the way to or from work, and feeling stuck in a chaotic and unplanned economy, is not what you want for yourself and your kids. This wave of unreasonable nostalgia for "home" needs some sanity-checking.

As I currently stand, the only thing that's going to bring me back home to work for another man is if the company is bringing me back in a very senior role, paying me like an expatriate, paying my kids school fees at AIS and getting me a home in VI/Ikoyi/Lekki. Anything else is a waste of my youth and talent . It isn't too much to ask because I have a couple of friends in their thirties that were similarly compensated when they moved back. Why settle for any less when I have a career I am quite pleased with in the US?

Nice, Moremi, my hubby has his business there in Nigeria, it is not easy for him to go back and forth, infact it has been really hetic, and you know Some Niaja people, they can't be trusted with money , infact that was his main aim for wanting to relocate.

coogar:

i dunno how i would be treated like a nigerian if i don't carry a nigerian passport.

@coogar

Send your phone number to rakumii@yahoo.com............. I will break it down to you if you need verbal reassurance and also get the lady who worked for ExxonMobil for 5yrs talk to you too.

I am just saying this cause you will be so pissed off after staying with them all this time and to later find out they wouldnt treat you like an expat when they transfer you to Nigeria.

Like i said before, the Oils Servicing companies WILL take you to Nigeria as an expat.

MrsA:
For example, living in a "high brow" area and earning a comfortable living will mean I can substantially add value to the current mHealth programme in Nigeria. Like it or not, the private sector framework will make the difference. In a capitalist, globalised world, people get paid to do good jobs. it makes a difference.

Simply getting paid to do a good job doesn't strike me as making difference, but that might just be my opinion. If that was the case, then everyone doing a good job and getting paid in Nigeria is 'making a difference', so are those expats being paid ridiculous amounts in danger money.

If you're creating jobs, or getting paid less than you deserve simply because you value the contribution you make over your remunerations (e.g. a doctor leaving a better paid job abroad for a lower paying one in Nigeria to pass on his experience). Those kinds of actions are what I'd consider making a difference.

I'm not trying to criticize your move or motives though - ultimately each individual/family charts its own course and makes its own judgments.

moremi2008:

You, my friend, don't know what freedom is! Abeg, stop calling unnecessary suffer-suffer freedom! Your hard-earned money is better spent in a country with basic amenities, adequate public infrastructure, security and rule of law. I live very comfortably when I visit Nigeria (especially with the maids and drivers) but I don't confuse cheap labor, "highbrow" neighborhoods and generator fumes with freedom. Freedom is NOT living with constant fear of armed robbers; corrupt and violent policemen; unenforceable contracts; TERRIBLE healthcare; interminable traffic; lousy entertainment options; and mediocre but overpriced schools. Please, let's not willfully blind ourselves with a misplaced sense of patriotism or nostalgia.

You are free to define what FREEDOM means to you. For me, Lagos and Nigeria gives me a lot more freedom than any place in the west. Having lived in both places for a reasonable lenght of time. Besides, i don't even need to live in "highbrow"neighborhoods to feel and enjoy that freedom. I'm just as comfortable at Agege or Mushin.
SENSE OF PATRIOTISM FOR WHERE YOU COME FROM CAN NEVER BE MISPLACED.Besides re-locating to Nigeria has nothing to with patriotism. I'm patriotic when the "Super"Eagles play England. But Patriotism is the last thing on my mind when i'm at a joint in Ikeja sipping my Gulder with point & kill peppersoup. You must be in your 30s. Come back to me when you start moving towards 50.

rakumiii:

@coogar

Send your phone number to rakumii@yahoo.com............. I will break it down to you if you need verbal reassurance and also get the lady who worked for ExxonMobil for 5yrs talk to you too.

please, don't make me laugh.

I am just saying this cause you will be so pissed off after staying with them all this time and to later find out they wouldnt treat you like an expat when they transfer you to Nigeria.

Like i said before, the Oils Servicing companies WILL take you to Nigeria as an expat.

pissed off? only if you don't know your rights as an american citizen.

There is actually nothing wrong in relocating back to your country...infact i really do not see myself living here in the next 5 years, but right now, i think it is just too soon, and that is only because i want to get my PHD over with and finish having my kids....i do not want to subject myself to traveliing when am almost due to give birth in the States.

I concurr with not wanting to raise kids here, i know some kids turn out to be good kids, but i want my kids to have an idea of what our culture is all about, i want them to know what respect is all about, i do not want them to be subjected to a culture where they allow or teach young boys that it is "right to love boys" or "it is right or ok to be a lesbian". I witnessed a parent talking about how a teacher was telling her son that he was born gay, a young boy faaa!, that does not know what he has between his legs yet.

Sometimes, it is not about the good roads, 24 hr lights, 24 hr security( or so we are taught to believe), laws (especially traffic lights), they exploit people more here in the western countries, things are not stable anywhere, politically, financially or socially, we just make do with what we have or what we are given. So the idea of going back home, is always a very good idea to me, it is just the timing and having a enough resources, whether it will be used to show-off or to live a good life, as long as the pot never runs dry.

Miss_Ife:

Heeey ronke Can't wait to go to the gym with you in Lagos, and so many other fun things to do...

funny enough, I was the one to push the idea of relocation to my hubby, and I finally convinced him. We still have a few things to work on, but there are good chances my current employer can send me to nigeria, which would provide a good package to rely on and a fall back plan if things don't go fine, since I can still get my job back here anytime.

When do you plan to move? Or is it not really decided yet?

Miss-Ife dear, i don't know yet ooo, my hubby is up for this year, but i am not really in the mood to relocate just yet, infact he was just telling me about some houses he saw in Lekki Phase 1 area, me i do not want to do flood wahala during the raining seasons ooo, i also want to get a good job first, (though that is not going to be a problem) but am just reluctant to move, at first i was the one crying for Naija, now i am the one begiing to still remain here for a while.

ronkebp:

I concurr with not wanting to raise kids here, i know some kids turn out to be good kids, but i want my kids to have an idea of what our culture is all about, i want them to know what respect is all about, i do not want them to be subjected to a culture where they allow or teach young boys that it is "right to love boys" or "it is right or ok to be a lesbian". I witnessed a parent talking about how a teacher was telling her son that he was born gay, a young boy faaa!, that does not know what he has between his legs yet.

Sometimes, it is not about the good roads, 24 hr lights, 24 hr security( or so we are taught to believe), laws (especially traffic lights), they exploit people more here in the western countries, things are not stable anywhere, politically, financially or socially, we just make do with what we have or what we are given. So the idea of going back home, is always a very good idea to me, it is just the timing and having a enough resources, whether it will be used to show-off or to live a good life, as long as the pot never runs dry.

+1

ronkebp:

Miss-Ife dear, i don't know yet ooo, my hubby is up for this year, but i am not really in the mood to relocate just yet, infact he was just telling me about some houses he saw in Lekki Phase 1 area, me i do not want to do flood wahala during the raining seasons ooo, i also want to get a good job first, (though that is not going to be a problem) but am just reluctant to move, at first i was the one crying for Naija, now i am the one begiing to still remain here for a while.

I understand, especially the fact that you want to finish your Phd and having kids. That's why we are thinking about waiting a few yrs more, hopefully I can have a couple of kids more before moving and we can settle job/business and house before going. As for me I just can't wait...

@Mrs A - I agree with most of what you said here. Sent you a friend request, we can talk through pm.

Miss_Ife:

I understand, especially the fact that you want to finish your Phd and having kids. That's why we are thinking about waiting a few yrs more, hopefully I can have a couple of kids more before moving and we can settle job/business and house before going. As for me I just can't wait...

Not only you ooooo.... but hey...that is not stopping us from hooking up...anytime in Naija...at least you will still be visiting till you finally move, i will be visiting this year....my younger sister is getting married...so it will be faaji kelele....for me.

ronkebp:

Not only you ooooo.... but hey...that is not stopping us from hooking up...anytime in Naija...at least you will still be visiting till you finally move, i will be visiting this year....my younger sister is getting married...so it will be faaji kelele....for me.

Congrats to your little sis' Lucky you, going to enjoy the big party

I might go this year as well, still trying to figure out when in my crazy schedule...

Miss_Ife:

Congrats to your little sis' Lucky you, going to enjoy the big party

I might go this year as well, still trying to figure out when in my crazy schedule...

Are you on BB?.....so that i can tell you when i will be leaving for Naija...you can set your visiting schedule too towards that time, (selfish me)

God help you

Amen.

ronkebp:

Are you on BB?.....so that i can tell you when i will be leaving for Naija...you can set your visiting schedule too towards that time, (selfish me)

sent you a pm

Am enjoying this thread so much but cant squeeze out the time to write a "reasoned reply" to many contributions here-in!
Sharp-sharp anyway, relocating back home is NOT always about coming to work for "some corporations"!
I have lived, schooled and worked abroad, made money and invested it wisely at home (in business that wont need my presence 100% of the time). I have a home and family too.

WHAT MORE DO I NEED NOW? In my current "stage" in life?
That is the question most people wanting to relocate back home, ASK THEMSELVES!

The answer to that question is usually not found ABROAD! but in Nigeria!

All the so-called "problems of Nigeria" are not my problems 'cos l have taken time to make provisions for them!
You will be surprised at how easily you can adapt and overcome these challenges afterall, for my first year abroad, it was "Catarrh" every day for a whole year but now, l can walk bear-footed on the snow covered walk-way and NOTHING GO HAPPEN!

Money (and a lot of reasonable/logical thinking) solves MOST Problems!!

I understand those who dont feel like coming home [b]NOW but l assure them that l was once in their shoes, let us come back here in five to ten years time for a review and ask them if they still feel the same way![/b]

Like Abraham Maslow showed, its all a STAGE in our lifecyle.

Lastpage!

Mimes "Ajoo o'dabi ile (Abroad is never like Home) by Soul Sultan