₦airaland Forum

egondu808:
Been reading through this thread for a while — the contrast between the early pages and the recent ones says a lot on its own. Wanted to add something I haven't seen mentioned much here: the money math of Japa gets talked about constantly (visa cost, flight, first months rent), but almost nobody talks about what happens to the cost of living back home while you're gone, and how that affects the decision to return.
I ran the actual numbers recently — a basic grocery basket that cost ₦25,225 in 2020 costs ₦147,050 now. That's not just "things are expensive," that's a 582% jump in 6 years. If you Japa'd in 2020 thinking you'd come back in a few years once things stabilized, the Nigeria you'd be returning to is now a completely different financial reality than the one you left. That math changes the "should I come back" decision a lot more than people give it credit for.
There's also a quieter pattern I've seen mentioned in passing on threads like this but never really unpacked — people who do come back often go quiet on social media afterward, partly because of the assumption that returning means you "failed" abroad. That silence probably distorts how the rest of us see the return decision, since we mostly hear from people who stayed.
I put together a fuller breakdown of this (plus a few related pieces) if anyone wants to go deeper — happy to share the link if useful, don't want to drop it unprompted in case that's against the spirit of the thread.

I'd love to read the piece, please..could you please share the link

B

Ifeoluwadev:
Let me start by saying this: I know what you are thinking. "This guy don craze." Even my own mother cried when I told her I was coming back.

I left Nigeria in 2019. Got a visa through my company's transfer program, packed two bags, and landed in Manchester on a cold Tuesday morning that nearly killed my Lagos raised soul.

For 5 years, I did everything "right."

Got a better paying job. Sent money home every month. Upgraded my family's life. Got my indefinite leave to remain sorted. On paper, I was living the dream every Nigerian prays for at night.

But last December, I packed those same two bags now four and came back to Lagos.

Here is why.

1. I WAS LONELY IN A WAY I CANNOT FULLY EXPLAIN

Nobody warns you about this.

You can be surrounded by colleagues, housemates, even "friends" and still feel like a ghost. British people are polite but not warm. There is a difference. You will smile at your neighbor for 3 years and never know his first name.

In Lagos, my street alone has more genuine human connection than my entire postcode in Manchester. My landlord's wife used to bring me food when I was sick. My neighbor knew my name within 24 hours.

I did not realize how much I needed that until I did not have it anymore.

2. THE MONEY LOOKED BIG UNTIL IT DIDN'T

Yes, I was earning in pounds. But London/UK cost of living will humble you fast.

Rent: £900/month for a small flat. Food: £400/month if you cook mostly at home. Transport: £200/month. Bills: £150/month.

By the time you finish doing the math, that "big salary" is already half gone before you enjoy anything. And if you have family back home depending on you, which most of us do, you are effectively running two households.

Back in Lagos, with the savings and investments I had built up, I now run a small logistics business. Last month I cleared more in naira than I was taking home in pounds after expenses.

People forget to calculate purchasing power and cost of living when they are dreaming about abroad.

3. I WAS AGEING WITHOUT LIVING
This one is personal.

In the UK, my routine was: wake up, commute, work, come home, cook, sleep, repeat. Weekends were for grocery shopping and rest because Monday was always coming.

In Lagos, even with the chaos, there is LIFE. There is noise and owambe and suya at midnight and people who actually want to sit with you and argue about football for 3 hours. There is color. There is energy.

I went to the UK and became productive. I came back to Nigeria and started actually living.

4. MY PARENTS ARE GETTING OLD
I watched my father shrink over video calls. My mother's hair went completely white in 3 years. They never complained, that is the Nigerian parent way, but I could see it.

No amount of money sent home replaces presence. I know that sounds like something on a greeting card, but I promise you it is true. My father's face when I walked through the door in December is something I will never forget.

I refuse to be the child who shows up for the burial after spending the last good years sending money instead of time.

5. OPPORTUNITY IN NIGERIA IS UNDERRATED
This will be controversial, I know.

But hear me out. Nigeria is hard. The infrastructure is a disaster. Fuel prices are criminal. The government is not your friend.

AND YET, for someone with skill, international exposure, savings, and the willingness to grind, Nigeria rewards you in ways that a saturated Western economy cannot. The competition is not as fierce at the top. The gaps in the market are enormous.

I identified a logistics gap in my area. Started small. Now I have 6 staff and three vehicles. I am building something. In the UK I was building someone else's dream.

THE HONEST DOWNSIDES, I WON'T LIE TO YOU

Light situation is still a spiritual attack. Generator fuel is expensive. The roads want to kill me daily. Some things that should take 30 minutes take 3 days because of bureaucracy. I sometimes miss the simple efficiency of abroad. Ordering something and it actually arrives. Bills that just work.

I am not here to sell you a fantasy. Nigeria is hard. But it is MY hard. And I am building something meaningful inside it.

FINAL WORD

I am not saying don't Japa. If you have the opportunity and you are young, GO. Gather experience, save money, build skills, see the world.

But do not let anyone make you feel like returning home is failure. It is a choice. And for me, it has been the best one I ever made.

I am home. I am building. I am alive.


[/i]
Drop your questions or your own experience below, let us talk.

Nice write up, please, can I have a private conversation with you..I also returned from the UK two years ago but not like yours.

I had to rush here cos I thought they don ban my acct as usual..

Psg took this game personally, that world club loss to Chelsea really pained them even If dem see Chelsea inside dream,the beating go still continue

Let's take a minute to laugh 😃 at 'we are the world champions' hahaha ha hahaha, e sweet me die

Lol

bcomputer101:
Arsenal will win with 2-0
Mark my word

I don mark am and you scored zero

dynicks:
baba that day be like say E no wan come oooo.....people patiently dey wait ....

Nigerians aren't cowards neither are they docile, they just want to always figure out ways out of seemingly hopeless situations but I know that one day, all this years of bottled anger and frustrations will explode and the evil leaders won't see it coming ,o ma bloody gaan ni

ppogba:
Who are the "we"?

Old Trafford people of course.

I see you

We are we and we are proud, oya let them kiss their ucl participation for next season bye bye

This people think they are safe from the people's anger, when e sup their money and mansions can't save them ..make they sha continue with all this their unguarded and unsympathetic utterances,one day na surely one day

Arsenal will drop points today, this I've seen and If you get mind ,you fit stake your liver

Make Chelsea sha drop points, we go manage 2points dropped but if they still wan drop all 3, who are we to reject it..let's get the points dropping started

They are always quick to increase but to reduce na wahala.. even the US fighting d war sef no dare to increase fuel prices anyhow , I hate this country

Very avoidable death

Sometimes it's good to be broke

Is sez the only reason for marriage, mtcheeew

mariovito:
Emerge out of sapa first

Eminent sapa man of the year nko 🤔

Burob:
Please 🙏 gerrout Mr Cheedy J, since u have nothing reasonable to contribute.

You know nothing

Burob:
Nope, Manchester United made him.

Nope, neither Manchester United nor Real Madrid made him, dude made himself through hardwork and discipline. Why didn't Manchester make Anderson,Bebe, Obertan, Tosic and the likes..

KIDfurniture:
This girl can never be on my good book again . Chai her sex tape that year ! I pity her son sha. They will show him that tape when em don grow and he wil curse his mama

Who your book epp, she doesn't even care if you exist sef

ManknowThyself:
Smoking is the least dangerous!!!!!!!

Just make sure all you smoke is the local natural weed not colos and the rest.
You can even use it for making your breakfast hot chocolate and cooking sometimes.

All you need it's ginger or bitter leaf water to detox your body ones in two weeks for the bitter leaf.

Drinking is very dangerous in every aspect, it's starts little but always want to increase after a while no matter how discipline you are and 95% will fall.


Womanizing is the worst of the three!!!!!!!

Every time you sleep with a woman even with protection doesn't guarantee you for safe health, there are more deadlier diseases that doesn't need going raw to contact. Just exchange of body fluid can give you diseases to distroy your wife and family.
It's also drain your finances quicker and endenger your wife and family to jealousy and envy.

Lastly you expose yourself to different powers operating in different women and pass it to your wife and family when they are not spiritual with God.

At least one side chick is enough to help substitute when madam is tired.. After enough due diligence.

In a nutshell, man must fall at least in one class of the three. Your personal experiences and principle of life will take you to the right place at right time.

This is my personal opinion and perspective of your question.

Whether natural or artificial, smoking of any thing is dangerous and harmful..use Google or chatgpt and see for yourself .

kiddaz:
How person papa go dey reason like 9 years old

Perhaps, the person might actually be 9 years old

Love makes a man weak, you know what to do but you're too weak to do it and no advice from here will influence your decision...

This guy no sabi anything, very boring

Even the NFF president said fifa hasn't given any verdict ,only you know where you got your information from

Look at his cheeks like those of droopy, why not propose eternity in office, ode

Until you have a police case especially when you're the accused, that's when you'd know that the police are very unprofessional and foolishly biased...op, thanks for sharing ..

Him no ready to kpai else before u even got home, d deed would have been done

TheStoriesOfMan:
Thanks. I'm just rooting for one goal.

What will be will be.

For sure, all d best

Tykoko1:
I think Barca seriously need rashford, from what is playing out here.

He's not available for this match,I think he has a minor knock ..

TheStoriesOfMan:
The match has ended. Slip don enter.

Wait.

Make I use ₦350k place the match over 4.5

Done

And e still enter , una get mind oo, congratulations but sha don't push it make e no cast...chai, the goal was ruled out for offside but I'm positive u will surely win d bet...congratulations in advance

She's probably still in her early 20s