₦airaland Forum

When Ngozi was still in Nigeria, she lived in her parents’ massive duplex in Enugu. You know the type — 3 living rooms, 2 balconies, 5 toilets (that nobody uses), and space to jog from the gate to the kitchen. Life was good.

Then she japa’d to the UK for her master’s.

Her first rented room in London was a Box room.
Literally. A small square that looks like it was designed for house rats with ambition.

She called her brother back home on video call.
“Chuka, this is my new room!”

He said, “Ah ah… that’s the wardrobe na. Where’s the real room?”

Ngozi sighed, “This is the real room. My bed touches all four walls. If I sneeze, my elbow hits the side.”

Let’s talk about rent. Back in Nigeria, ₦450k could rent a full flat with boys’ quarters and goats in the backyard 🤣🤣 for a year.
In the UK? £500 = NGN 110k a month gets you a room so small, even your thoughts need to queue to enter.

Then there’s heating. In Nigeria, if NEPA tries rubbish, you fan yourself with church bulletin.
In the UK, if you forget to turn on the heater?
You wake up shaking like an exorcism is happening.

Ngozi once made the mistake of trying to reduce bills by turning off the heat overnight.
She woke up with her nose frozen, and blanket on her head

Bathroom matters?
In Nigeria: 3 bathrooms, one just for decoration.
In the UK: 5 housemates, 1 bathroom. If you spend more than 10 minutes, someone starts knocking like EFCC.

Washing machine? You have to schedule it like a doctor’s appointment.
Cooking? Be fast or your jollof rice will be labeled “eviction rice.”

One day, Ngozi sat in her box room and said,
“In Nigeria, I used to open fridge for fun. Here, I open fridge and calculate electricity bill.”

But you see Ngozi? She’s adjusting, laughing through it all — because she knows one day she’ll own her own duplex again probably starting with a mortgage....maybe she would pay for the house 20 yrs before she can own it, if she doesn't loose job or default in payment due to sickness... House would be foreclosed!

Back home, space is cheap and light is unpredictable. Abroad, space is tight and bills are very predictable — and consistently painful.

But we still like it like that 😏

₦450k could rent a full flat with boys’ quarters and goats in the backyard

mightyhaze:
At least no spontaneous chase from herdsmen and bandits

tunjijones:
How many times have herdsmen chased you?

mightyhaze:
Those being chased and hacked,you are better human than them?

tunjijones:
Stop it... Stop acting like there is terrorism in every party of Nigeria. Stop acting like everyone living in Nigeria is living in fear.

Not down playing the kidnapping and herdsmen carnage in Nigeria , people are living their normal life. Like me, I even stay in the northern part of Nigeria and I am living well and fine.

How can I be living in a mansion and have very good source of income in Nigeria, then I leave to go and stay in a one room studio apart in the UK where I will work like a slave for the rest of my life.

ariesbull:
When Ngozi was still in Nigeria, she lived in her parents’ massive duplex in Enugu. You know the type — 3 living rooms, 2 balconies, 5 toilets (that nobody uses), and space to jog from the gate to the kitchen. Life was good.

Then she japa’d to the UK for her master’s.

Her first rented room in London was a Box room.
Literally. A small square that looks like it was designed for house rats with ambition.

She called her brother back home on video call.
“Chuka, this is my new room!”

He said, “Ah ah… that’s the wardrobe na. Where’s the real room?”

Ngozi sighed, “This is the real room. My bed touches all four walls. If I sneeze, my elbow hits the side.”

Let’s talk about rent. Back in Nigeria, ₦450k could rent a full flat with boys’ quarters and goats in the backyard 🤣🤣 for a year.
In the UK? £500 = NGN 110k a month gets you a room so small, even your thoughts need to queue to enter.

Then there’s heating. In Nigeria, if NEPA tries rubbish, you fan yourself with church bulletin.
In the UK, if you forget to turn on the heater?
You wake up shaking like an exorcism is happening.

Ngozi once made the mistake of trying to reduce bills by turning off the heat overnight.
She woke up with her nose frozen, and blanket on her head

Bathroom matters?
In Nigeria: 3 bathrooms, one just for decoration.
In the UK: 5 housemates, 1 bathroom. If you spend more than 10 minutes, someone starts knocking like EFCC.

Washing machine? You have to schedule it like a doctor’s appointment.
Cooking? Be fast or your jollof rice will be labeled “eviction rice.”

One day, Ngozi sat in her box room and said,
“In Nigeria, I used to open fridge for fun. Here, I open fridge and calculate electricity bill.”

But you see Ngozi? She’s adjusting, laughing through it all — because she knows one day she’ll own her own duplex again probably starting with a mortgage....maybe she would pay for the house 20 yrs before she can own it, if she doesn't loose job or default in payment due to sickness... House would be foreclosed!

Back home, space is cheap and light is unpredictable. Abroad, space is tight and bills are very predictable — and consistently painful.

But we still like it like that 😏

©️ Queen Abigail

DemonSlayer:
in which part of Nigeria exactly?

eastOFwest:
The picture of her room (box room) reminds me of the one I lived in when I first came to the UK.

tunjijones:
Stop it... Stop acting like there is terrorism in every party of Nigeria. Stop acting like everyone living in Nigeria is living in fear.

Not down playing the kidnapping and herdsmen carnage in Nigeria , people are living their normal life. Like me, I even stay in the northern part of Nigeria and I am living well and fine.

How can I be living in a mansion and have very good source of income in Nigeria, then I leave to go and stay in a one room studio apart in the UK where I will work like a slave for the rest of my life.

mightyhaze:
At least no spontaneous chase from herdsmen and bandits

Firebox123:
Which side in UK

tunjijones:
Stop it... Stop acting like there is terrorism in every party of Nigeria. Stop acting like everyone living in Nigeria is living in fear.

Not down playing the kidnapping and herdsmen carnage in Nigeria , people are living their normal life. Like me, I even stay in the northern part of Nigeria and I am living well and fine.

How can I be living in a mansion and have very good source of income in Nigeria, then I leave to go and stay in a one room studio apart in the UK where I will work like a slave for the rest of my life.

eastOFwest:
The picture of her room (box room) reminds me of the one I lived in when I first came to the UK. Mine was actually smaller than that. I lived there for 9 months. It was a starting point. Everyone has to start somewhere. Sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards to move forwards. I went from renting a box room to eventually being a landlord to tenants. I know how much I send to Nigeria every month for different reasons.

Do you know that diasporans in the UK remitted about $3.53 billion back to Nigeria in 2022? 2nd only after USA? Globally, about $20 billion was remitted back home by Nigerian diasporans. That same year Nigeria earned $35.7 billion form Oil & Gas. That same year Foreign Direct Investment from other sources was -$0.19 billion (negative). The highest it had ever been up till then from 2010 was $8.84 billion in 2011. Bear in mind that the FG would have spent millions of dollars on trade missions and other government sponsored junkets in order to woo investors, and also make certain tax breaks and other incentives available for FDI. Money from diasporans is money to Nigeria FOR FREE.

Nobody gives diasporans any tax breaks for investing in Nigeria, just like is given to the already rich Chinese, Arabs and westerners. Diasporans work extremely hard, run businesses, hustle in the streets etc, and gladly send these monies home for various things. No thank you for being the largest source of foreign earning into Nigeria after Oil & Gas. Instead, what I've seen in the last few years is a concerted effort to malign and de-market the idea of Nigerians moving abroad, and it's increased 10 fold in the last year.

How typical of black man to consistently shoot himself in the foot. To consistently make things worse for himself just because of pride and sentiments. Stubbornly refusing to be pragmatic. Yes, we will feed ourselves, create jobs and keep ourselves healthy by being proud, abi? Grown men, fathers, grand fathers and even great grandfathers, reasoning like children and scoring cheap political points. Indulging in meaningless bragging rights. Sad.

grandstar:
Rent in the UK can be high.

It's better you don't live in London where rents are probably the most expensive.

Mindlog:
I live and work in London, yes it is the most expensive just as Lagos is to Nigeria.

Be highly skilled, earn better and you will enjoy the good, London has to offer.

Just as in Lagos, there are affordable rental spaces in some parts of London, where one can start out.

Chimarto:
Igbos does not shout Ah ah... as insinuated in the story. Why use Igbo names in your made up story?

DemonSlayer:
in which part of Nigeria exactly?