lacasera14:
So you exchanged your big man life in Nigeria for steady power, water, security, no car honks, organized society, and what again? I think you were not big man enough in Nigeria. Because the big men in Nigeria enjoy all those things you traveled out for. Ask them.

koning:
Well, i am late to respond to this thread which has already clocked 13 pages of responses.

However, i have just a simple comment to make..


EARLY DAYS, my brother. Early days. You've just been there for 3 months. Let's have a feedback after 2 years. Very smart of you to ditch searching for Accounting job and went into factory/warehouse job. The frustration and depression would have been too much for you.

One thing i know for sure is that loss of "Big man"status in Australia will be unbearable for you in the long run. You will begin to appreciate Nigeria regardless of all the shortcommings.

DataDoc:


Nigeria mostly lack data on these things. The only suicides you hear about are the ones that make it to the newspapers.

Lots of suicides occur here oh

Usefulsense:
Before I commence my story, I want to specifically thank those who advised me not to travel. Your advise was borne out of genuine love and concern. One stated clearly that I should not leave known for unknown.

However, taking the bold step to leave Nigeria at the time I did was the best decision I ever made in my life. In fact, given the same scenario and even if I am 52 and my salary was #2million per month, I will still leave Nigeria.

The first 2 months was very difficult. The mistake I made was my insistence on getting accounting job. I did over 60 applications and all of them were rejected. I have no Australian experience neither do I have Australian certification.

My wifey was indeed an angle in human form. She provided the needed support. She shouldered all the financial responsibilities all by herself. This is the part that almost pushed me into depression. As an Igboman, we consider it a taboo for our women to feed, house and cloth us.

After two months, I decided it was time to re-strategize. I enrolled for a forklift training and within two week, I obtained my forklift license.
Not satisfied with that, I took some courses and did some checks that will qualify me to go into disability support work. I obtained First aid certificate, Diploma in mental health, certificate in infection prevention and control, certificate in care for the aged and disabled, police check, working with children checks, NDIS worker check, NDIS orientation certificate and many more.

I started applying for warehouse jobs. In fact, I had to reject a lot of them. I settled for one of the warehouses and it has been awesome working for the organization.

I have not gotten what I am looking for yet. I am using the warehouse to keep body and soul together. In the warehouse where I work, you will see people of different ages. from 18 years to 65 years working and making a good living. in Australia, there is always something to do.

The only thing I miss, is the big man mentality we have in Nigeria. Where I will sit in my office, call one of my staff in intercom and ask for a cup of coffee; and it will be brought to me in seconds. You can't try that rubbish here.

The level of security here is top notch. I have no fear, i move about anytime of the day/night.

After one week in Australia, I concluded that Nigeria is a completely lawless country and an animal jungle. Here everything is ordered. I am yet to hear a driver blow his car horn while driving. There are no touts, there are no omoniles. Electricity has never blinked for one second. water is constant, gas is there. I have never seen two persons fighting in the street. I have never seen a mad man or woman on the road or street beggars. The air we breath here is different from the air we breath in Nigeria.

It was in Australia that I realized that the saying in Nigeria that Nigerian police is your friend is actually true. Break the law in Nigeria and police catches you, just give them #2,000 you are off the hook. And the circle of lawlessness continues. Here, it is a different ball game. Proposing bribe will be used as evidence against you. It doesn't matter who you are. Every one is civil.

While in Nigeria I suffered malaria every month. There is no month I don't treat malaria. Since I got to this country, I have never had headache let alone malaria.

Children are doing wonderfully well at school and are already speaking through their nose.

In conclusion, I made the best choice. Even though I have not really found the kind of job I want to do, the little I am doing now contributes in paying bills and I have savings more than my monthly gross per month in Nigeria.

If you are above 45 years and have your partner already in this country, and you are an employee of a company, it is in your best interest to leave Nigeria. Provided, of course, that you are healthy and you are not lazy.

One dark side to moving abroad is that you have more chances of being divorced by your wife. This is a story for another day as I have gathered enough reason on why families divorce and will create a thread on this someday.


I am open to any question you may have.

AmuDimpka:
no wahala...I wish you luck. At 55 - 60 one should be retired travelling around yhe world. That is my perspective not learning forklifting at 48

seanwilliam:
Congrats bro .. I hear say anaconda plenty wella for Australia, abeg shey na true? How many u don see

abba190:
bro pls show me love Nigeria is hard ebi npawa oo

EreluRoz:
A 48yr old man is still young, so nothing do you.

My own classification of old man is 70 and above and besides I know a man who only starts seeing money at 50, he should be in his early 60s now and now multi millionaire if not a billionaire.

chidi4sam:



I migrated to Australia to on December 23rd 2023. My wife came in as a student in July 2023 while my daughter and I, joined her in December. For the past 3 months, there is no day I don't thank God for bringing me into this country. I stay in Newcastle NSW too. 1:30 drive from Sydney. Congratulations Sir

Treadway:
lol. That is your perspective. Some people see life and the pursuit of happiness and/or significance differently.

I was asked at a job interview as a fresh grad if I would prefer to be a janitor for 200k salary or a manager for 100k salary. My answer then was a manager.

Fast forward to now, my answer is still the same. And based off your answer I can tell you'd choose to be a janitor, which is fine and your prerogative.

To explain tha Maslow's hierarchy of needs simply, it simply states that there is always a pressing need that motivates you and once that need is satisfied you move up to a 'higher' level need, which becomes your new motivator and so on up till level 5. Even as a fresh grad I knew I would derive no joy being a janitor for higher pay, and if I lose that specific janitor job, there is a very slim chance I'd get another paying same, but as a manager my next job could be that 100000*10, and more importantly I'd be happy while at it and fulfilled meaning I have somewhat moved to level 4 on the hierarchy.

Where I am on the hierarchy, I can't think like you have sadly, I am not motivated by only 'more money' or the presence of 'emergency care'. I suspect you still may not understand, but it is a teachable moment, someone might learn something and I feel like teaching.

Life is more than exchange rate.

For someone like op with the kind of exposure he must have had and at thatbage to think that way was kind of a let down and that is why I expressed it. I don't care if you move out of the country and do whatever, but pls be sensible and don't act like you forefather that saw a mirror and lost all there senses. How can you say there are no beggars in a country( thank God at least he didn't push that one further) or say one cleaner somewhere is better than someone well-read, super motivated, an achiever with a career who rose to become a top exec/RM? Madness! And you can only read or hear that from Nigerians with no self worth. As backward as Africa is na only Naija dey fall hand and constitute nuisance like this and it is annoying. Then you say they don't recognize your experience and credentials. How can they? When you have told them repeatedly how you don't even measure up to their homeless people and how they have given your life meaning just by accepting you. Why were you guys hating on Emdee Tiamiyu when you are no different. Dem just never interview una or give you mic yet, you'd clearly do worse

Cheers

chidi4sam:


LOL. Be playing. Why do you go to work if not to make money and enjoy. He can save 4-5M monthly in Australia even after expenses as compared his total take home of less than 1M as an account in Nigeria.

And yes, Australian lifestyle makes you active even at old age. People of 90+ years and still driving and walking without assistance here because of their lifestyle. Someone in Nigeria is already too old for anything at 60.

Lastly, you stand a chance of securing the destiny of your children for ever by becomimg citizens in the nearest futher. The money he spent to relocate will be recovered in less than 6 months. Australia is not lousy like UK, Canada, US. Just relax, make your money and enjoy life.

Benjamin4388:

na this kind mentality will make a sane human wants to leave this shitthole the more

Usefulsense:
what's the cost of the forklift training and do they issue certificates?
Does the training firm has an office in Lagos?

Shattuck:
in Nigeria how many retired civil servants at 55-60 have enough resources to even feed let alone travelling around the world, or is it the less than 20k naira they earn as pension that will finance such lifestyle most are even owed their pension.

Shattuck:
in Nigeria how many retired civil servants at 55-60 have enough resources to even feed let alone travelling around the world, or is it the less than 20k naira they earn as pension that will finance such lifestyle most are even owed their pension.

OniyideAmplify:
Don't worry, he will surely recover all the money he spent within 365 days and he has saved his generations to come from a lawless and unfortunate country like Nigeria. Moreover, Australia is even too big to realize that Nigeria is a shit, try visit Dubai alone not to talk of the whole UAE and see an environment where anything is possible.

Tizu:
Australia don't accept refugees?
So how can one who travel to the country survive with tourist visa or other short stay visas?
Help!
I am waiting for your response Sir

chidi4sam:


LOL. Be playing. Why do you go to work if not to make money and enjoy. He can save 4-5M monthly in Australia even after expenses as compared his total take home of less than 1M as an account in Nigeria.

And yes, Australian lifestyle makes you active even at old age. People of 90+ years and still driving and walking without assistance here because of their lifestyle. Someone in Nigeria is already too old for anything at 60.

Lastly, you stand a chance of securing the destiny of your children for ever by becomimg citizens in the nearest futher. The money he spent to relocate will be recovered in less than 6 months. Australia is not lousy like UK, Canada, US. Just relax, make your money and enjoy life.

DataDoc:


1st generation migrants most times have to pay a price for their decision to migrate.

If he lives to his 70s, his children should have settled well and probably be doing well. That alone will compensate for anything he feels he lost leaving Nigeria behind.

He took the decision to migrate not just for himself, but for his family too

MyAmericandream:


Pride no go kill you oh.. See foolish talk. He said he saved more than when he was in Nigeria. Did your father plan retirement at age 48? Una too like big man for that country so you can oppress the poor. If he had travelled to Cyprus or uk ( this one for pain me). In abroad whether you’re a forklift driver or an IT specialist no body send your papa. In fact you drive the same car live in the same hood… He hasn’t spent up to a year, if he gets a better certificate he will upgrade to a better level/ job is just time.

chidi4sam:




Congratulations Sir. Australia 🇦🇺 will favour you. It is a great country with limitless opportunities

chidi4sam:


Yes Sir. Just like the OP, I moved there last December and I am doing really fine. My regret was not moving earlier than now.

chidi4sam:



We save and invest in Nigeria too. No one stays in a foreign land forever. What I quoted is money he can save after expenses. Infact, now they are two (himself and wife), they can even save more. If you do not have limited right to work (student) visa, you can earn what I quoted above. I am not giving false figures. The last time I checked, the current exchange rate to Aus$ is 950 (it was above 1k few weeks ago). In a fortnight, he can earn between 2500-2800 from one job (times it by 2 to see what it is in one one). If you don't have limited work right you can have about 2-3 employers paying you in one month. 1 can be your permanent employer while the other 2 is part time. What you make from your permanent employer is for savings while what you earn from part time is for expenses. Except you are lazy, you will hit it big in Australia in a very short time. I am not exaggerating.

desiredmee:



You have successfully done nothing with this lengthy write-up I can assure you.

The OP sited the working condition that is obtainable over there but you are using what is obtainable here in Nigeria in your writeup, a Janitor for sure would be happy and derieve joy in his job because of the following reasons
He is not be looked down on
He is able to take care of his home
He is able to assist family members back home
He is able to build something back home

Mind you the janitor work is a temporary job.

The truth is our government is to be blamed in all of this, we have no reason leaving the country the way we are now but really they are giving us no other choice.

I know two persons that are of age 48 and were doing well by all standard in Nigeria but they still left the country with there family to UK.

Information on ground shows that what is obtainable generally is by far morethan enough reason to leave Nigeria.

I will end by saying we all should throw our anger at the government and not individuals trying to help themselves.

zedman1:
You write well but I must confess, immediately I opened this thread, I scrolled fast and the first line that caught my eyes was "angle in human form". How we go take do to make una know say there's a difference between angle and Angel? Ehn?

Usefulsense:
Last year, I sought the opinion of Nairalanders concerning my plan to move to Australia.
My major worry was my age (48) and also considering that my net salary in Nigeria was a little over a million Naira per month as the financial controller of a manufacturing company in Onitsha.

Below is the link to the thread I opened to seek peoples advice and I recommend that you go through the thread to fully appreciate
the story that follows.

[url=https://www.nairaland.com/7825207/japa-confused-please-advise][/url]. I promised to tell my story after 3 months of my stay in Australia.

I finally left Nigeria on December 7th, 2023 and arrived the country on December 9th with my children. Today, I am exactly 3 months, 2 weeks and 6 days old in Sydney, australia.

This is not a hearsay, it is not an eye witness account, it is my story.

This is intended to guide people who maybe planning to travel outside Nigeria. Should you migrate at an age over 45 or not?

Those who told me not to go are right and those who told me to travel are also right.

Given another opportunity, will I take the decision to move out of Nigeria at 48? Have I made a mistake? How am I surviving?

You will find out in this thread.

To be continued shortly .........