gentleiphy:



If i go by making money reasons to migrate to US or Canada...i will ask you to stay back in Nigeria...we have more money in Nigeria than thise in US and Canada...how many Nigerians can afford to put all their family inside plane and vamoose to Dubai spending millions on shopping and tours...how many Nigerian Americans have even built houses in Nigeria...all this idumoya boys..ladipo...Computer village and alaba boys can afford to pay some nigerians in the US monthtly salary without shaking...apart from Nigerians in Health sector and IT in uS...others are just earning meagre salaries not good enough to have common vacation in a year...check out guys in naija...and see what money is..
so we should not use money issue to talk about america or canada...health care like you said in US if you have money you can access..same thing nigerians back home do..they have money and come to US and access same health care and pay for it...Nigerians from home schooling in the US all paid cash tuition fees...Americans cant afford school fees except by long debt of student loan...

wow your argument displays some ignorance......but its not my duty to educate you I'll only tell you this....be factual when you state your points.

It depends on what exactly you want in life. i feel USA is better due to better schools (Top ranked universities and colleges), Multi Racial, More opportunities and jobs and a robust economy. Diverse weather and topography. Canada also has its better side of which i can't exactly state cos i don't live there. I have a handful of friends who relocated from Canada to USA and i asked whats really the difference? Their response...there is more things to do here in US and better pay.

obajoey:
sure nah, honestly, except the person is lazy.
My friend moved to the US recently for his Masters. He ran out of cash, so someone told him about a job which entails clearing some grasses from a parcel of land. After about 3-4hrs, they were given $120 each. He converted that to naira and he was having about #43,800. He said his brain wan burst. This is a guy that earns #90,000 a month here in Nigeria oo. He said the joy he had passed the stress he went through. If he should do this work for just 5days, that is about $600 and that is about #219,000naira here in Nigeria.

Abeg help me too. I need Visa abeg. I don tire.

i like the way you calculate the money but i feel it doesnt necessarily equate to much money. the reasons being the cost and standard of living here in the US.

good for him

emmanuelbrown26:

Mehnnn, though Yankee has been my dream country, but I know one day am gona be there. How are the citizens seen this current administration

with mixed views just like any typical Government,

Chelseafan1:


Let them allow us again jare, that's the only hope for most of us abi u fit come carry me.?

Wish i could...hehe.....Surely someday the opportunity to travel out will come..be positive about your aspirations

emmanuelbrown26:

ohhhh, thank you for your respond. All the same how is the States

Great! Hardwork pays. Infrastructure functional...Government accountable and upholding human dignity.......

Chelseafan1:


Wow.....you would forever be grateful to that friend, were you over 20 then, when will they allow naija parcipate in this lottery again.

Yes i was above 20 years old. No specific date on when the visa lottery for Nigerians would resume.

emmanuelbrown26:
@lindaayim pls when are they starting lottery again

I don't know of a specific time but in my understanding, Nigeria has sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the US in the past 5 years(i presume) 2012-2017 combined, By US law, a country that has sent in more than 50k immigrants over the past 5 years is ineligible to participate in visa lottery. So, every year the total immigrants are computed, if the past 5 years is less than 50,000 then Nigeria could be placed back on the eligible list for visa lottery.

falklands

Pidgin2:


What is wrong with these people living abroad? Do you know Nigeria more than us who live here?

As you visit Nigeria every year there are also some Nigerians who visit the US every year and come back too. There are some US citizens based here too so why this negativity?

Nigeria is blessed, lovely country. Go to the political section and read people's opinion on politicians before making statements. It seems you and your people are servants to politicians, definitely not an average Nigerian

OP, do well to ignore the above opinion, Lagos is a good place to live especially when you stay close to where you work. I think most people on here prefer Lekki so you can opt for that but I like Ikeja because things are less expensive than on the Island but it seems the Island is a bit more organized

You seem confrontational in your post(s). i usually do not respond to posts like yours but to clarify issues: you don't need to ask about
"what is wrong with people living abroad?" "You live in the UK and you are advising someone about Nigeria, I hope all is well with you?." i expressed my view on what Nigeria is like and its totally my view. i believe you should express yours and avoid all these "diaspora vs home" confrontational mentality. i'm a Nigerian, was born and brought up in Nigeria. whatever i feel is wrong with Nigeria, i have a right to my opinion just like you do so rather than spend time attacking people's LOCATION and opinion(s), do more in expressing your views about Nigeria. Finally if Nigeria's health care was so advanced(as you claim) will her president be seeking medical treatment abroad? thank you

Live in Santa Barbara....paradise

TalkCity:
Hey! Just seeing this, you will get a very good, neat apartment in lekki or ikeja ( but i'd prefer lekki) for N1.3million naira, that's like $3,500 a year rent(12 months)when you change to Nigerian currency when you arrive.

In Nigerian, we treat. Everybody equally (like visitors). Nigerians don't discriminate.

Speaking of working in nigeria, yes! You can work in nigeria, nobody would ask any question so long you have the certificate to back you  Academic up. (i'd advice when you're in nigeria, you should try going into radio broadcasting, you already have the accent  been an American. I will give you an example, there's a. Radio station in Lagos state, Nigeria located in lekki, called COOL FM RADIO, 80% of people working in that radio station school in america, they mostly got employed because of their accent and and there is a guy called DAN FOSTER there too, he's an American.

Then if you're thinking of your family coming to nigeria to visit you when you finally settled here in nigeria. Its easy! Nigeria offers Business or tourist Visa On Arrival (VOA) now. So your family or friends can always make use of the "tourist visa", so on arrival, their visa will be stamped .

Wow......Nigerians don't discriminate seriously? and today we hear things like.. we want an Urhobo president, why are all the ministers from certain geographic area, man know man for jobs......all these issues are they related to segregation or apartheid? am asking.

JayLyle:
Hello my fellow brothers and sisters.

I just discovered this site earlier today and have been enjoying every second of it thus far.

However, I am in a bind. Please don't insult me or think I am foolish for what I believe and feel.

I love Nigeria. I understand why some have their preconceived feelings about a place they have never visited (thanks News and Social Media) but nevertheless I absolutely love Nigeria.

I recently visited you guys country just last month (Feb) for 3 weeks, so yes I already have a feel for how the country operates & how I'll be treated.

Speaking of treatment: I was freaking treated like a KING. Omg! I have neat dreadlocks and the girls LOVED every second of me. Surprisingly, the fellas were intrigued also. I kept being called Rasta which was cool lol. No I'm not Rasta. People kept staring at me, my friends said it was because of my hair.

I was VERYYY nervous before I arrived, & when I was departing I was yearning for more and didn't want to leave. (Although I hate the Hammertime (?) season smh can someone please elaborate what the hell that is and why does it exist? I almost choked to death lol)

As a black man who lived 29 years of his life in America I am just TIRED. America is NOT all that its caked up to be. Yes I like my country and yes I love many things about it. So again, yes it will be missed and I'll visit quit a bit throughout time. But enough is ENOUGH.

I need sooo much advice about what I should do to properly prepare for my move. I'm moving within a year and that's final. No one or nothing is stopping me unless their name is Jesus Christ themselves.

How much money (US$) should I bring for atleast a 1-2 year stay? I'm aware of Lekki, Victoria Island, Mainland etc... but if I was to set aside 4-5K for housing alone where should my friends in Lagos look for a place for me? Not to sound pompous or anything but I would prefer a quiet/SAFE area more than anything. It doesn't have to be fun or exciting, just SAFE AND QUIET.

Aside from Rent (which I know we pay in advance for the year or next two years) what other utilities does Nigerians pay monthly? In the States smh you pay literally for everything. I.e Gas, electricity, wifi, garbage, sometimes security, maintenance fees, pet fees, insurance, water, vehicle fees if u have multiple cars sometimes it's just a mess. Plus you pay monthly! My rent right now is $850.00 (US) x 12 (months) = $10,200. Nothing is included either. So all the other fees mentioned above would be paid in addition lol laughable right? So no, I don't care about limited electricity (Hello Generator!) or terrible roads (Hello! Buffalo, NY!!) or even bad traffic (Hey! Los Angeles, Atlanta, DC, & NY)

What hidden fees (other than medical and feeding) should I budget?

I'm not rich but I make my money, so I have to properly save now to make this move a reality.

I have a Business Degree from a school in NY, so I think that'll help with employment and I speak great English and ASL (American Sign Language) and sound kinda proper to be from New York lol not much slang in my vocabulary (unless angry then I can get very gangsta hehee) so how does businesses take to foreigners? Will I be look at as an asset (hopefully)? Or look down upon as an intruder? That's my biggest issue, wondering if I'll be employable.

Lastly and most importantly: does anyone know the process it takes for a US citizen to make the change to become Nigerian (hehe) I mean atleast a citizen of Nigeria? Is it a hard process? (Like it is for my brothers and sisters to gain entry into the US) What steps do I follow? Do I have to have my employer take action? What if my employer doesn't operate there? I hear often times US citizens gain entry with the help of their employers for assimilation.

I'll just be coming over with cash that's it. Oh, and a dream. Yes, I have friends there so no I won't be defenseless but nonetheless I wanted to reach out to your guys (which is why I created my account today while researching Google for help)

Sorry for the long story but I prefer to be descriptive rather than short on words.

Great idea but don't get too excited my reasons are
1. healthcare delivery in Nigeria is not as advanced as USA. it might be cheaper but no advanced technology to handle trauma, gunshot wounds, various cardiovascular disorders.
2. there is a lot of pollution with less effective regulations controlling pollution. the sources of pollution are generator fumes, smog from trucks, SUV and industries, burning trash etc etc
3. there is excessive use of force by law enforcement, bribery and random penalties for crime. in order words you can drive without a license and settle your way out of it. it's all about right connections/money
4. high inflation/instability in market prices means less income to spend.
5. rough drivers, disorderly driving, and DUI with less frequent arrests.
6. Customer service or consumer protection poor or non existent. Don't expect to buy an item and find a fault/ change preference and think you can easily return for refund or exchange?
7. every human life is not equal. politicians are gods you a resident/ Nigerian citizen(s) are servants....you cannot be in traffic when a politician is behind you waiting. you MUST give way for god to pass while you languish in traffic. summary is no equal or at least close to equal treatment.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Georgia state in usa?

jokunle:
Please who stays or knows anything about Georgia should give me a review what he or she knows about Georgia

The question that i get most of the time is how did you get here? my answer by air...i flew in

TWoods:


What system? I've lived here 12 years and have not felt trapped by the system.

I often feel that the Nigerians who live here and yet rail against the "system" here are mostly those who either did not fully assimilate into the country, allow their inferiority complex to marginalize them or simply were not able to succeed in the system. My brother, cousins and i are making it quite well in corporate America and not a single one of us will contemplate spending one night in Nigeria if it can be helped. No system is perfect, but you cannot convince me that Nigeria holds any value to anyone who appreciates real living (as against merely existing).

Its easy to speak from your perch. You will always have an American passport to allow you to escape back to the "trap" you despise once things get bent out of shape for you in Nigeria. For what its worth, will you give up your US citizenship? If not, why not?

I was thinking about the tit for tat here as i drove home from work. I thought a lot about what home meant. Then it hit me - home is where i have peace, security, justice. Home is where i know i can drive at night, alone, on impulse, and have zero fear of armed robbers or area boys or bad roads. Home is going back to my abode, knowing i won't have to struggle to find kerosine to cook, that i won't need candles as my source of light, that i will turn on the tap and water will flow and that my biggest problem would be what to cook rather than if i will get to eat or not. Yes, there is racism here... but so what, its not like my black Nigerian brother did any better for me. The average 18-year old American kid can take a backpack, pick a ticket to anywhere in Europe and fly out... with nothing but a few dollars in their pocket. In Nigeria, successful middle class adults have to provide tax forms, letters from employer, return tickets home, bank account information, invitation letters, cram visa interview questions and answer + 7 day fasting and prayer, just to spend a few days in South Africa of all places. My brother... America isn't perfect, but i'm sure glad i live here not in Lagos.

very intelligent post

Montgomery, Alabama

propzncribz:
A Lebanese is not classified as an oyinbo, he is just a very light skinned Nigerian

mehn...you sound racist

what is going on with our roads and drivers? all these careless loss of life

Well done Nigerian Army

Goldenboy007:
OP this is a fantastic review and everything you said I also have observed. I am a naturalized American with the best of education from the US system. I work in the corporate America sector but I know there is the systemic racism. When we use the word "Blacks" please let's clarify who we are referring to ....Black American or Black immigrants. The black immigrants are highly educated and hardworking compared to their black American counterparts however the immigrants have struggled to be at par with their white colleagues. I work with one of the biggest Telecom companies in US and it's so hard to see a "black manager", although we have a handful of Nigerian managers but I doubt if they will go higher than that.
Should we blame the whites? No ! It's their Country and we can't blame them if we cannot fix our own Country. My advice is - never forget where you are from regardless your status.

very educative write up but I tend to disagree when people say that the whites own this country. No. this country USA is owned by every citizen irrespective of race religion sex or national origin. that's not to say systemic racism doesn't exist.

Goldenboy007:
OP this is a fantastic review and everything you said I also have observed. I am a naturalized American with the best of education from the US system. I work in the corporate America sector but I know there is the systemic racism. When we use the word "Blacks" please let's clarify who we are referring to ....Black American or Black immigrants. The black immigrants are highly educated and hardworking compared to their black American counterparts however the immigrants have struggled to be at par with their white colleagues. I work with one of the biggest Telecom companies in US and it's so hard to see a "black manager", although we have a handful of Nigerian managers but I doubt if they will go higher than that.
Should we blame the whites? No ! It's their Country and we can't blame them if we cannot fix our own Country. My advice is - never forget where you are from regardless your status.

Great points u raised

Goldenboy007:
OP this is a fantastic review and everything you said I also have observed. I am a naturalized American with the best of education from the US system. I work in the corporate America sector but I know there is the systemic racism. When we use the word "Blacks" please let's clarify who we are referring to ....Black American or Black immigrants. The black immigrants are highly educated and hardworking compared to their black American counterparts however the immigrants have struggled to be at par with their white colleagues. I work with one of the biggest Telecom companies in US and it's so hard to see a "black manager", although we have a handful of Nigerian managers but I doubt if they will go higher than that.
Should we blame the whites? No ! It's their Country and we can't blame them if we cannot fix our own Country. My advice is - never forget where you are from regardless your status.

Great point u raised

i only name here to check come

thebaft:


So my question will be... Is the bias targeted towards only Africans or all immigrants in general?

i can't speak for all immigrants but myself. if you asked my opinion i will say its is more likely for a native born citizen to get treated favorably than a naturalized citizen...also it could be subjective

TWoods:


This is a fairly routine question that almost every American will get at some point. We often make fun of the southern drawl, the Jersey accent, the NY accent. This is nothing new. People comment on the French accent all the time... I work with European/Asian colleagues and part of our typical banter is trying to guess what country each person is from based on their accents. As far as i'm concerned, you're making a mountain out of a molehill. The problem is that you are very sensitive to anything that might be construed as racism so you take offense anytime you get a question that somewhat reminds you of your place of birth. There is nothing to be ashamed of in being born Nigerian.

Most white Americans are fiercely proud of their European heritage even though they are natural born US citizens. What is wrong in being proud of your Nigerian heritage, even if you are naturalized?

Your question with regards slavery is completely irrelevant. What has an accent to do with whether someone else had grandparent slave owners? Those are two completely dissimilar topics.

Your response to your co-worker was aggressive. Basically you've painted yourself into a corner... all of them now know to be extra sensitive and watchful of anything they say around you. Don't be surprised if they are not willing to invite you to out of office events.

You don't seem to understand what the term "assertive" means.

You must have plenty of downtime/time at work to be playing a guess game on peoples accent...i guess u got nice job though. on the matter of irrelevance which you brought up i guess u misunderstood my position and am leaving it at that... talking about not understanding what is assertive i believe you need to go read the meaning of what being assertive is. aside the above you made a good point of being proud of my Nigerian heritage but maybe you didn't read the topic. It's doesn't primarily focus on one's heritage but focuses on how naturalized citizens are treated compared to native born. thanks

TWoods:


To be honest, I think this was a passive aggressive and totally unnecessary confrontation with someone who was probably just trying to start a friendly conversation. I'm also fairly up the income/social ladder here myself and i often get the "where are you from" question from most people. The lady was correct, it's impossible for anyone born and raised in the US to have the sort of accent like yours so it was a fair question. There was no need for your response. It's ok to simply state that you were born African but a naturalized US citizen. We joke about it in my office here, people try really hard to say my name and i tease them by scoring them on points based on who can say the name the best. We all have a good laugh and that's it. I work with 99.9% whites and have never felt any disrespect on account of my name or accent (which people think ranges from English to Jamaican).

If you search desperately for bias or bigotry, you will find it.

Good write up but let me address some issues you raised; how many times do you go around asking people born in the USA where they are from? i mean you from the Southern US like Texas, Alabama, S. Carolina etc. secondly...this question is for you what response would you elicit from an american if you asked (reverse racism now) were your great great grandparents slaveholders or telling someone from south Carolina who is white do you support slavery? as long as i'm concerned certain questions require certain answers and my answer was assertive not passive, aggressive or passive-aggressive. thanks

EVILFOREST:
Is NIGERIA'S TRIBALISM not worse than the RACISM across the borders...??

It may or may not.........(subjective) but we are not here to compare Nigeria vs USA/ western countries. The topic did say do you as a naturalized US citizen get fully respected/ treated as a native born citizen.

TheCongo2:


This thread opened by lindaayim is a perfect example of covert racism. In 2016, there is no much if not any form of blatant racism in North America (CANADA and the US). As a black person you can freely go from the east cost to the west coast from the South to the North without experiencing any name calling such as “nigger” or been told that “we don’t serve black here.” In fact every white person you will meet along the way will more likely be extremely nice and helpful to you. So, having experienced this, the visitor to North America would go back to his/her homeland and then open a thread on Nairaland to paint North America as a land with no more racism given that he didn’t see it on his visit.

Now, when that same visitor returns to live permanently in the US or Canada and wants to ascend the socio-economic ladder as indicated by OP, this is when he/she will discover what is called covert racism which is also known as everyday racism or subtle racism or subtle discrimination. This is a form of racial discrimination that is disguised and subtle, rather than public or obvious. You have to be living permanently in North America to feel it. You are more likely not to notice it if you are just visiting North America. This form of racism discriminates against individuals through often unnoticeable or seemingly passive or innocent methods. At the end of the day, it will make you feel alienated; it will make you feel that you don’t belong to the place in spite of all your effort to fit in.

In Canada for example, when you are hunting for job, most companies will require you to have the Canadian work experience. Given this fact, many skilled immigrants who land in Canada struggle to find jobs in their fields, despite holding proper credentials. Employers in Canada frequently devalue foreign experience. As a result of this, many medical doctors and other professionals from third world countries are driving taxi in cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver in spite of holding the proper credentials in their fields of expertise.

Furthermore, research show that employer callback rate in Canada for English sounding named applicants is higher compared to that of candidates who had Chinese, Indian or Pakistani names as well as foreign education and experience. In other words, you have higher chance of been called for job interview if the employer believe you are white.

And now, when you got the job expect to face seemingly petty experiences of disrespect, humiliations, rejections, blocked opportunities where color is a determining factor for upward mobility or for moving sideways, to the center of an organization. This is where you would start to understand the importance of affirmative action and the system of quota. I am talking from personal experience. I wish I could post my own experience at my previous employment. However, I received a huge payout from my employer as a settlement on an employment discrimination case and under the clause of the settlement I can’t talk it.

Actually the new form of racism works as the Chinese water torture. ( Chinese water torture is a process in which water is slowly dripped onto a person's forehead, allegedly driving the restrained victim insane.) In other words, the cumulative effect of small incidents will drive you crazy at the end of the day. It will make you feel alienated. Just like OP manifest her frustration when she was asked by a colleague where she was from. On the surface, there is nothing wrong with the question. Given that the OP is a US citizen who have lived in the US for many years, the question “where you from” is alienating. It implies the person who asked is telling the OP “You can’t be a US citizen”.

Some people said that Canada is better than the US in terms of race relation. This could be because there hasn’t been much higher publicized (high profile) cases of racism in Canada as there has been in the US. There never been any slavery in Canada. The slaves in US were running for freedom into Canada through the Underground Railroad.

However, when it comes to dealing with covert racism, the same crap that is going on into the US are pretty much happening in Canada. I have been living in Canada for long time and can easily relate to OP’s story in the US.

Some positive notes about Canada:
The government has very strict laws against racism. If you feel discriminated in any way by a landlord, a business or employer, a phone call to the Canadian Human Right commission or your provincial Human Right commission is all it takes for an investigation to unfold. And those commissions are very effective in what they are doing. You don’t need a lawyer given that the commission will assist you throughout the process.

Also, if you have the opportunity to work for you own in Canada, you won’t face a lot of BS as you would face by been employed

You do understand my point....really impressed

dasparrow:


Linda, when I first saw the topic heading of your thread, the first thing I said to myself before even clicking on the thread to read what you wrote was, if you speak with a foreign accent, Americans will never truly see you as one of theirs. There will always be that question of "where you from?' one thing I discovered after years of residing in America is that there really isn't any true sense of belonging in America if you bear an African name and speak with a non-American accent. No matter how you try to assimilate into American society, Americans - both Black and white - always have a way of reminding an immigrant that they are not truly one of theirs. It just is what it is. I know it can be frustrating especially when you have lived in America for a considerable period of time but what can you do? That is just how many of these western countries are. Just ignore them and keep moving because Nigeria right now is not a country you would want to come back to at the moment.

Rightly said, it baffles me how despite working hard and ascending the socio-economic ladder, assimilating they still remind you of your alien status... guess what? i was talking to a lady at work and she asked "where you from you got a lovely accent?" i said "from here..i mean USA" she looked at me in a bizarre way with great disbelief...my reply was so an american can't speak with a foreign accent? she said well i meant where were you born.............i said i'm an american but was born in Nigeria......she sort of ended the convo..