i have a wife and two children living in a flat i bought 4 years ago in London - i work as a Senior Linux/Unix admin and earn a good salary.   However with the UK becoming aggressively expensive to live in i was wondering on relocating to Nigeria.  I have lived here in London all my life (i think this has been a major disadvantage) and have visited Nigeria, to my shame with my mother. 

Now, well to do people that i know have relocated to Nigeria because they are quite fed up with UK life.  The major issue here is tax and your right to earn a decent salary that one can save without fear of the Government trying to re-tax it.  The tax system here is quite socialistic in design and what i mean is is that you work simply to keep the "state" alive and receive nothing in return.  Here in the UK you really do not own anything out right.  For instance your property belongs to the bank if you have yet to pay off the mortgage and even then the land which the house sits on is owned by the Queen (hence how they were able to seize land from people to host the Olympics).  In truth they can seize anybody's land and the only reason why they do not is because of public face.  Its a hard pill to swallow but true.

Your car is not yours since without MOT you cannot drive your car on the roads and are in danger of having it seized by the bailiffs.  Car insurance  increased fro no good reason by 30% at least and is set to increase again by 30% by the end of this year.   Again for no good reason.

VAT increased from 17 to 20 %.  Fuel at 1.38 per litre.  Council tax will increase and banks have increased the interest rate on home owners by +3.5%above the  base rate.

Almost every road in London has parking restrictions and you end up having to pay £110 if you float the parking rule.  If you do not pay the bailiffs are sent in to seize your property. The bill can escalate to 1000s of pounds.  There are many cases where the council will hand parking tickets  to drivers unlawfully just to rake in more cash.

The educational system here is a joke. FULLSTOP.

Is Nigeria a better option if you have a plan.  I have prayed about this and i know God is saying to stay put for know

Has anyone got any suggestions.

Well if God says stay, then stay.

If you could pretend i never said that (i thank you for your honesty) but this a civil rant so please indulge me

I feel you bro.

If you earn £50k in UK, your take home at the end of the month is £2967, if you factor all the expenses you are worse off than your contemporaries living in Nigeria earning N11.5M after tax assuming they deduct N1M tax.

Tee_Jay:

Well if God says stay, then stay.

I can't find any indication that the poster is looking for advise on the ground of religion

There is no country of the world that is problem-free. In Nigeria, we have problem of irregual electricity. In the UK where you are based you enjoy 24 hours electricity. The Nigeria economy is getting worse and there is high unemployement in the country.

But I still suggest that you return home. This is because there are some good business you can invest your money and it will yield a huge return. You will also enjoy a tax system that will be fair to you. You can even determine what rate you want to pay as your tax and nobody will strangulate

The British government have not changed from its colonial heritage of cheating and stealing to keep the state going. Britain was built on money and gold, diamond etc that were stolen from their former african colony. Now that their former colony have become independent state, they have no choice than to impose strigent condition on those poor innocent immigrant that happen to be in their midst.

You should come home  to Nigeria and I think the little you have gathered over can be invested in Nigeria.
Nigeria is a good investment ground despite its energy or electricity problem. You can invest in agriculuture, telecoms, properties, schools, filling station, etc[/color][color=#990000][color=#990000][/color][b][/b]

naijaspeak:

There is no country of the world that is problem-free. In Nigeria, we have problem of irregual electricity. In the UK where you are based you enjoy 24 hours electricity. The Nigeria economy is getting worse and there is high unemployement in the country.

But I still suggest that you return home. This is because there are some good business you can invest your money and it will yield a huge return. You will also enjoy a tax system that will be fair to you. You can even avoid paying your tax in Nigeria and you will certainly get away with it.

The British government have not changed from its colonial heritage of cheating and stealing to keep the state going. Britain was built on money and gold, diamond etc that were stolen from their former african colony. Now that their former colony have become independent state, they have no choice than to those poor innocent immigrant that happen to be in their midst.

You should come home  to Nigeria and I think the little you have gathered over can be invested in Nigeria.
Nigeria is a good investment ground despite its energy or electricity problem. You can invest in agriculuture, telecoms, properties, schools, filling station, etc[/color][color=#990000][color=#990000][/color][b][/b]

They don't have special tax rates for immigrants o.

poster
if you went to live in Nigeria what will you do with your self? are you going to start a biz or will you start looking for a job?
what state will you live in? is our wife ready to make such a move? do you think going to Nigeria at this time will allow you to get a job which pays you up to what you are making now ?
do you have lots of savings? because you might move and after a year or two change your mind and want to go back to the u.k and you will need money to do that

These are some of the questions you should ask yourself before you undertake that undertaking lol

Two sides to a coin. While others are thinking of leaving Nigeria for UK and Europe, you are thinking of returning.

If you really need to think, put these options as priority. What you get free in UK you pay heavily in Nigeria eg (a) Electricity (b) Security (c) Job Security (4) Economy

Apart from that, you have to consider your family, can they adjust to the Nigerian situation? What about you, what will you do, get a job or business? It's easier to return home but how to fit in will be the problem. I suggest you return first and settle before dragging your family back home.
A word is enough for the wise.

@Poster; I feel your pain about the current UK economic situation. What we are experiencing now in the UK is a "perfect storm" of escalating taxes, unfavourable immigrant policies, new "ConDemed" racist government, and lack of jobs. Surely, if people who have jobs with fat salaries of £50,000/year can complain that they have little or no savings, then what becomes of the rest of us. Personally, I am planning on relocating to warmer climes like New Zealand where they have a much more lax tax regime coupled with a favourable approach towards immigrants. Even EU countries like Germany and France have much more better economic policies than the UK; here in the UK, it seems we are penalised for earning high wages. It's s/h/y/t?e to be honest, anything but UK for me

I don't know but someone that has lived in the UK all his/her life just realising the tax system is a bit steep?

Dis Guy:

I don't know but someone that has lived in the UK all his/her life just realising the tax system is a bit steep?

Situations change.

For me I went through a divorce so instead of paying ~15% rate I am now paying ~35%. Additionally I was enjoying deductions for mortgage interest but no longer find it necessary to won anymore so I lost that deduction too.

I like this thread since I am also looking to come back home but at a part time basis so ease the transition.

Would really love to hear from others that have made the transition.

Thanks posters ive read all the posts thus far and will have to think hard. There are options like freelancing while working but if HMRC found out they would tax me hard. Should not really disclose but i earn somewhat more than the figure posted.

naijaspeak:

There is no country of the world that is problem-free. In Nigeria, we have problem of irregual electricity. In the UK where you are based you enjoy 24 hours electricity. The Nigeria economy is getting worse and there is high unemployement in the country.

But I still suggest that you return home. This is because there are some good business you can invest your money and it will yield a huge return. You will also enjoy a tax system that will be fair to you. You can even determine what rate you want to pay as your tax and nobody will strangulate

The British government have not changed from its colonial heritage of cheating and stealing to keep the state going. Britain was built on money and gold, diamond etc that were stolen from their former african colony. Now that their former colony have become independent state, they have no choice than to impose strigent condition on those poor innocent immigrant that happen to be in their midst.

You should come home  to Nigeria and I think the little you have gathered over can be invested in Nigeria.
Nigeria is a good investment ground despite its energy or electricity problem. You can invest in agriculuture, telecoms, properties, schools, filling station, etc[/color][color=#990000][color=#990000][/color][b][/b]

The real problem with the UK is that the economy is rather weak (has been for years but excessive Government borrowing masked the problem) minus the financial industry here Britain literally has nothing to stand on. I think the sad part is that Nigeria can outgrow most European economies "if" it got its act together. Personally i see Nigeria as a safe "haven" incase things here get really at of hand. Anyway im married to a Nigerian and ive discussed this with here and its something we have taken to prayer.

Im doing all i can here to help me set up a business in Nigeria.

Anyway why would any Nigerian want to come to the UK. Things are not what they use to be. Nigerians think that we are trying to prevent them from coming because of envy but i assure you its not. England might be the better nation for blacks than other European nations but the cost will kill you. So think hard before coming here.

What are the experiences of Nigerians trading in Nigeria or relocating back for good?

you don't actually need to live in london - to be honest u can cut out a lot of stress by moving out of london -as for parking don't even get me started - u people that live in london are suffering - paying to park in front of ur own house - like WTF!!!

anyway just one thing about moving back home - u say u have 2 kids - have u thought about their education - good private schools are not cheap from what i hear and another thing if they were to come back to the uk for their university education they would need to be here for a while to pay home fees. (don't quote me, as this was the rule a few years ago).

anyway think its best to think about it very hard with ur wife as moving back to nigeria after spending a long time in the UK will not be easy.

good luck

ada24:

you don't actually need to live in london - to be honest u can cut out a lot of stress by moving out of london -as for parking don't even get me started - u people that live in london are suffering - paying to park in front of your own house - like WTF!!!

anyway just one thing about moving back home - u say u have 2 kids - have u thought about their education - good private schools are not cheap from what i hear and another thing if they were to come back to the uk for their university education they would need to be here for a while to pay home fees. (don't quote me, as this was the rule a few years ago).

anyway think its best to think about it very hard with your wife as moving back to nigeria after spending a long time in the UK will not be easy.

good luck

you are right

I cant't even drive to work. . . . congestion charge and parking

pay for parking at home
pay congestion to drive to work
then pay parking when you get to work

plus i dont even open my payslip again cus if you see the amount of tax and NI, i feel like going down there to break some windows

I think most of us that have the education,savings and know how, should go back and sweat it out in Nigeria

No matter how much we make we are finding out that we are not happy.

so many Nigerian are starting to die of heart attacks and stroke

lets go back and give a little something to Nigeria and see if there will be any change.

if not, we tried, its not easy my brother

The grass is always greener on the other side till you find yourself stuck in a place like nigeria.
(with all your funds swindled off you by legit govt offices)

I suggest you go to nigeria and stay for a  month or two, by which time you will experience the place properly.
Ensure you go to offices and other establishments to get a feel of  their customer\human relations profile.( and also the state of the place)
Try to get one or two things done that require getting something signed by an office.
use the public transport sometimes and try driving sometimes too.

While you do all that, make a list of all the things you have overlooked or taken for granted.

hey, u might enjoy it ; chip and pin is over-rated.

, this has been going onfor a while now to be honest and would continue for a long time. At OP why don't you consider South Africa. I tell you the life there is good and relaxing, think abt this.

pelezico:

i have a wife and two children living in a flat i bought 4 years ago in London - i work as a Senior Linux/Unix admin and earn a good salary.   However with the UK becoming aggressively expensive to live in i was wondering on relocating to Nigeria.  I have lived here in London all my life (i think this has been a major disadvantage) and have visited Nigeria, to my shame with my mother. 

Now, well to do people that i know have relocated to Nigeria because they are quite fed up with UK life.  The major issue here is tax and your right to earn a decent salary that one can save without fear of the Government trying to re-tax it.  The tax system here is quite socialistic in design and what i mean is is that you work simply to keep the "state" alive and receive nothing in return.  Here in the UK you really do not own anything out right.  For instance your property belongs to the bank if you have yet to pay off the mortgage and [size=13pt]even then the land which the house sits on is owned by the Queen[/size] (hence how they were able to seize land from people to host the Olympics).  In truth they can seize anybody's land and the only reason why they do not is because of public face.  Its a hard pill to swallow but true.

Your car is not yours since without MOT you cannot drive your car on the roads and are in danger of having it seized by the bailiffs.  Car insurance  increased fro no good reason by 30% at least and is set to increase again by 30% by the end of this year.   Again for no good reason.

VAT increased from 17 to 20 %.  Fuel at 1.38 per litre.  Council tax will increase and banks have increased the interest rate on home owners by +3.5%above the  base rate.

Almost every road in London has parking restrictions and you end up having to pay £110 if you float the parking rule.  If you do not pay the bailiffs are sent in to seize your property. The bill can escalate to 1000s of pounds.  There are many cases where the council will hand parking tickets  to drivers unlawfully just to rake in more cash.

The educational system here is a joke. FULLSTOP.

Is Nigeria a better option if you have a plan.  I have prayed about this and i know God is saying to stay put for know

Has anyone got any suggestions.

aka Omonile

denzel2009:

I feel you bro.

If you earn £50k in UK, your take home at the end of the month is £2967, if you factor all the expenses you are worse off than your contemporaries living in Nigeria earning N11.5M after tax assuming they deduct N1M tax.

Is that a joke?

@Poster, i dont really know how to, but for me, those Tax Countries like UK are just good for tourism stuff, i.e make your money else well, then plan vacation to UK like a month Vacation, or else they may change their mind and tax u too on your vacation Budget lol

All that tax is the reason why everything works here.
like full current electricity for the past 100yrs.

Can I just point a few things out.

pelezico:



Now, well to do people that i know have relocated to Nigeria because they are quite fed up with UK life.  The major issue here is tax and your right to earn a decent salary that one can save without fear of the Government trying to re-tax it.  The tax system here is quite socialistic in design and what i mean is is that you work simply to keep the "state" alive and receive nothing in return.  Here in the UK you really do not own anything out right.  For instance your property belongs to the bank if you have yet to pay off the mortgage and even then the land which the house sits on is owned by the Queen (hence how they were able to seize land from people to host the Olympics).  In truth they can seize anybody's land and the only reason why they do not is because of public face.  Its a hard pill to swallow but true.

I think you are missing a few things here.  While I see your frustration and the point you are trying to make, you should see things for what they are at times.

If you earn a decent salary, there's really nothing stopping you from enjoying yourself here. Have you considered moving outside of London and living in less expensive place?

As per your point on mortgages, that's the whole point of buying a house! Technically, the house isn't your until you finish paying for it. Again, if you earn enough like you said, I really do not see the problem. Mortgage here can range from 25years - 30 years average. If you are paying your bill on time, then no one will come and knock on your door.

As per the land, I think you'll find that the land belong to the state, while some things like the Swan we see at parks etc is technically the Queen's property. It is their law, it is their land, it is their tradition. I really do not see the big deal.

Also it may be worth adding that lands here aren't sold  outright they way they are in naija. They are more or less leased for say 25/50/75/100years. While you may not agree with the system, it does appear to work.

You have nothing to worry about if you pay your bill on time.

Your car is not yours since without MOT you cannot drive your car on the roads and are in danger of having it seized by the bailiffs.  Car insurance  increased fro no good reason by 30% at least and is set to increase again by 30% by the end of this year.   Again for no good reason.

VAT increased from 17 to 20 %.  Fuel at 1.38 per litre.  Council tax will increase and banks have increased the interest rate on home owners by +3.5%above the  base rate.

I think you are getting your facts twisted here. If you buy a car and not owe no penny on it, it is yours. However, to use it on a public road that is funded by tax payers money, you need to have a MOT (To those who may not understand what MOT is, it is just a test to make sure a car is road worthy, the emission is within acceptable range etc.)

MOT is a legal requirement. It is the law of the land. The other way round it, is off course to jump on the public transport.

Car insurance increase every year, regardless of making a claim or not. The increase is usually linked with inflation and the amount of overall pay out made to drivers the previous year or something. While I agree that insurance could be cheaper, I think by shopping around you should get a good deal.

Case in point, I paid 400pounds for my car insurance last year and during my renewal this year, I was quoted 450. After calling up my insurance, they readjusted the price and it has a mere increment of 19pounds. You see, just buy shopping around and haggling, I got a good price.


As per the Council tax, you need to remember that there is a global recession, and as such there will be cuts everywhere. Local council aren't getting enough money and since it cost them money to give us local services like bin collection, etc it is just normal that some of these prices will be passed to us in form of increment.  

Almost every road in London has parking restrictions and you end up having to pay £110 if you float the parking rule.  If you do not pay the bailiffs are sent in to seize your property. The bill can escalate to 1000s of pounds.  There are many cases where the council will hand parking tickets  to drivers unlawfully just to rake in more cash.

London is a small city. Parking restrictions will therefore be in place. It is not much of a science to be honest. Again, since you appear to be worried have you considered using public transport?

I cycle to work on sunny days and I use the train to go to work, even though I drive. You see, it is just all about planning. If i drive to work, then I'll be face with congestion charge fee, parking space fee and no rest of mind. That's too much so i just ride my bike or use the trains.   .   . far easier and less stressful.

The educational system here is a joke. FULLSTOP.

Education system is subjective. Again, have you consider sending your kids to a private school?  I agree that some schools are rubbish and some aren't desirable. HOwever to label the whole education system as a joke is an unfair description.

Is Nigeria a better option if you have a plan.  I have prayed about this and i know God is saying to stay put for know

Has anyone got any suggestions.

This is the million dollar question and a decision only you will have to make. As my people say, "na you sabi where shoe dey pain you for feet."


I like the fact that I have constant power supply here, I can break my neck and won't have to pay a penny to any doctor to fix me up, I have peace of mind, I have my close family members here, I have my woman here, I have my things in life that mean the most to me here and I feel like I am achieving a lot here.

Again, these are just my own views and may not work for you.


As per suggestion, have you considered going to live in naija for three months or more to try and get a feel of how things will be like?

@pelezico,

I feel you. I am in the UK and I understand what you are going through. Nigeria is an option, but it must be one you go in with your eyes open. It gets very tough, with no support system in place. Things you and I take for granted in the UK is extreme luxury in Nigeria. From health to education. Remember this problem is everywhere, in the US, it is just as bad and Nigeria at this stage is not as rosy as some would make it seem. If you are considering leaving for economic reasons, consider Canada. Actually a lot of Nigerians have left the UK for Canada and they all have good things to say.

@ OP

Do whatever makes you and your family happy. There is no magic bullet. Different posts here can confuse you.

@EMPEROR,

I agree with you, but Nigeria still remains an extremely hostle and unfriendly place to do business or start out. If you are not careful all that saving will dry up without achieving much. Dont get me wrong, I am not asking for perfect conditions, but one which is suitable.

And I was just thinking of relocating. Is there no good news at all as far as the UK is concerned? At least we know that in Nigeria, with the right sort of business/capital, you can do very well.

Nigeria is the best place to do business. No doubt about that.

Op
No place like home,
But why i like 9ja is impossible is nothing.

@OP
In addition to what everyone has said, Il just add that you take your time before relocating. Go to Nigeria for a few weeks. Start a business in Nigeria, see how it goes. Don't take that leap without testing the waters.

Again, why don't you look at other countries like Canada, New Zealand, etc?

Pel,

Everyone is tired hereo my brother. the tax thing is really annoying. But what to do.
The tax is painful but at least the govt use some of it well (not all: i don't like financing arab wars with my tax) but if someday something's wrong with someone you can call ambulance at 3am in the morning. That is not so in Naija.

If you have lots of money, then good. You can invest and people will work for you.
Otherwise if you want to go applying for job at NDLEA or Ministry of Agricaulture, you don't even have NYSC discharge certifiate or exemption proof.

One disadvantage for people like us who had all our tertiary education abroad.

Proudly,

I started a little business like 10 years back with the aim of gradually building it and eventually spending most time back home. BUT the person I put in charge mismanaged it. As if the money i used to start it was nothing at all. I was left to pay the bank back here.

Refrain from extended family (except your dad and mum) when doing bisiness or they will ruin you and you can't do anything about it.

proudly9ja:

@OP
In addition to what everyone has said, Il just add that you take your time before relocating. Go to Nigeria for a few weeks. Start a business in Nigeria, see how it goes. Don't take that leap without testing the waters.

Again, why don't you look at other countries like Canada, New Zealand, etc?

Bros, have u think about relocating to the U.S, its better here than UK.